The European Audiovisual Observatory is kicking off 2026 under its new Norwegian Presidency. This Council of Europe organisation, based in Strasbourg, has been providing facts and figures and analysis of the film, television and video industries in Europe since 1992.
The Observatory is headed by its rotating annual Presidency which is renewed every January. Norway follows on from Austria which held the Observatory Presidency in 2025. Norway is represented within the Observatory’s Executive Council by Mari Velsand, Director General of the Norwegian Media Authority.
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As every year, a media conference is hosted by the Presidency of the Observatory in the first half of June. This will take place as an in-person event in Oslo. Participation is open to all interested members of the public. The subject of this conference to be chosen by the Observatory’s Norwegian Presidency as well as the date and venue will be announced early this year. Mari Velsand stated: “The media field is living through fundamental changes, and providing facts and relevant analysis is more important than ever. In this context, the European Audiovisual Observatory plays an important role, and so does cooperation and the exchange of experiences between our countries. I am looking forward to contributing to this important work through the Norwegian Presidency in 2026.” Pauline Durand-Vialle, the Observatory’s Executive Director, thanked the outgoing Austrian Presidency and in particular the outgoing chair for his wise and pragmatic approach. She stated that she was looking forward to working with Norway as “an inspiring example of combining local storytelling, audience reach and media accessibility which will feed into the Observatory’s work in 2026.” |
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