Germany

European Commission: Film Support at the Level of the German Länder

IRIS 2009-8:1/35

Meike Ridinger

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

The European Commission has examined film support at the level of the German Länder in various decisions. This support is currently provided primarily by the following institutions:

- Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH;

- FilmFernsehFonds Bayern GmbH;

- Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH;

- Filmbüro Bremen e.V.; WFB Bremen GmbH;

- Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH;

- Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein GmbH;

- Hessische Filmförderung; HessenInvestFilm; Filmförderung des Landes Hessen;

- Filmbüro Mecklenburg-Vorpommern;

- Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung GmbH;

- Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen GmbH;

- Stiftung Rheinland-Pfalz für Kultur; Kultusministerium Rheinland-Pfalz;

- Saarland Medien GmbH;

- Kulturelle Filmförderung des Landes Sachsen;

- Kultusministerium des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt;

- Kulturelle Filmförderung Thüringen - Thüringer Staatskanzlei.

In accordance with Article 88(3) EC, the Federal Government has notified the Commission of numerous arrangements in individual Länder for the provision of support for film and television productions. The Commission decided to approve the measures pursuant to Article 87(3)(d) EC (see IRIS 2002-1:0 and IRIS 2003-3:Extra); more recent decisions, such as on Bavaria and Hesse, date from June 2007 and August 2009.