The Minister of Culture and FAPAE come out in defense of film aid

Given the position of the National Competition Commission (CNC), which in its second Annual Report on Public Aid considers that some of the criteria of the Ministry of Culture in granting aid to film activity can negatively affect competition in the sector, both the Minister of Culture, Ángeles González Sinde, and the producers represented in FAPAE defend that this aid complies with the law.

Given the position of the National Competition Commission (CNC), which in its second Annual Report on Public Aid considers that some of the criteria of the Ministry of Culture in granting aid to film activity may negatively affect competition in the sector by unjustifiably favoring certain operators, both the Minister of Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, and the producers represented in FAPAE defend that this aid complies with the law.

In its report, the CNC argues “the possible subjectivity in their assessment”, and also “unjustifiably limits the number and variety of operators that could access the aid”.

For this reason, the CNC recommends that these requirements be reduced to a minimum in “their weighting in the assessment of aid.”

González-Sinde recalled this Tuesday that this aid was “supported, approved and examined” by the European Commission, arguing that this aid for film activity complies “at all times with the legislation” and even “received support and congratulations with its approval.”

For its part, FAPAE has expressed its conviction that the film aid mentioned in the CNC's Annual Report on Public Aid guarantees equal opportunities.

The Federation of Associations of Spanish Audiovisual Producers, although respectful of the 2009 Annual Report on Public Aid published on September 6 by the National Competition Commission, wanted to highlight that the aid to which it refers does not even reach 1% of the total public aid granted in the Spanish State.

In comparison with the existing aid in other sectors and even in other countries belonging to the European Union, the aid granted in the audiovisual sector, and in particular to cinema, is according to FAPAE "exemplary in its allocation. The aid system was modified a few years ago, since then giving priority to the objective nature in the conditions of access. This means that, adjusting to the required conditions, any producer can benefit from the system in the same way."

Regarding the weighting of the merits that could arise due to the history of the companies, the aid is covered, in the opinion of FAPAE, by the European doctrine of considering or not the solvency of the producer as a condition, without once the solvency being considered it is scaled, and therefore, distributed according to this criterion.