Top filmmakers sound alarm on culture risks of US trade deal

To mark the visit to the European Parliament of top-level cinema Top filmmakers sound alarm on culture risks of US trade dealrepresentatives, GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer, expresses the group's full support for the demand to exclude audiovisual and culture from the negotiation mandate requested by the Commission for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US.

 

Gabi Zimmer called on Commission and Council “to listen attentively to the warnings of filmmakers such as Costa Gavras, the Dardenne brothers or Steven Spielberg, who are particularly sensitive to the dangers of certain initiatives to our culture”.

 

“This impressive mobilization of film representatives shows how irresponsible it would be to grant such a general mandate, considering that so far the Commission has not consulted EU citizens or has not even presented a decent study on the possible impact of such an FTA on the daily life of Europeans,” Ms Zimmer said.