EU proposes a quota of European films on services like Netflix and Amazon

One-fifth of the films and television shows offered in the European Union by on-demand providers like Netflix, iTunes and Amazon would have to be Europe-made under new proposals issued Wednesday. The quota would match one that already exists for TV networks in European countries and aims to protect the film industry, culture and national languages of the EU's 28 states in an increasingly globalized world dominated by programs in English and from the U.S. The proposal, however, is not popular in the industry and was immediately criticized by some. "Cultural quotas are outdated and unnecessary -- video-on-demand providers are already investing heavily into European local content," said James Waterworth, vice president of Europe operations for the CCIA computer and Internet industry association. Officials from the European Commission, the EU executive branch that made the proposal Wednesday, noted that Netflix's library is already made up of 21% European content, while other providers have up to 30%. "These percentages are not going to represent a major effort," said Guenther Oettinger, the commissioner responsible for Europe's digital market. "We are providing a certain degree of security for the European film industry."