EU: “Green light” for Greek program to support film and cinema distributors

The European Commission has approved an 8m-euro Greek program to support movie theaters and film distributors affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the restrictive measures the Greek government must take to curb the spread of COVID 19.

The scheme was approved under the temporary State Aid Framework.

Under the program, public support will take the form of direct grants. The measure will address the losses suffered by the beneficiaries between October and December 2020 due to the closure of cinemas.

The amount of aid per beneficiary will be calculated on the basis of the number of cinema seats and for film distributors on the basis of lost income.

The Commission found that the Greek system complied with the conditions set out in the provisional framework. In particular, the aid will not exceed EUR 1.8 million per company and will be granted no later than 31 December 2021.