News

Why the EU-US trade agreement must preclude cultural and audiovisual sectors

Today in the European Parliament in Strasbourg the EU-US free trade agreement (TTIP for short) has again been on the table for discussion and we were delighted to see 381 of those present voted in favour of excluding the cultural and creative industries from the potential deal. Some 191 voted against and 17 abstained.

This game-changing potential deal has been the subject of hot debate since talks began back in February, and in many ways it is a huge step forward for Europe and the US.  But it would be simplistic to assume that it would be in everyone’s best interests for the deal to be all encompassing, covering all sectors. For Europe’s creative and audiovisual sectors, the deal offers no benefits and indeed could cause damage, ultimately weakening Europe’s creative and economic economy. That’s why we feel strongly that these sectors should be excluded from the deal. And we are glad that so many of Europe’s democratically elected representatives agree with us.

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Lescure report: a step forward for creators, music fans and Europe’s cultural mix

As some of our readers may know, in 2012 Pierre Lescure was appointed to lead a well-timed consultation on cultural policy in the digital era by the French government. Yesterday, he presented his findings to the French President, Françoise Hollande and the culture minister Aurélie Filippetti. Sacem, our French author society, has welcomed the report with much interest.

Many of SACEM’s suggestions have been taken into account in the report. The society is pleased that the report demonstrates an underlying concern for the protection of artists’ remuneration. It also applauds the report’s positive attitude towards the cultural industry and its acknowledgment of the close affinity between music and digital sectors.

The report – some key highlights:

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Interview with Francisco Fonseca Morillo, Head of the European Commission representation in Spain

Last week, as part of its first Masterclass, SGAE (the Spanish author society) interviewed Francisco Fonseca Morillo, Head of the European Commission representation in Spain.

Mr Fonseca Morillo talked openly about both the protection of intellectual property rights and the promotion of cultural industries in Europe.

Key highlights:

  • Mr Fonseca Morillo reiterated that the European cultural industries represent some 4% of European Gross Domestic Product, employing some 6.7 million people.

 

  • Mr Fonseca Morillo presented the Creative Europe Programme, a new instrument that will run from 2014 to 2020. Creative Europe will give artists and professionals from the sector access to an ever-broader public.

 

  • Mr Fonseca Morillo emphasised that the Commission’s priority is to protect creators’ intellectual property rights via an efficient strategy that extends within and across the Europe – a crucial condition for ensuring that they are being fairly remunerated.

 

  • Licenses for Europe, was referred to by Mr Fonseca Morillo as a vital dialogue between all stakeholders in the creative sector. This dialogue, that the creators of this platform are deeply engaged with, is a crucial path towards the innovative solutions that are needed to make the single market work.

 

  • Touching on the ongoing EU-US trade deal talks, Mr Fonseca Morillo mentioned that some economic aspects of the creative sector will be included in the negotiations, but that the European Commission will continue to conserve the uniqueness of its cultural heritage through the cultural exception.

 

You can read the full article here in Spanish.

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