GERA Europe is the European wing of the Global Entertainment Retail Association. It is a Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

-based umbrella group for trade associations representing entertainment

Entertainment

Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...

 retailers and distributors across Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. It has active members in six European countries.

History

GERA Europe, the Global Entertainment Retail Association-Europe is the trade association of entertainment retailers in Europe. It was set up in August 2000 as the European arm of the Global Entertainment Retail Alliance, an international grouping of retailers.

Activities

Much of GERA Europe's work consists of monitoring EU developments and keeping member associations informed on upcoming legislation

Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...

 which may affect them. The organisation also collates and distributes information on entertainment industry. On occasion, GERA Europe will make representations

Lobbying

Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...

 to lawmakers.

Member Organisations

The following are member organisations of GERA Europe:

• Austrian Entertainment Retailers Association - Austria
  Austria
  Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
  
  
• BERA - Belgian Entertainment Retailers Association - Belgium
  Belgium
  Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
  
  
• SDSD - Syndicat des Détaillants Spécialisés du Disque - France
  France
  The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
  
  
• GDM - Gesamtverband Deutscher Musikfachgeschäfte - Germany
  Germany
  Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
  
  
• HAMM
  Hamm
  Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
  
   - Handelsverband Musik und Medien - Germany
• NVGD - Nederlandse Vereniging van Grammofoonplaten Detailhandelaren - Netherlands
  Netherlands
  The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
  
  
• ERA - Entertainment Retailers Association - United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
  

GERA Europe is supported by a secretariat based in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

.