European countries need a shared strategy to bolster the film industry, officials agreed at a conference on the sidelines of the 69th Venice Film Festival on Monday.

"We need to set up a shared strategy," festival director Alberto Barbera said at the conference named European Strategies for Cinema.

Within the European Union (EU), two essential measures are being discussed: Creative Europe and Cinema Communication.

Creative Europe, a seven-year (2014-2020) program proposed by the European Commission in 2011 to boost the cultural and creative sectors, plans a budget of 1.8 billion euros (2.3 billion US dollars), 37 percent higher than the current level.

In addition, a new financial instrument will be created to help small operators and small and medium-enterprises get bank loans.

The proposal is now under discussion in the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament and is expected to enter into force on January 1, 2014.

Cinema Communication, produced in 2001, sets out the state aid assessment criteria for the production of films and audio-visual works. A new communication will be adopted in the final quarter this year before the current version expires on December 31 to ensure a more culturally diverse choice of works and ensure a level playing field in the sector.

At the conference, officials from a number of countries including Britain, Germany, France and Italy shared ideas on their unique film supporting policies.

"Lottery funding serves as one of the resource sources for the film industry in Britain," said Alex Stolz, senior executive of British Film Institute's Department for Lottery, Distribution and Exhibition.

In France, a tax is imposed on internet service providers to fund the film industry, while Italy implements tax credits as an incentive for investment of resources in the country. In Germany, the federal government and the state have a special division of roles in this respect.

"Creation and implementation of a European policy remain a challenge given the diversity of national systems," said Andre Lange, head of Department for Information on Markets and Financing, European Audiovisual Observatory, a pan-European public service body operating within the legal framework of the Council of Europe.