German Music Council concerned about free trade policy
According to Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission is planning to adopt the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada without the involvement of national parliaments. The German Music Council is concerned.
According to the German Music Council, the strategy could have worrying consequences for European cultural policy. The free trade agreement CETA between the EU and Canada is seen as a model for TTIP, the planned free trade agreement between the EU and the USA. According to Martin Maria Krüger, President of the German Music Council, the involvement of national parliaments is essential for the decision on CETA, especially in view of the ongoing negotiations on TTIP.
According to Krüger, the European Union must grant national parliaments their democratic participation rights in order to find acceptance among citizens. The vote should not ignore the fact that the diversity of musical life would be fundamentally endangered by CETA in its current form.
The USA and Canada have different systems of cultural funding than European countries. Cultural policy-makers fear that the typical European state subsidy systems for culture could come under pressure with the free trade agreements because they are seen by the Americans as barriers to free trade.
An event on TiSA/TTIP was held on June 14, 2016 in Bern by the Parliamentary Groups for Music and Local Politics.
The report of the Swiss Music Newspaper in the 07-08/2016 issue, p. 23, you can find here download (PDF).
