Brussels, 26/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 21 May, Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht promised European ministers for culture that he would not stray from his mandate in the EU-US free-trade negotiations (TTIP). In other words, the audiovisual sector will not be brought into the balance.
Called upon by Germany to report back on the TTIP negotiations to the European culture ministers' meeting in Brussels on 21 May, De Gucht gave fresh assurances that cultural services would be excluded from the talks. Although he stated categorically that he would keep strictly to the mandate conferred upon him and that there would therefore be no negotiation on the audiovisual sector, De Gucht acknowledged that the United States had shown an interest in a number of fields of the audiovisual policy of the EU, according to a statement issued by the press services of the Council of the EU.
“Anybody who is worried can rest assured. Mr De Gucht was very clear: he firmly stated that he will keep strictly to the mandate of the Commission and would therefore not be discussing audiovisual and cultural services with United States”, French culture minister Aurélie Filippetti confirmed at a press conference after the meeting. “The answers given to us by Mr De Gucht have supported us in our determination to fight for the cultural exception”, Filippetti stressed.
In June 2013, a group of some 15 member states, led by France, secured the exclusion of audiovisual matters from the mandate given to the Commission to negotiate the TTIP. On Wednesday, a number of member states reiterated their total opposition to the inclusion of audiovisual in the negotiations, stressing that this sector is vital for cultural diversity, in particular for the European cinema industry and the creative sector. For her part, Filippetti welcomed “Germany's considerable development”, as the country is now “lined up with France” to defend the cultural exception.
In response to questions from several delegations about transparency issues, De Gucht said that a certain level of reserve was necessary in any negotiation and that the Commission had to take account of the fact that the United States has adopted a restrictive approach to these issues. However, De Gucht expressed his hopes that a “reading room” could soon be set in place to allow a viewing of the draft texts currently being negotiated. He also pointed out that the Commission regularly reported back to the Council Trade Policy Committee, which answers primarily to the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) and the European Parliament. Lastly, he stressed that there was no consensus among the member states to publish the negotiating mandate. (EH)