Ukraine has become the 12th country to sign the Council of Europe’s new framework for international television and streaming-series co-productions. The signature broadens the convention’s reach, but it does not make the treaty operational yet: ratifications are still required before it enters into force.
The status matters: Ukraine signed the Lille Convention on September 19, 2026. Signing signals an intention to join; it is not the same as ratification, and the convention has not yet met its entry-into-force threshold.
What happened
Tetyana Berezhna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for humanitarian policy and minister of culture, signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Co-production of Audiovisual Works in the Form of Series with Mathieu Mori, secretary general of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
The signing took place September 19 in Bukovel, in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, and the Council of Europe announced it on September 21. Ukraine is the 12th signatory.
Nine countries—France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, and Portugal—signed when the convention opened in Lille on March 26. Moldova and the United Kingdom followed on May 15.
What the Lille Convention is designed to do
The Council of Europe describes CETS No. 230 as the first international legal framework devoted specifically to independent co-production of series for television and streaming services. It adapts a model long used for feature-film co-production to episodic work.
At its core, the convention creates a minimum legal standard under which a qualifying international series can be recognized as an official co-production and become eligible for the financial benefits that participating countries grant to national works. That can matter for public funding, production incentives, and the official status used to assemble cross-border financing.
The explanatory report says the framework is intended for independent co-producers established in countries that are parties to the convention. It covers qualifying bilateral and multilateral series co-productions and can include other partners, such as broadcasters or streaming services, within each country’s contribution.
What it does not do yet
Ukraine’s signature does not immediately unlock funding, incentives, or official co-production status. The convention enters into force only after three countries have expressed consent to be bound through ratification, acceptance, or approval, and at least two of those countries must be Council of Europe members.
Under Article 17, entry into force occurs on the first day of the month after a three-month period following the third qualifying ratification. Countries must also identify competent authorities and implement the process that producers will use to seek recognition.
The convention is not a universal co-production label for every episodic project. Its scope is tied to qualifying works in series form and independent producers established in participating states. The explanatory report excludes single feature-length works and unscripted programming from this framework.
Why it matters to producers and crews
International series are often financed and produced through a patchwork of national rules, bilateral treaties, broadcaster requirements, tax incentives, and cultural tests. A shared multilateral framework can reduce uncertainty about official status when a project brings together independent producers from several countries.
For filmmakers and production companies, that could eventually create clearer routes for assembling finance and partners across participating territories. For actors and crew, official co-production structures can influence where production and post-production take place, which national funds support the project, and how creative and technical contributions are distributed.
Ukraine’s participation is also significant because its screen sector continues to pursue European partnerships under wartime conditions. Ukraine is already a member of Eurimages and a party to the Council of Europe’s older cinematographic co-production conventions. The new signature extends that policy direction to series.
What happens next
The practical milestone to watch is ratification—not the number of signatures alone. Producers should track the Council of Europe Treaty Office for the first three ratifications, the eventual entry-into-force date, and each country’s designated authority and application guidance.
Once the convention is in force for the relevant countries, project teams will still need to satisfy its eligibility rules and any national requirements. Until then, existing domestic rules, bilateral agreements, and current funding programmes continue to govern series co-production.
Primary sources
- Council of Europe: Ukraine signs the Lille Convention (September 21, 2026)
- Council of Europe Treaty Office: CETS No. 230 status and entry requirements
- Official text: Convention on the Co-production of Audiovisual Works in the Form of Series
- Council of Europe: explanatory report to the Lille Convention
Hero image: Contextual photo of Bukovel, Ukraine, by Eugenia Pan'kiv on Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License. The image does not depict the convention signing.