Strengthening Guilds

Strengthening Screenwriters guilds and unions

A priority policy goal for FSE has been, and will continue to be, capacity building for existing member guilds, as well as encouraging and supporting the establishment of new guilds where they do not yet exist.

This goal was established as a priority task for FSE in its three-year plan 2015 to 2018, adopted by the General Assembly in 2015.

A basic goal is to ensure that FSE is as representative of Europe’s screenwriters as possible.

Of the 28 Member States of the European Union, only 18 have guilds which are members of the FSE.

Encouragingly, new guilds have been established by screenwriters in Slovenia and Croatia and recently in Estonia. However, there clearly is considerably more work to do on this task and FSE will work to encourage the establishment of new guilds.

Capacity Building

Capacity building for members also continues to be a priority issue for FSE. Working with colleagues in the Federation of European Film Directors (FERA) and UNI-MEI, and funded by Directorate General for Employment of the European Commission, we have been undertaking training in Collective Bargaining and establishing information facilities, such as a comparative database of audiovisual creators’ contracts, as useful tools for those guilds who wish to embark on collective bargaining.

Exchange of Experience

Information exchange has also been important in capacity building. FSE provides occasional newsletters, social media and extensive bi-lateral and multi-lateral meetings to facilitate exchange of experience.

In recent years, meetings of the FSE Executive Committee have been held at the invitation of member guilds and have included Madrid, Gdynia, Paris, Berlin, Ljubljana, etc. and which have included meetings with national guild’s members.

Strengthening and improving communication between member guilds will remain a high policy priority over the next years, particularly in the context of the implementation of recent European Union Regulations and Directives and the reviews of extant legislation, such as the Digital Rights Management (DRM) Directive.