European screenwriters gathered in Berlin made strategy decisions in a context of growing threats against freedom of artistic expression and challenges to authors’ rights in the area of Artificial Intelligence.
More than 50 professional screenwriters, lawyers and executives of 30 European screenwriters’ guilds gathered in Berlin on 14 November 2025 for the 24th Annual Meeting of the General Assembly of the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe. They exchanged experiences, views and made strategy decisions to address major challenges for their profession. On top of the list: growing threats against freedom of artistic expression and how to protect authors’ rights in the area of Artificial Intelligence.
One of the main decisions was the unanimous adoption of a new resolution strengthening our collective commitment to defending freedom of artistic expression across Europe.
This resolution invites each member guild to monitor and report developments that may threaten writers’ freedom of expression, from individual incidents of pressure or censorship to political discourse, media narratives, or controversial appointments in cultural institutions. By gathering these signals at the European level, the FSE will build a shared overview of the challenges facing screenwriters, and explore with partners the creation of a dedicated European observatory – or ensuring that existing European initiatives aimed at monitoring and preventing threats to artistic freedom properly take into account the specific situation of screenwriters. The first action will be the publication of our new report, “Right to Write: Screenwriters and the Growing Threats to Freedom of Artistic Expression in Europe”.
An important and unanimously adopted step, reflecting the determination of all European guilds of screenwriters to act together to protect screenwriters’ creative freedom.
First European Screenwriters Day
This general assembly followed the First European Screenwriters Day on 13 November, where more than 120 participants discussed topics that are particularly pressing for European screenwriters, including the threat to civil liberties, the instability of democratic structures and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence for copyright law.
FSE president Carolin Otto and former FSE executive officer David Kavanagh presented the draft FSE report “RIGHT TO WRITE – Screenwriters and the growing threats to Freedom of Artistic Expression in Europe”. This presentation was followed by a panel discussion titled “DEMOCRACY AT STAKE – How Writers Fight Fascism, Algorithms, and (Self-) Censorship”.
“People tell us what to do. It is part of our job description to deal with getting corrected all the time. The capacity to adapt is most important in our job. So I do ask myself: since we are used to servitude, are we screenwriters especially ready to bow, not only in front of working conditions, but as well to political influence?”, said FSE president Carolin Otto in her keynote.
FSE general delegate Denis Goulette introduced the panel on COPYRIGHT AND AI with a keynote “To consent or to submit, in full transparency?”. Screenwriters and lawyers then debated on “What Concrete Tools Remain for Screenwriters?”.
“What concrete tools remain for screenwriters to retain control of their rights? “Every guild represented here is already acting — drafting clauses, building alliances, talking to funders or broadcasters — to make sure that technological change happens with writers, not against them. What unites all these experiences is the belief that consent should remain at the heart of copyright — not as a legal detail, but as the foundation of creative freedom.” said FSE general delegate Denis Goulette
This first and successful edition of the European Screenwriters Day was organized by the FSE in cooperation with the DDV, with the kind support of VG Wort.
New Executive Committee
The full members of the FSE elected a new executive committee composed of 8 professional screenwriters, with a two-year mandate. This executive committee reaches a good gender and geographical balance. Jacob Groll, screenwriter in Austria, is the new president of the FSE (writing credits).
The other members of the executive committee are Vinicio Canton, deputy-president of the Writers Guild Italia (writing credits), Alex Haridi, chair of the Writers Guild of Sweden (writing credits), Angel Manzano, president of FAGA (Organisation of Audiovisual Screenwriters’ Associations) in Spain (profile), Teodora Markova, member of the board of BAFTRS in Bulgaria (writing credits), Carolin Otto, member of the board of DDV in Germany (writing credits), Gail Renard, treasurer of the Writers Guild of Great-Britain (writing credits), Cyril Tysz, member of La Guilde in France (writing credits).
New screenwriters’ guilds joining the FSE
The FSE welcomes two new member guilds. The Screenwriters Guild of Serbia (Udruženje scenarista Srbije), already involved in the FSE since a few months, and the Syndicat des Scénaristes, a new union representing professional screenwriters in France.
The FSE is now an umbrella organisation of 30 screenwriters’ unions and associations in 26 European countries.
