Albania

Update on Signatures and Ratifications of Relevant Treaties

IRIS 2002-8:1/1

Tarlach McGonagle

Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam

A number of Member States of the Council of Europe have either signed or ratified treaties of relevance to the audiovisual sector since the publication in IRIS 2002-5 of the table of signatures and ratifications of such treaties.

- On 14 May, the Netherlands became the eighth country to accede to the European Convention on the Legal Protection of Services based on, or consisting of, Conditional Access (see IRIS 2000-9: 3). Having signed this Convention on 24 January 2001, Romania proceeded to become the first country to ratify it on 26 August 2002. The Convention will enter into force upon ratification by two more countries (i.e., a total of three countries).

- On 30 May, Portugal ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (which it had initially signed on 16 November 1989). It will enter into force in Portugal on 1 September of this year.

- Both the European Convention for the Protection of the Audiovisual Heritage and the Protocol thereto on the Protection of Television Productions (see IRIS 2001-9: 3) were signed by Romania and Austria on 30 May and 5 June 2002, respectively.

- The Convention on Cybercrime (see, inter alia, IRIS 2001-10: 3) was signed by Slovenia on 24 July and ratified by Albania on 20 June (Albania had signed the Convention on 23 November 2001).

- Greece ratified the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production on 24 June of this year (after having originally signed it on 17 November 1995) and it will enter into force in Greece on 1 October 2002.