PHARE

The European Commission financed a 3 820 000 euro regional programme of technical assistance and co-operation in the field of Intellectual property rights under the Phare programme to promote the creation of a market economy in the CEECs. The programme (RPAR: regional programme for authors’ rights) covered 13 countries: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, FYROM, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

GESAC was designated to implement it, concluding a first technical assistance agreement with the European Commission on 31 August 1994. In association with the AIDAA, GESAC ran 4 successive programmes from 1994 to 2000. Other organizations like AEPO/ARTIS and FERA also contributed to programme delivery by providing expertise. GESAC also enlisted the services of experts from different backgrounds and nationalities to assist it in its task: university academics, members of the national legal service, heads of collective management societies, lawyers, and so on.

The programme objectives were to protect and develop Intellectual property rights - copyright and related rights - to combat piracy and more generally to promote content creation and the development of cultural industries.

• A wide range of measures were taken under the Phare IPR Programme: 
• Analysis of existing national laws and drafting proposed amendments specifically designed to bring them in line with the Community Directives,
• Campaigns to raise authors, performers, producers and other stakeholders’ awareness of their intellectual property rights and how to enforce them,
• Combating piracy in particular by campaigns to raise awareness among the customs authorities and other stakeholders,
• Help in creating collective management societies for copyright and related rights, technical assistance and staff training for existing societies.