EU Music Artists Join Forces To Defend The Cultural Exception In The Context Of The Free Trade Agreement With The United States
They include Anaοs, Keren Ann, Jennifer Ayache, Charles Aznavour, Richard Bona, Ludovic Bource, Brigitte, Francis Cabrel, Alain Chamfort, Julien Clerc, Paolo Conte, Bruno Coulais, Da Silva, Gιrald De Palmas, Eric Demarsan, Alexandre Desplat, Pascal Dusapin, Thomas Dutronc, Marianne Faithfull, Grand Corps Malade, Grιgoire, Jean-Michel Jarre, Maxime Le Forestier, Nolwenn Leroy, Ibrahim Maalouf, Bruno Mantovani, Jean-Jacques Milteau, Ennio Morricone, Orelsan, Passi, Luc Plamondon, Oxmo Puccino, Renaud, Bob Sinclar, Nicola Sirkis, Soprano, Alain Souchon, Tryo, Gabriel Yared, Zaz, Zazie…
Despite ratification by 126 countries of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression in 2005, despite the traditional exclusion of audiovisual and cultural services from the field of bilateral negotiations and WTO, despite the recent adoption by the European Parliament of a Resolution excluding such services —including for online uses— from the framework of the negotiating mandate with the United States, the danger of seeing Culture considered to be like any other commodity has reappeared. Last 13 March, the European Commission —with the exception of 3 Commissioners— decided to include audiovisual and cultural services in its negotiating mandate for the trade negotiations with the United States scheduled to begin this summer.
Music creators are determined to reject this step backwards and are readying themselves to convince European Heads of State and Government to support the exclusion of audiovisual and cultural services from these transatlantic negotiations next 14 June once and for all.
The recognition of a specific status for works of the mind has now become a generally accepted fact of life. This is why music creators consider it is crucial for the European Union to take a clear, firm position in favour of excluding these services, for both traditional and digital diffusion, from the mandate of trade negotiations.
Among other things, this means music creators and artists must work together to preserve national and European systems for supporting and regulating cultural policy. For example, music quotas for radio are under threat from these negotiations if they include audiovisual and cultural services as requested by the United States and the European Commission.
The petition is available online now at www.touspourlamusique.org
Source: www.touspourlamusique.org
