About the Observatory
An FSE initiative documenting threats to artistic freedom across Europe, built on a network of national screenwriters guilds.
Our network
Click on a country to visit the guild's website. Hover for details.
About this observatory
The Right to Write European Observatory is an initiative of the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE).
It was created to document, analyse and make visible threats to freedom of artistic expression affecting screenwriters and audiovisual authors across Europe.
The observatory focuses on indirect forms of pressure that can influence what stories are developed, financed, commissioned or broadcast, including political interference, pressure on public service broadcasters, changes in funding systems, intimidation, and chilling effects leading to self-censorship.
Its purpose is to help FSE member guilds collect comparable information across Europe, identify recurring patterns, and provide evidence-based input to public institutions, policy-makers and civil society organisations.
The Right to Write Report
The observatory builds on the FSE report Right to Write: Screenwriters and the Growing Threats to Freedom of Artistic Expression in Europe.
Published in March 2026, the report examines how threats already widely identified in the field of journalism and media freedom are also emerging, in more diffuse ways, within audiovisual creation.
It highlights recurring political patterns affecting media, public service broadcasters, cultural institutions and funding systems, and analyses their consequences for screenwriters.
The report also describes the risk of a "chilling effect", where writers may anticipate constraints and adjust their creative choices before a project is even submitted, developed or commissioned.
Download the report →