Cultural exception
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Cultural exception is a concept introduced by France in General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations in 1993. It states that cultural exports should be treated differently than other goods in trade negotiations because national cultures should be protected. It allowed France to use tariffs and quotas to protect its cultural market from other cultural products, most notably American films and television.
France was granted cultural exception and in 2005, its film market is comprised of 65% American products, compared to 90% American products in other European film markets. (NY Times, 2/5/2005, pg.9B)
In October 2005, Unesco's the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions enshrined cultural exception as a method of protecting local cultures. Sponsored by France and Canada, the convention was passed 185-2, with four nations abstaining from voting. The notable naysayers were the United States and Israel.
The United States claims that cultural exception is a form of protectionism that harms global trade. In addition, it claims that cultural exception as outlined in the Unesco convention allows for oppressive governments to suppress minority cultural voices. The film industry and other cultural industries in the United States are also against the concept of cultural exception, as it harms their export market, and have lobbied the United States to take its current position against cultural exception.
