EU Fails to Agree On Common WTO Strategy
10/11/99
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Title: EU Fails to Agree On Common WTO Strategy
Source: Agence France Presse
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 11, 1999
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 11 (AFP) - The European Union failed Monday to agree
on a common approach to upcoming multilateral trade talks under the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) mostly because of differences over
film and television productions.
EU trade and foreign ministers asked their ambassadors in Brussels to
continue work on the common strategy and to find a compromise
solution ahead of the WTO conference in the US city of Seattle next
month, a spokesman said.
"The discussions focussed on two issues mostly, the issue of social
standards and of audiovisual productions," said the French minister
for European affairs, Pierre Moscovici.
On the issue of television and film production, France is demanding
that each country retain its right to legislate freely in that area.
France also opposes a liberalisation of the film and television
markets, fearful that the United States will flood the world market
with its productions.
Germany, for its part, said it found the text weak on the issue of
social standards and insisted that a formal task force be set up to
study labour relations and trade, not just a "forum" as called for in
the draft statement.
Foreign ministers are expected to take up the matter again at a
meeting in Brussels on November 15.