GENEVA, Sept 27 (Hina) - Croatia on Monday asked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) working group and secretariat to help resolve the U.S.-European dispute over audio-visual services which obstructs Croatia's admission to the
WTO.
GENEVA, Sept 27 (Hina) - Croatia on Monday asked the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) working group and secretariat to help resolve
the U.S.-European dispute over audio-visual services which
obstructs Croatia's admission to the WTO.#L#
Monday's session of the working group for Croatia's entry into the
WTO, held in Geneva, should have been the last formal session at
which the procedure for Croatia's admission to the WTO should have
been completed by the acceptance of a final report of that group and
a text of protocols.
The text of the final report and a text of protocols referring to
customs duties were adopted. But the protocol referring to services
was not accepted due to the opposition of the European Union,
i.e.France , against a part on audio-visual services.
The problem which Croatia is facing stems from the clash between two
different approaches of the United States and the EU to the
liberalisation of the audio-visual services.
According to the explanation given by the Croatian Economy
Ministry, the United States demands from countries in the process
of being admitted to the WTO to open markets and to offer the equal
commercial treatment of all countries that are giving such
services. On the other hand, the EU , particularly France, demands a
more favourable treatment for audio-visual works of the European
origins, explaining it as an attempt to protect and promote
cultural particularities.
Croatia has offered a compromise without bringing the protection of
its own cultural uniqueness into question. It was acceptable for
the United States, but did not satisfy the negotiating delegation
of the European Union.
An assistant to Croatia's Economy Minister, Neven Mimica, on Monday
told the session of the working group that Croatia was not able to
settle this problem through bilateral negotiations.
Therefore, on behalf of Croatia's delegation, Mimica asked the
working group and the secretariat to take an active part in seeking
a solution. It is additionally necessary as not only Croatia but
also other countries in the procedure for becoming a WTO member-
state are being faced with this problem and this issue will be the
matter for negotiations within a new global round of trading
negotiations.
This Croatian stance has been endorsed by the working group member-
countries, particularly by CEFTA member-countries, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Latvia which has had to tackle
the same problem recently.
(hina) jn ms