Organisation

Institutional Framework

Executive Council


 

Each of the Observatory's members is represented within the Observatory's governing body, the Executive Council, with one vote per member.  The Executive Council meets twice a year: once in the country holding the annually rotating Presidency of the Observatory and once in Strasbourg. The purpose of these meetings is to adopt the Observatory's annual action plans and Mid-term Strategy (which form the basis of all our work) and to approve the budget needed to finance the work involved. The Observatory's budget comes from contributions from our members and is also partly financed by the sales of our products and services. The full list of member organisations can be found on the Members page.
 

40 member states plus the European Union


AL-Albania



AM-Armenia



AT-Austria
 



BA-Bosnia and Herzegovina



BE-Belgium



BG-Bulgaria



CH-Switzerland



CY-Cyprus



CZ-Czech Republic



DE-Germany



DK-Denmark



EE-Estonia



ES-Spain



EU-European Union


FI-Finland



FR-France



GB-United Kingdom
 



GE-Georgia



GR - Greece



HR-Croatia



HU-Hungary



IE-Ireland



IS-Iceland



IT-Italy



LI-Liechtenstein



LT-Lithuania



LU-Luxembourg



LV-Latvia


MA-Morocco



ME-Montenegro



MK-North Macedonia



MT-Malta



NL-Netherlands



NO-Norway



PL-Poland



PT-Portugal



RO-Romania



SE-Sweden



SI-Slovenia



SK-Slovak Republic



TR-Türkiye

Advisory Committee

The European Audiovisual Observatory's information is used by media professionals in Europe and indeed beyond. In order that the information we supply correspond to the information needs of these professionals, the Observatory is advised in its choices by a committee of media professionals: the Advisory Committee. This body is composed of representatives from the major European professional organisations representing most sectors of the audiovisual industry. Film makers, distributors, cinema owners, private and public broadcasters, ISPs and journalists, for example, are all represented within the Advisory Committee. This body comments on the Observatory's Action Plan and, most importantly, gives us grass roots feedback on the kind of information media professionals in Europe really need. We incorporate their feedback into our strategic choices on the information we produce. The full list of Advisory Committee members can be found on the Advisory Committee page.
 


 

Financial Committee

The Observatory's budget is composed of contributions made from our 40 member states and the European Union. It is given a final green light by our Financial Committee. This body brings together the Permanent Representatives ("Ambassadors") from each of our member states to the Council of Europe. They meet once a year in autumn in order to green light the final budget for the following year.

Current list of all Permanent Representatives to the Council of Europe
 

Bureau of the Executive Council

The Observatory's Bureau is, in effect, its management board elected by and from within the Executive Council. It prepares the Executive Council meetings and monitors the Observatory's work. The Bureau is composed of the Chairperson of the Executive Council and of a maximum of eight members, among which are the former Chairperson, the future Chairperson, the European Union and a maximum of five elected members. The Council of Europe has Observer status within the Bureau.
 

Board of External Auditors

The accounts of the Observatory are subject to an external audit by the Board of External Auditors consisting of three members selected for their qualifications in the control of finance and appointed by the Executive Council for a three-year mandate.

Secretariat

The practical and logistical aspects of the Observatory's work are carried out by its Secretariat at our Strasbourg headquarters. The Secretariat brings together the Administration headed by the Executive Director and the two content-producing Departments: the Department for Market Information and the Department for Legal Information. Three support units make it possible to bring our content to our target groups: the Production, Marketing and Distribution Unit, the Information, Press and Public Relations Unit and the Information Technology Unit. Our secretariat currently brings together 27 Europeans from 10 different countries.

2024 Presidency of the Observatory


Georgia

 

Calendar of meetings
  • 14 March 2024: Advisory Committee (Strasbourg, France)
  • 6 May 2024: Bureau meeting (online)
  • 13 June 2024: Executive Council (Tbilisi, Georgia)
  • 6 November 2024: Executive Council (Strasbourg, France)
Financial resources and activities

The yearly budget finances activities planned in the annual Action Plan.

Click here for details on budget, expenditure and activities.

Recent Observatory Presidency Countries

2024  Georgia

2023  Portugal

2022  Estonia

2021  United Kingdom

2020  Morocco

2019  Italy

2018  France

2017  Poland

2016  Czech Republic

2015  Montenegro

For information on previous presidency countries, click here.

Follow us on social Media

         

  Watch our videos