Is Europe the Last Bastion of DEI in Film and TV?

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On April 18th, individuals who oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Hollywood’s CBS Studios seemed to achieve a win when CBS Studios settled a lawsuit over allegations that their parent company Paramount was enforcing unlawful diversity quotas that discriminated against straight white men. The America First Legal Foundation, a conservative organization led by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, had filed the suit on behalf of a white script coordinator for the CBS series “SEAL Team,” who claimed that Paramount preferentially hired and promoted less-skilled female writers or those from ethnic minority groups.

The agreement arises during a broader pullback from Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) in the U.S. entertainment sector, as businesses face scrutiny from the Trump administration for their attempts to boost diversity and representation. On his inauguration day, the President issued a far-reaching executive order that dissolved DEI initiatives within government departments. Since then, he has ordered further actions aimed at… (continuation of sentence omitted for clarity)

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to focus on challenging what they call “unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) requirements in various private industries. Notably, companies such as Paramount, Disney, Amazon Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery have recently scaled back or abolished their DEI initiatives.

The international impact of the anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) measures is becoming evident, as subsidiaries of film studios and streaming platforms conform to the fresh guidelines issued by Hollywood headquarters. A European showrunner who has worked on local-language series for Netflix and Disney+ expresses that this shift represents a significant reversal of policy. “There’s no longer any emphasis on diversity within these companies,” they say, “they seem uninterested in the topic.

In response to queries from The Hollywood Reporter, the European branches of American film studios and streaming platforms chose not to provide comments for this specific article.

The Trump administration has attempted to expand its prohibition on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives officially to Europe. By sending letters to various companies and embassies within the European Union, they’ve requested these entities to discontinue their own DEI programs if they wish to conduct business with the U.S. The leaked letters, reported by several European news outlets, urged businesses to verify that they do not support or promote diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These initiatives, allegedly, contradict existing federal anti-discrimination laws in the U.S. Initially, this campaign is aimed at companies offering services to the American government, such as aerospace and defense industries, rather than entertainment businesses.

However, in response to the latest requirements from the White House, Europe is standing firm, as networks, manufacturers, and businesses are either maintaining or even intensifying their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

In everything we carry out, representation and inclusion are fundamental,” states Lindsay Salt, Drama Director at the BBC, a British national public broadcasting organization. In essence, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are an integral aspect of our charter and public duty, which is to depict and embody the entirety of the United Kingdom.

Salt highlights these recent BBC series – such as “Mr. Loverman”, a narrative about gay men within Britain’s African-Caribbean community, “What it Feels Like for a Girl”, a story centered on a transgender individual coming out in an East Midlands working class community, and “Reunion”, a crime drama focusing on a deaf main character – as proof of the network’s dedication to creating varied content.

Jasmin Maeda, who leads international fiction at German public broadcaster ZDF, shares this viewpoint. In essence, their primary objective is to consistently provide a wide variety of programming for all German audiences. They aim to portray the complexities of life in unique and under-explored settings and environments.

According to Harry Moore, the head of production and development for content at Milk Machine (a division of U.K. production company Mad Cow Films), clients expect their collaborators in production to have a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy established. Specifically, they seek equal representation within the production teams and want assurance that their partners’ values align with their own regarding these matters.

Since the DEI crackdown stateside, Europe has become something of a haven for diverse talent. 

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The British gaming community is keen on embracing diverse talent that reflects our nation’s multicultural fabric. That means if you come from an underrepresented group – be it ethnicity, socio-economic status, or sexual identity – your unique perspective might just give you an edge when applying for a work permit here. So, keep the UK on your radar!

Europe’s foundation in promoting Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) is not deeply established. For instance, France prohibits any discrimination based on origin, religion, or ethnicity, also disallowing the gathering of race-related data as part of their “color-blind” approach to secularism. Consequently, DEI programs in France mainly concentrate on gender and socioeconomic representation. On the other hand, Germany has faced challenges in legislating DEI programs. Recently, when passing a new film funding law, the German parliament eliminated a provision that would have made certain DEI standards, such as satisfying specific gender equality and inclusion criteria, compulsory for all productions receiving government assistance.

One German producer has pointed out that many individuals, particularly those in leadership positions, are resistant to the concept that a diverse cast and a variety of talent is necessary to reflect all members of society. A French director contends that the idea of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) originated in America and has been adopted here, but it’s still vulnerable to being discarded.

Although the U.K. has laws regarding Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI), numerous U.K. producers find themselves reliant on business deals with American firms.

Moore observes that it’s unlikely anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) laws from the U.S. would impact the U.K., but history shows us that U.S. politics has influence over the U.K. on occasion.

Despite the U.S.’s shift away from policies that promote inclusivity, creative minds and policy-makers across Europe are standing firm, eager to safeguard what they perceive as fundamental cultural principles—not foreign ideologies. In response to influence from Washington, their stance is clear and unyielding.

As a passionate advocate for equality, I, much like Jan Jambon, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, firmly believe in our culture of nondiscrimination across Europe. In a recent TV interview on March 30, following the release of U.S. government letters, I reiterated this stance and took a moment to express my opinion about certain leadership styles. To put it simply, there’s no need for us in Europe to learn any lessons from the leader of America.

This tale was initially published in The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine on May 7. You can subscribe to the magazine to read it by clicking here.

The original version of this story was featured in The Hollywood Reporter magazine on May 7. To get access to the magazine, simply click here to subscribe.

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2025-05-10 16:24