Belgium

[BE/CA] Agreement on Assistance to the Film Industry

IRIS 1995-1:1/49

Jacqueline Krohn

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

On 24 February 1984, the governments of the Kingdom of Belgium and Canada signed in Brussels an agreement on mutual assistance to the film industry. The aim is to support Belgo-Canadian co-productions and foster the economic development of both countries.

Films co-produced under the agreement are entitled to financial support under the provisions concerning the film industry that are either in force or may be decreed in each country. This also applies to the co-production of short films. Before shooting commences, co-productions to which this agreement is to apply require the approval of the relevant authorities, ie the Minister of Communications in Canada and the Minister of Economic Affairs (Minister van Economische Zaken / Ministre des Affaires économiques) in Belgium. The benefits available for co-productions are granted to producers with good technical organisation and sound financial backing. Other preconditions include the employment of staff from the contracting state and the requirement to undertake shooting primarily in Canada and/or Belgium.

The proportion of the respective contributions to production costs of the two countries’ co-producers may vary from 30% to 70%, but this may be reduced to 20% in exceptional cases. The artistic and technical participation of each country must be in the same proportion as the financial participation.