23/05/2013 - The European film-makers' petition and the culture ministers' resolution has made an impact in Strasbourg

Today (May23) the European Parliament voted for the continuity of the cultural exception in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which states that culture and audiovisual services should be excluded in the free trade agreement between the EU and the US.

At the international Cannes Film Festival, 15 European culture ministers, among them French Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti and her German colleague Bernd Neumann, had written a resolution that the European Commission should be obliged to enshrine the exclusion of cultural and audiovisual services in the negotiation mandate.

Furthermore, around 5,000 European film-makers, among them acclaimed directors such as Volker Schlöndorff, Bertrand Tavernier and Costa Gavras signed a petition that was handed over to EU Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou last Tuesday (news) - the petition was addressed to MEPs to vote for the cultural exception.

The European Parliament's position has influence, because it has to give its approval when the talks on the free trade agreement are concluded. The final decision concerning the mandate will be on the agenda of the European Council on June 14. Afterwards, the negotiations between the EU and US may begin.