BRUSSELS/PARIS, May 14 (Reuters) – France has secured
backing from other EU member states for the exclusion of the
movie and television industries from a proposed free-trade pact
between Europe and the United States that it fears could
threaten European culture.
France, which is considering a tax on technology giants
Apple and Google to finance cultural projects, has long defended
a “cultural exception” in trade affairs to protect European arts
from Hollywood-driven market forces.
Paris threatened in April to block the start of the EU-U.S.
negotiations on the deal unless the audio-visual industry is
excluded from the talks.
French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti has convinced 13
EU counterparts to sign a letter expressing concern that the
powerful U.S. movie business in particular could drown out
European culture.
“The European position to exclude audiovisual services from
such negotiations must be clearly expressed from the outset,”
said her letter to the culture minister of Ireland, which holds
the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union.
The letter said the exclusion should extend to digital
media.
Some EU member states believe ringfencing culture could
prompt reciprocal U.S. action, weakening any trade deal and its
power to create growth and jobs.
The United States and the European Union aim to start
negotiating a Transatlantic free trade pact by June, embracing
half of world economic output and a third of all trade. A deal
could add 0.5 percent to the EU economy and 0.4 percent to the
U.S. economy by 2027, according to the European Commission.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht has said the “cultural
exception” is not up for negotiation and that member states
would still be able to subsidise the industry and set quotas.
However, he has argued that the audiovisual sector should be
included in the talks so that EU businesses could benefit from
future developments, such as in digital media.
Despite France’s defence of its own entertainment industry,
many French are avid watchers of Hollywood movies.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in Washington on
Monday that the talks on the proposed pact should cover
everything, even “difficult” issues.
Nevertheless, French Trade Minister Nicole Bricq says other
EU states are rallying to the French position.
“Little by little, we are being joined by other countries,”
she told a news conference on Tuesday. “It is hard to imagine
that Europe’s second largest economy would not get this
mandate.”
Ireland aims to secure agreement on a common EU negotiating
stance at a meeting of trade ministers set for June 14.
