AZAS – the Association for the Protection of Audiovisual Copyright and related rights – is proud to announce that Skopje will host a Regional Seminar on Audiovisual Authors’ Rights on 18–19 November 2025, gathering key representatives of the audiovisual sector from Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. The seminar is organised by SAA – Society of Audiovisual Authors, in partnership with AIPA (Slovenia), ZAPA (Poland) and AZAS, as a central host.

Titled “Authors First: Copyright as the Cornerstone of Creativity and Culture in the Audiovisual Sector,” the seminar aims to reinforce the protection of screenwriters, directors, performers and other audiovisual rightsholders, improve regional cooperation, and promote functioning collective rights management systems.

The event will create an essential space for:

• strengthening recognition of authors as the first link in the audiovisual value chain;
• developing effective copyright infrastructure so authors can receive fair remuneration;
• sharing best practices among CMOs across the region, including Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia;
• advancing regional alignment with EU copyright standards and the Digital Single Market objectives.

 

Why This Seminar Matters for North Macedonia

For North Macedonia, this seminar arrives at a crucial moment for the country’s creative sector. Ensuring fair remuneration for audiovisual authors is essential for building a sustainable audiovisual industry and strengthening the cultural economy.

AZAS continues its mission to enable fully functioning collective management that recognises and protects the rights of Macedonian audiovisual authors in line with European standards.

 

📅 Full Programme

18 November 2025 – Authors, rights and the power of a system

🕧 13:30–14:00 – Registration & welcome coffee

🕑 14:00–14:30 – Opening remarks

• Barbara Hayes, SAA Chair – video greeting
• Michele Woods, Director, WIPO Copyright Law Division – video greeting
• Orhan Murtezani, Minister for EU Affairs, North Macedonia
• Christophe Le Rigoleur, French Ambassador
• Gregor Presker, Slovenian Ambassador

🕝 14:30–15:30 – Panel: What happens when copyright works – and when it doesn’t?
Speakers include:

• Teona Strugar Mitevska – screenwriter & director (video link)
• Jana Vozárová – LITA Director, Slovakia
• Kiril Gjozev – Secretary General of AZAS, North Macedonia
• Ricardo Gómez Cabaleiro – Secretary General, DAMA (Spain)
  Moderator: Gregor Štibernik – Managing Director, AIPA (Slovenia)

🕞 15:30–16:00 – Refreshment break

🕓 16:00–17:00 – Panel: The author’s journey – from script to payment: the copyright infrastructure
Speakers include:

• Srđan Dragojević – screenwriter & director, Serbia
• Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo – screenwriter & director, Estonia
• Cécile Despringre – Secretary General, SAA
  Moderator: Dejan Iliev – producer, North Macedonia

🕔 17:00–18:00 – Panel: Recent developments in collective rights management – good practices & regional challenges
Speakers include:

• Stefan Gelineo – Director, UFUS-AFA (Serbia)
• Gregor Štibernik – Managing Director, AIPA (Slovenia)
• Kristina Hristova Nikolova – screenwriter, North Macedonia
• Danko Stefanović – Managing Director, DHFA (Croatia)
  Moderator: Dominik Skoczek – Managing Director, ZAPA (Poland)

19 November 2025 – Building an ecosystem for the region

☕ 09:00–09:30 – Welcome coffee

🕤 09:30–10:30 – Panel: What is a sustainable audiovisual environment?
Speakers include:

• Sylwia Biaduń – Deputy Director, ZAPA (Poland)
• Hrvoje Hribar – screenwriter & director, Croatia
• Klemen Dvornik – director, Slovenia
• Ognen Antov – producer, North Macedonia
  Moderator: Cécile Despringre – SAA

🕥 10:30–11:30 – Panel: Building an ecosystem in the Western Balkans
Speakers include:

• Kiril Gjozev – Secretary General, AZAS (North Macedonia)
• Andjela Đurković – Legal Counsel, A-PRAVA (Montenegro)
• Evien Dako – Managing Director, FAAD (Albania)
• Lirak Celaj – Managing Director, VAPIK (Kosovo)
  Moderator: Uroš Rožič – Deputy Managing Director & Head of Legal, AIPA (Slovenia)

🥗 11:30–12:00 – Refreshment break

🕛 12:00–13:00 – Closing session: “Skopje Call – Joint Declaration”

 

 

🤝 A Milestone for Regional Cooperation

This seminar highlights the strength of collaboration between European and Balkan CMOs, establishing Skopje as a strategic meeting point for:

• stronger regional copyright governance,
• reinforced international partnerships,
• greater creativity and cultural circulation.

AZAS looks forward to hosting all participants and advancing a future where every audiovisual author receives fair recognition and remuneration.