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France refuses to grant mandate for FTA talks with US

14 June 2013 22:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. French trade minister on Friday stated the country's opposition to granting the European Commission the negotiating mandate on a free trade deal with the United States, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"France is rejecting this mandate and it is going to reject any mandate which will not include the protection of the cultural services and a clear and explicit exclusion of the audio-visual sector," French Minister for Foreign Trade Nicole Bricq told a meeting of EU officials.

The statement came as the European Council was scheduled to approve a mandate on Friday for the official launch of THE negotiation of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States.

France has been insisting that it will not allow the transatlantic negotiations to begin unless the European Commission includes a "cultural exception" that takes all audio-visual issues off the table completely in advance.

Speaking to trade ministers of other 26 EU member states, Bricq said, if further opened up to the U.S., the survival of France's cultural sectors would be at risk, as U.S. companies would bring along "technological revolutions" that French companies would find it difficult to adapt.

"Sixty percent of European screens are occupied by American movies, while European films are occupying between three and six percent of the American market," according to the speech by Bricq seen by Xinhua.

"Which side is the opening? Which side is the closing?" The minister asked.

The EU source also said that three other EU member states are supporting the French position, and the trade minister of Ireland, the country that is holding the rotating presidency of the EU, had to put the meeting to a halt and put forward a compromised proposal.

The meeting restarted at about 3 p.m. and is expected to last until the evening, the source told Xinhua.

A trade deal between the U.S. and the EU, together making up half of global economic output and a third of all trade, could boost the EU economy by 119 billion euros (about 159 billion U.S. dollars) per year, and the U.S. economy by 95 billion euros, according to an EU-commissioned study.

The U.S. insisted that no industry be excluded from the talks and have warned the EU that any attempt to carve out "special French exemptions" could trigger similar exclusions on the American side.

A day earlier, European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz also sounded a cautious note about the TTIP.

While saying the EP wants a far-reaching negotiating mandate and will accompany the negotiations throughout, Schulz said in a written statement that "the deal must be in the best interest of our citizens."

"The Parliament understands the need for the agreement and the boost it will give to our economies. Yet the European Parliament will remain vigilant on specific points," he added, referring to data protection standards and opening up of cultural sectors.

"I would emphasize that the agreement should guarantee full respect for EU fundamental rights standards. The Parliament supports a high level of protection of personal data, which should benefit consumers on both sides of the Atlantic," he said.

"The Parliament is clear that cultural and audiovisual services, including those provided online, should be excluded and this should be clearly stated in the negotiating mandate," Schulz said in the statement.