The CDCE and the digital
era
Antonios Vlassis, CEFIR-Université de Liège
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 6 November 2014.
Three main points
 The recent trade agreements and the treatment of cultural
goods and services.
 The international cultural cooperation and the International
Fund for Cultural Diversity.
 The participation of civil society within the Conference of
Parties and the Intergovernmental Committee.
Trade agreements
 1990s: GATS-WTO, NAFTA, MAI-OECD and the cultural exception
 2000s: bilateral agreements of US, Protocol of cultural cooperation by EU.
 2013: the new approach of cultural exception (EU-Canada)
Four strategies
 The inclusion of audiovisual and cultural services.
 The total exclusion of cultural industries (typical cultural exception)
 The chapter by chapter exception.
 The Protocol of cultural cooperation.
 Recent trade negotiations (TPP, TTIP) and digital audiovisual services (video
on demand, catch-up television).
 Towards a new strategy beyond the zero-sum approach?
 Towards a separate chapter “Culture and Trade”
International cultural cooperation
and the IFCD
 The IFCD is one of the main tools of the CDCE for promoting the development of
cultural industries in developing countries.
 71 projects from 43 developing countries with US$ 4.3 million in funding.
 Total received contributions $US 6.6 million (asymmetry and irregularity).
Three main issues of the IFCD implementation
 Major identity problem of the CDCE: Confusion and misunderstanding about scope and
objectives of the CDCE.
 Identification of the programs dedicated to the cultural development.
Ex. Aides aux cinemas du monde, Euromed Audiovisual, Media Mundus, ACPCultures+,
Francophone Fund, IBERMEDIA.
 Better synergy and coherence among the multilateral funds (prevent the overlapping).
Inclusion of the culture in the post-2015 development agenda? Unlikely.
Civil society and CDCE
 The CDEC recognizes the fundamental role of the civil society,
BUT who participates in the multilateral debate?
 13 meetings of CDCE Conference and of Committee: in total 42
NGOs ; only 3 NGOs participated in all the meetings ; 31 NGOs
participated four times or less (irregularity); monolithic
participation (developed countries and culture NGOs).
Three issues:
Geographical diversification of the CDCE civil society
Thematic diversification of the CDCE civil society
Make the CDCE implementation more vital and dynamic.