Luxembourg, 14/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - The difficulties that the 27 European Union member states are up against in order to tie up the European Commission's mandate herald bitter negotiations with Washington.
At the time of going to press, European trade ministers had not come to a compromise approving the negotiating mandate to be given to the Commission to negotiate a free trade agreement with the United States - with France still insistent on the exclusion of audiovisual services (television, cinema and online media) from the negotiations.
“France will refuse any mandate that does not include protection for cultural services and the clear and explicit exclusion of the audiovisual sector”, French Trade Minister Nicole Bricq warned her colleagues at the opening of the meeting (our translation).
At 6.30pm, the Irish Presidency of the EU Council was still confident that an agreement could be reached at the beginning of the evening. (EH/transl.fl)