ISA ANNUAL CONVENTION 2015
REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, INTERNATIONAL
NORMS AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF CULTURE:
THE EU FOREIGN POLICY AND THE DIVERSITY OF
CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
Antonios Vlassis, Center for International Relations
Studies (CEFIR), University of Liège, FNRS.
Introduction
Convention on diversity of cultural expressions (CDCE)
adopted by UNESCO in 2005, main international
instrument of the global governance of cultural industries.
Cultural policies, specificity of cultural goods and services,
international cultural cooperation, culture in development
policies.
Internal cultural acquis and the European Commission’s
external competences towards cultural affairs.
The EU participated as a single entity within the
intergovernmental UNESCO arena.
Introduction
Research question: What is at issue is of why and how the EU
foreign policy uses the CDCE and its normative framework, of what purposes, and of how the CDCE influences the EU foreign cultural policy (EUFCP) and its objectives.
European Commission, point of departure for highlighting the
links between regional organizations and international norms.
Structure:
Review on the findings of the recent theoretical literature;
Tease out empirically and qualitatively the links between the EU foreign policy and the CDCE;
Institutional and decision-making limits of the Commission regarding the promotion of the CDCE.
A. Review of theoretical
literature
‘Singleness’ and ‘unitariness’ of the EU foreign policy,
degrees of actorness of the EU in external relations.
“Framing actor”, “civilian power”, “global actor”, “global
governor”, “normative and ethical actor”… focusing on
policy outcomes rather than on policy process,
overestimating perhaps the evolving EU’s influence in
world affairs.
The institutional and law features of the CDCE and its
implementation.
The ways which the global governance of culture interplays
with regional organizations in general and, in particular the
implications between the EU foreign policy and the CDCE.
B. European Commission, cultural cooperation
and CDCE: a moment of political emancipation?
Towards an International Instrument on Cultural
Diversity 2003
European Agenda for culture 2007
Conclusions on the promotion of cultural diversity and
intercultural dialogue in the external relations of the
Union and its Member States 2008
Resolution on the cultural dimensions of the EU’s
external actions 2011
Euromed Audiovisual Program, ACP Cultures+
Program, Eastern Partnership Culture Program,
MERCOSUR Audiovisual.
B. European Commission, cultural cooperation
and CDCE: a moment of political emancipation?
The Protocols on Cultural Cooperation
EU-CARIFORUM 2008, EU-Korea 2009, EU-Central America 2010,
EU-Peru/Colombia 2011.
Explicit reference to the CDCE.
Stipulate that the countries, which have not yet ratified the
CDCE, intend to do so expeditiously.
Implement the CDCE framework, and especially its Articles 14
(Cooperation for development), 15 (Collaborative arrangements) and 16 (Preferential treatment for developing countries).
Transnational administration in terms of cultural industries:
UNESCO-European Commission and the creation of an expert
facility project to make operational the CDCE at the country level (2010).
C. The institutional and
decision-making limits of the European
Commission as a leading norm
exporter
Promoting the CDCE without political support
Protocols on Cultural Cooperation and strong reluctance
from the EU culture organizations and France.
Treat the CDCE as a selling point for proceeding with
trade deals and gain concessions in other economic
areas.
Audiovisual co-productions are guarded by national
actors.
French communication and specific proposals for the
EUFCP.
A top-down building of the Protocols hinders the
C. The institutional and decision-making limits of the
European Commission as a leading norm exporter
Negotiations on TTIP between US and EU.
The Commission and the maximization of trade efficiency, inclusion
of audiovisual services – and especially digital audiovisual services – in the agenda,
Project of EU mandate and different interpretation on the normative
framework of the CDCE.
Final mandate: exclusion of cultural services following the positions
of France, European Parliament, EU culture organizations, and other countries.
Culture as a post-2015 goal in UN development agenda: the
establishment of a big international coalition (UNESCO, China,
culture NGOs, developing countries), advocacy strategies based on the CDCE’s norms.
Concluding remarks
CDCE as a legal basis and policy framework: opportunity for the European
Commission to establish itself as a foreign policy actor in cultural affairs.
Preference to the normative basis of the global governance of culture.
Key role for the CDCE’s promotion in third countries.
EU as a regional actor in cultural affairs.
Lack of social support, mistrust between Commission and culture organizations.
Actorness depending on the balance between intergovernmentalism method
and the Community.
Members states keeping strong powers in the decision-making process,
especially, France, key and primary actor throughout the agenda setting process.
Actorness depending on the sensitiveness of the issue and on the context that
the EUFCP is made.
Unitary regional actor, disaggregated global entity or salient international
