Brussels, 10/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - After studying the latest European Convention proposals, France came out on Monday against the common trade policy being decided in the future by qualified majority voting (see Europe of 6 February, p.6). In a press release issued by the French Culture Ministry on Monday, it said that keeping unanimous decision-making for the most sensitive areas of WTO negotiations (cultural diversity, health and education) was the only guarantee of permanent preservation of such areas.
The French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, Culture Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon and Deputy Foreign Trade Minister François Loos, restated "France's strong desire to keep the trade negotiations involving cultural diversity within a system respecting the competence of EU Member States". France argues it is "necessary to confirm the consensus" won with the other EU Member States during the negotiations over the December 2000 Nice Treaty (which came into force on 1 February 2003) whereby "agreements on trade and cultural and broadcasting services, education and social services and health" require "common agreement of Member States", in other words, unanimous decision-making for both negotiating and signing such agreements. (See Europe of 6 February, p.8, on trade in services and the presentation of the EU's initial offer by Commissioner Pascal Lamy, and today's editorial "A look behind the news").
By making the entire common trade policy the exclusive responsibility of the EU, "the proposals by the Convention Praesidium deprive Member States of their capacity to oppose an agreement" in these areas, "which would no longer come under the shared competence of the Community and its Member States", adds the press release. (See Europe of 7 February, p.5, on the preliminary draft articles presented by the Praesidium.)