2018 saw the introduction of the Romanian movie production cash rebate system and a subsequent uptick in movie productions seeking to develop in Romania. The ambitiously outlined rebate system seemed quite appealing, initially. However, over the past three years, it failed to live up to its original goals.
Adriana Spataru agrees, adding that “the only countries that covered expenses to a comparable degree were some of those where tourism has an important role in their national economies: Italy, Greece, and Malta.”
Leroy si Asociatii Head of IP Adriana Spataru provides further insight. “According to the Film Commission in Romania, there are recommendations for taking into consideration the already-submitted payment requests, concluding the projects that are under analysis, and amending the cash rebate system in a manner that would make it less bureaucratic,” she reports. Still, she believes it would be premature to evaluate the system’s viability, as that would require “careful monitoring of the evolution of disputes over time and of any changes the Romanian state would bring forth to overcome the current obstacles – assuming the national policy regarding the movie industry would continue to favor this project.”
This Article was originally published in Issue 9.8 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine.
