Mar 10, 2008

EU Trade agreement with Cariforum includes Cultural cooperation protocol

Last February the EU concluded its first Trade agreement which includes a Cultural Protocol.
This is the result of the implementaiton of the Unesco convention on cultural diversity which has been taken into account in the Trade policy of the European Commission.

The Cultural Protocol, encompasses 3 provisions devoted to the performing arts. This was the result from proposals submitted by Pearle* last year to DG Trade.

The trade agreement ënew styleí has been concluded between the EU and the CARIFORUM countries and was presented by the Commission to stakeholders last February.

Thanks to this Protocol on Cultural Cooperation, live performance organizations will enjoy favorable conditions with regard to cultural contacts and artist and artistic exchanges of a non-economic nature.

Following sector-specific paragraphs have been included in the agreement, referring to cultural cooperation in the sector:

1. The Parties, in conformity with their respective legislations, shall facilitate through appropriate programmes and development instruments increased contacts between practitioners in the performing arts in areas such as professional exchanges and training, inter alia participation in auditions, development of networks and promotion of networking;

2. The Parties shall encourage joint productions in the fields of performing arts between one or several Community Member States and one or several [REGION] states.

3. The Parties shall encourage the development of international theatre technology standards and the use of theatre stage signs, including through appropriate standardisation bodies. They shall facilitate the cooperation towards this objective.

The full document (p169-174) of the cultural protocol can be downloaded from the attached link

Link: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2008/february/tradoc_137970.pdf Back to overview