EU Parliament Limits Foreign TV Shows

The European Parliament, hoping to reduce Hollywood’s role on its airwaves, voted Wednesday to require TV stations in the 15-nation European Union to devote at least half their air time to homemade shows.

The 292-195 vote sets the Parliament on a collision course with most EU governments and Europe’s major broadcasters, which strongly oppose quotas as obstacles to freedom and innovation.

“It’s a disaster for European television,” said Tania Banotti, a spokeswoman for the Assn. of Commercial Television in Europe.

But quota supporters in the Parliament said the legislation is needed to protect European culture from domination by U.S. companies selling shows at prices up to 10 times cheaper than European production costs.

“It’s about ensuring that one universal message from one place in the world does not dominate,” said Britain’s Carol Tongue, who led efforts for the quota.

She added that the rule will help ensure that European filmmakers and television stations profit from the rapid expansion of cable, satellite and other television technologies.

Many European actors, artists and small filmmakers backed the decision.

“Measures are needed if Europe’s audiovisual industry is to be given a chance to compete in tomorrow’s markets and take full advantage of the growth in new broadcasting technologies,” a coalition of British arts and media organizations said in a statement.

The Parliament’s vote in Strasbourg, France, was the latest move in years of struggle to draft legislation to limit American television in Europe.

France, defensive of its film industry, backs the quota, while most other EU nations oppose it.

EU nations compromised last year by agreeing to extend 1989 legislation imposing a 51% rule with the proviso that it would be enforced only if it were “appropriate” for stations to obey.

In practice, that made the rule voluntary, and few stations have observed it.

On Wednesday, the Parliament eliminated the proviso.

Under complex EU procedures, the measure now goes back to the EU governments for further debate. If the governments and the Parliament continue to clash, the measure will die and the EU will be left without legislation, officials said.

Support for European television and movie industries has become more urgent as more cable and satellite operators open stations with an appetite for inexpensive programming.

Hollywood does not object to government subsidies for Europe’s beleaguered industry, but it has always strongly opposed quotas, arguing that it kills competition.