Public Broadcasters Rally For TTIP To Respect UNESCO Cultural Diversity Treaty

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should expressly include an international treaty on cultural diversity, public broadcasters and a coalition have said.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the European Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ECCD) are calling for technological neutrality and the protection of cultural diversity, principles guaranteed by the 2005 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, to be expressly included in the final text of the TTIP.

The European Union’s current negotiating mandate “implicitly” excludes audiovisual and cultural services from the “regulatory framework” chapter. The EBU and the ECCD are calling for an explicit reference to audiovisual services to be made in this chapter, as well as introducing a horizontal clause safeguarding the freedom of EU countries to adopt measures promoting cultural diversity.

EBU President Jean-Paul Philippot, speaking ahead of an event at the European Parliament, stated that “the objectives of the UNESCO Convention are more relevant than ever today.”

He elaborated that increasing pressure was being placed on “the unique role of public media in Europe,” and that there was a need to ensure that the TTIP agreement could not be made “at the expense of our cultural heritage and values.”

Marianna Drake is an intern at Intellectual Property Watch and DiploFoundation. She has an LLB Honours in Law from King’s College London where she developed an interest in information technology law, internet governance and internet related intellectual property issues.