15/06/2013 - Trade negotiations between Europe and the United States will not include audiovisual services unless a unanimous decision is taken later on

"For the time being, audiovisual services are not included in the mandate". Such was the welcome outcome, for defenders of creation in Europe, of the meeting in Brussels attended by the EU's 27 Ministers of Commerce responsible for defining the precise content of trade negotiations to be opened between Europe and the United States.

Led by France which brandished the possibility of applying its right of veto on the entire process, the camp of countries favourable to the exclusion of cultural and audiovisual services from the mandate won their cause. The European Commission may nevertheless bring up the matter again, but unanimity will be required for any revision of the mandate and, as emphasized by French Minister of Commerce Nicole Bricq: "The same procedure would then be necessary: France would again be asked to give its opinion, and would again say no".

As a reminder, the European Parliament (elected representatives of all the countries on the Old Continent) had voted massively in favour of exluding cultural and audiovisual services from the trade negotiations to be held between Europe and the United States, the European film-makers' petition "The cultural exception is non-negotiable !" was signed by over 8,300 people, and even Americans Steven Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein gave their official support to the defense of cultural exception in Cannes. A collective commitment which has born fruit.

(Translated from French)