France refuses to grant mandate for FTA talks with U.S.

LUXEMBOURG, June 14 (Xinhua) -- French trade minister on Friday has stated the country's opposition to granting the European Commission the negotiating mandate on a free trade deal with the United States, an EU diplomat told 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, representing EU member states, was scheduled to approve a mandate on Friday for the official launch of 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 its 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.

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.

June 14, 2013

Source: Xinhua