Summary

Four major European audiovisual organizations — EBU, BSAC, Eurocinema, and FERA — held a seminar at the WTO in Geneva on July 4, 2001 to brief trade negotiators on digitalization and convergence in broadcasting and film. The seminar addressed the challenge of reconciling the economic aspects of audiovisual services with their cultural, democratic, and social functions in a globalized economy.

Source document circa 2001 preserved as-is

Thursday, July 5, 2001

European audiovisual bodies organize seminar on audiovisual issues for WTO

Geneva, 4 July 2001 -- Four major players in Europeís audiovisual industry held a seminar at the World Trade Organization (WTO) today on new developments in the broadcasting and film sectors.

Co-organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the British Screen Advisory Council (BSAC), Eurocinema (an association of cinema and TV producers), and the Federation of European Film Directors (FERA), the seminar aimed to explain to trade negotiators the technological, economic, cultural and regulatory implications of digitalization, convergence and other developments in the audiovisual sector.

Past rounds of trade negotiations have found it hard to reconcile the economic aspects of broadcasting, film and other audiovisual services with their important cultural, democratic and social functions. However, there is now a growing awareness of the need to foster cultural diversity and media pluralism in a globalized economy.

The four speakers were Phil Laven (Technical Director of the EBU), Michael Flint (Deputy Chairman of the BSAC), Hyung Jin Kim (Coalition for Cultural Diversity in Moving Images, South Korea), and Fritz Pleitgen (Chairman of ARD, Germany). The meeting was chaired by Bernard Miyet, Vice-President of GESAC (European Group of Societies of Authors and Composers) and Chairman of the Management Board, SACEM.

Further information:
Jacques Briquemont, EBU, Tel: +32 2 286 9115, [email protected]
Michael Wagner, EBU, Tel: +41 22 717 2511, [email protected]
Fiona Clarke-Hackston, BSAC, Tel: +44 207 287 11 11, [email protected]
Joao Correa, FERA, Tel: +32 2 551 03 50, [email protected]
Yvon Thiec, Eurocinema, Tel: +32 2 732 58 30, [email protected]