The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production: 1992 Framework and the 2017 Rotterdam Revision

The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production is one of the most important multilateral instruments for European film financing — a single legal framework that allows producers from any of the 43+ ratifying states to co-produce together without negotiating bilateral treaties for every combination. Adopted by the Council of Europe in 1992, in force since 1994, and substantially revised at Rotterdam International Film Festival on 30 January 2017, the Convention has underpinned thousands of European co-productions and continues to function as the structural backbone for multilateral European cinema financing today.

This guide explains the Convention’s operational framework, the 2017 revision improvements, and the relationship with bilateral treaties and Italian implementation. For the broader international co-production framework, see our international film co-productions guide. For Italian-specific co-production guidance, see our Italian film tax credit guide.

Origin: the 1992 Convention

The Convention was adopted by the Council of Europe in 1992 and came into force in 1994. The instrument provides a multilateral framework that allows two or more producers from ratifying states to co-produce under a single legal treaty — without negotiating separate bilateral agreements between each combination of countries.

Before the Convention, European filmmakers seeking multi-country co-production had to navigate a complex patchwork of bilateral treaties. The arrangement worked reasonably well for major territories with extensive treaty networks (France with 45+ bilateral treaties, Italy with 39, Germany with 18, Spain with 17, UK with 13) but effectively excluded smaller European nations that had not negotiated bilateral treaties.

The Convention solved this by providing a single ratification path: countries that ratified the Convention could co-produce with all other ratifying states. By 2017, 43 Council of Europe states had ratified — making the Convention the de facto multilateral framework for European co-production.

The 2017 Rotterdam revision

The 1992 framework, while functional, needed updating. The Council of Europe opened the revision process in the mid-2010s, with the revised Convention signed at Rotterdam International Film Festival on 30 January 2017. Key changes:

• Opening to extra-European partners: previously restricted to Council of Europe Member States and selected observer countries, the revised Convention enables non-European countries to join through unanimous consent of existing signatories;
• Minimum contribution reduced to 5%: down from the previous 10%, opening participation to smaller producers and territories;
• Maximum contribution adjustments: refined maximum contribution caps to enable larger multilateral structures;
• Modernised language: removed obsolete analogue references (the 1992 version referred to “original negative” and “internegative” — terminology no longer relevant in digital distribution);
• Monitoring framework: Eurimages tasked with tracking Convention use and disseminating best practice guidance;
• Procedural simplification: streamlined application and certification procedures.

The Rotterdam revision reflected the realities of contemporary European cinema: greater integration with global markets, digital distribution, and the need to support smaller territories’ participation in multilateral projects.

The 5% minimum threshold

Perhaps the most operationally significant change: the minimum contribution threshold dropped from 10% to 5% of the overall budget. The 2017 revision recognised that smaller European territories — Estonia, Slovenia, Iceland, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Malta, and others — were effectively excluded from larger multilateral projects when minimum thresholds were set at 10% or higher.

Under the old framework, smaller territories could participate only as service producers, not as recognised co-production partners with shared ownership and access to cultural quotas. The 5% threshold opens official co-production status to substantially more participants. The maximum threshold remains structured to prevent excessive concentration on any single co-producer.

Opening to extra-European partners

The Rotterdam revision’s most strategic change is the framework for non-European participation. Previously, European producers seeking to co-produce with Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, or Latin American countries had to rely on bilateral treaties between specific country pairs — an inefficient system that disadvantaged smaller European territories without such treaties.

Under the revised Convention, non-European countries can join the Convention framework with unanimous consent of existing signatories. In practice, non-European countries most likely to join are those already actively producing with European partners — Canada (with 55+ bilateral treaties), Australia, South Africa, and selected Latin American nations.

For Italian producers seeking partners outside Europe, the Convention provides an emerging alternative pathway alongside the existing bilateral treaty framework. The choice between Convention and bilateral structuring depends on specific project circumstances, the partner country’s framework, and procedural considerations.

Convention vs bilateral treaties

The Convention and bilateral treaties operate as parallel alternatives, not substitutes. Co-producers can choose which framework to apply:

• Convention framework: multilateral projects involving three or more countries, or projects between smaller territories without bilateral relations;
• Bilateral treaty: bilateral projects between countries with active bilateral relationships, where the bilateral framework may offer more favourable terms or simpler procedures;
• Hybrid structures: some projects use bilateral treaty between primary co-producers plus Convention framework for minority partners.

For most Italian co-productions today, bilateral treaties remain the primary framework for Italy-France, Italy-Germany, Italy-Spain, Italy-UK, and similar major partnerships — see our international co-productions guide. The Convention serves where bilateral coverage is incomplete or for genuinely multilateral structures.

Italian implementation

Italy ratified the 1992 Convention and the 2017 revision, with Italian implementation through:

• Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo (MiC): handles Italian certification for Convention-based co-productions;
• Italian tax credit framework: D.I. MiC-MEF 225/2024 recognises Convention co-productions for Italian tax credit access;
• Cultural eligibility test: Italian cultural test applied to Italian share of Convention co-productions;
• AI clause: mandatory AI clause under Article 7 paragraph 6 D.I. 225/2024 applies to Convention co-productions accessing Italian tax credit;
• Coordination with Eurimages: Italian projects accessing Convention framework typically also seek Eurimages support, which is administered through the same Council of Europe institutional framework.

For Italian producers, Convention-based projects benefit from access to the full Italian tax credit framework, Eurimages support, Creative Europe MEDIA grants, and any additional regional Italian funding — coordinated through careful structuring to comply with state aid limits.

Operational use today

The Convention remains particularly relevant for:

• Multilateral projects: three or more European countries co-producing simultaneously;
• Smaller territory participation: especially given the 5% minimum threshold;
• Eastern European integration: most Balkans countries (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania) ratified the Convention, providing structural framework for Italy-Balkans multilateral projects — see our Italy-Balkans co-productions guide;
• Projects without applicable bilateral treaties: where two participating countries have no direct bilateral relationship;
• Festival-circuit projects: art cinema with smaller budgets benefits from the Convention’s flexibility and accessibility.

For Italian arthouse and independent productions, the Convention has been the structural framework behind many festival-acclaimed co-productions distributed across Europe. The Rotterdam 2017 revision improvements continue to expand the framework’s practical utility.

How DANDI supports Convention-based co-productions

DANDI.media supports Italian and international producers on Convention-based co-productions:

• Convention applicability analysis vs bilateral treaty alternatives;
• Multilateral co-production agreement drafting under Convention framework;
• MiC certification for Italian share of Convention co-productions;
• Italian tax credit integration with Convention co-production status;
• Eurimages and Creative Europe MEDIA coordination;
• Cultural test compliance across participating jurisdictions;
• AI clause integration for tax credit access;
• Chain of title coordination across multiple legal systems.

For consultation, book directly with Avv. Claudia Roggero or Avv. Donato Di Pelino.

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