Animar_BCN Concludes with Recommendations for Future

The third edition of Animar_BCN concluded in Barcelona last week after gathering 90 delegates from 60 European organizations to address topics shaping the animation industry and offer recommendations on how to improve.

The main topics addressed across the three-day event were the impact of AI, sustainable animation, media regulation and co-productions. Recommendations made at the event’s conclusion include applying the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive to all services providing access to audiovisual content, including platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, and developing a best practice guide for the legal, ethical and sustainable use of trusted AI tools.

Regarding media regulation, in addition to applying the AVMS Directive to all services, the working group that covered the topic also advocates for a reinforced definition of “European works” within the Directive to safeguard intellectual property retention within Europe, which would support the long-term growth of the European ecosystem.

The AI-focused working group agreed that it supports a human-centered approach to integrating AI within their companies. Alongside the development of a best practice guide, the group calls for enhanced access to training programs and AI experts to help industry professionals acquire both educational and practical skills, aligning with the sector’s creative and productive goals.

The working group that discussed fostering European co-productions stressed the need for stronger tools and collaboration between funding bodies and broadcasters to support project development. For production, the group advocated for the creation of enhanced tax incentives by linking them to the retention of IP by European companies and to the European relevance of the content, thus strengthening the competitiveness of the independent sector and avoiding a shift to a mere service industry.

Participants of the sustainability group highlighted the need for shared environmental sustainability tools to facilitate co-production across Europe. They agreed to engage their respective national stakeholders to join an existing international working group dedicated to developing green animation production standards, with the aim of establishing a unified approach to sustainable animation practices across the continent.

With Animar_BCN concluded, Animation in Europe is turning to other upcoming events and projects. Following one of the main recommendations of the previous Animar_BCN, Animation in Europe has teamed up with a consortium of European universities on ANIMA MUNDI, the first academic, interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder project dedicated to the European animation industry ecosystem. Funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe program with €4 million, the project seeks to address challenges in intellectual property, European content dissemination and cross-border partnerships. Animation in Europe will play a major role in bridging the gap between producers and stakeholders, and among its deliverables are the creation of a European Animation Brand, a policymaking dashboard and toolkits for enhancing IP management and discoverability. ANIMA MUNDI is scheduled from February 2025 to July 2028.

Over the past three years, Animar_BCN has shown that the think-tank model gathering producers, funds, broadcasters and policymakers has proven to be a great discussion board for building a stronger animation sector. However, not all of the topics addressed can move forward at the same speed and need specific actions. In order to give the opportunity to other territories, Animar_BCN will launch a series of spin-offs consisting of single workshops tackling a specific topic, organized in different places within the EU.

The first of these Animar workshops will take place in March 2025 in Nova Gorica, Slovenia, in collaboration with CEE Animation. The forum will continue the work on sustainability in animation, with a focus on the application in Eastern European territories.

Animar will also organize two spin-offs during the Annecy Animation Film Festival in 2026 and 2027, within the framework of ANIMA MUNDI’s research. Both will focus on how to foster the distribution and dissemination of European animation films and series across the continent and beyond.