The French Coalition for Cultural Diversity has called for audio-visual services to be specifically excluded from the scope of the proposed new EU Directive on Services in the Internal Market.
The most contentious proposal is that providers of services will be regulated according the laws of the country in which they are based not the country in which they operate. The Coalition fears that some of the provisions of the draft Directive, which aims to harmonize rules across the EU and remove barriers to the free movement of services, will undermine existing protections. They are also concerned that the rights of cultural workers, especially in France, will be seriously eroded.
The Coalition’s response ends: “In light of the devastating impact of this proposed services directive on the regulatory framework for cultural activities, we ask that clear and effective guarantees be given in order to the exclude the cultural sector, film and television, collective management societies, and the social status of workers in cultural activities, artistic agents and performing arts producers from the scope of application of the proposed directive on services in the internal market.”
On the Directive see Euractive Innovation and Jobs