European film policies in the context of EU and international law : a misalliance of culture and free market?

Abstract

The thesis presents in a comprehensive fashion European film policies in the context of both EU and international law. It relies on a broad survey of national and EU film policy measures, the EU practice in the areas of state aid, antitrust and merger law with respect to the sector and the application of international trade law to film policy instruments. These three different bodies of law are systematically analysed to assess how cultural policy considerations underlying film policy can be married to market forces. The EU experience is studied in depth as the book argues that it can effectively serve as a model to reconcile these sometimes conflicting goals in the global trade arena. This justifies the attention paid to the way in which cultural objectives of film policies are accommodated within the EU competition law framework. The thesis contributes valuably to the current debate on cultural diversity and free trade by providing a more harmonious if not a symbiotic vision of this relationship.