EU/GATS/Cultural Diversity: Regions rally behind Jacques Chiracd

national | miscellaneous | news report

Tuesday February 04, 2003 12:29

by Franz-Josef Stummann - Assembly of European Regions

f.stummann at a-e-r dot org

20 Place des Halles,6700 Strasbourg

0033388220707

Regions against more power of EU-Commission in GATS-Negotiations

EU/GATS/Cultural Diversity: Regions rally behind Jacques Chirac Strasbourg,4/02/2003 -The Assembly of European Regions (AER) supports the recent proposal of French President Jacques Chirac, who argued for the adoption of an international Convention on Cultural Diversity. For the South-Tyrolean Minister Bruno Hosp, chairman of AER's Culture/Education Committee, the French initiative reiterates the demands of the 2002 Brixen Declaration of European Regional Ministers in charge of Culture and Education. "The Regions are totally opposed to submit culture, media and education to unlimited commercial interests and liberalisation as pursued by GATS." The Regions insist on exclusion of these sectors, predominantely public services, from the ongoing GATS-negotiations and are critical of the EU-Trade Commissioner when pressing the member states for more liberalisation offers and requests. The AER is also prepared to fight against attempts by the Commissioner Viviane Reding which would make culture more than a "matter of assistance" (domaine d'appui) of the European level.

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The Anglo-American recipe for GeoPolitical order

by iosaf

Tue Feb 04, 2003 13:22

barcelona new europe. just like ireland.

is based on cultural absorption along the "american melting pot" lines.
Thus we see urban order iniatives and post racist legislation policies implemented on in the US/K on mostly US city model lines.
These models have never been suitable for European cities or nations.

At present there are 250 regions listed at the link above. There are 125 national identity regions in the EU.

For example Catalan is spoken in the geographic and cultural area known as "Paisos Catalanas" this however for Euro-beurocratic and present political purposes is not recognised as a unitary region. Catalonia proper home to six million speakers of Catalan is seen as being completely different from the Balaeric islands or the neighbouring area of Valencia. The centralised goverment of Spain recognises three seperate autonomous regions for the above.

Under the present EU/EC interpretation Shannon is in the same region as Killybegs as the Arran islands.

We know that the cultural needs of the gaeltacht are different in Kerry and Donegal not to mention Meath. Yet economic "free trade" "neo-liberal globalised capitalist" policy is to be applied along the US/K model equally.

For Ireland this is perhaps a cause for concern, but for most of the EC/EU/EFTA it is not. Less than a hundred thousand people would be affectedamongst a continental population approaching 500 million the needs of the gaeltacht would always fall far down the list of priorities.

If the Anglo-American model is to continue and the US/K state and civil legislative model allowed to develop, then not only will hispanophones in California suffer more of the same, but cultural identities the source of hundreds of years of conflict will yet again be inflamed.

It is my stated belief that at the moment only France has offered any serious attempt to engage with these problems before they explode. It is my opinion that this is due to the experience of the French with extreme right wing groupings such as LePen and the FN.

The potential for a future shift to the right along national cultural lines is huge. No-one can deny that. We have already seen the emergence of Haider in Austria, yet Austria has no comparable ethnic identity problems compared let us say to the Basque Lands.

There are thorny problems to what we mostly have thought of as the east of EU/EC/EFTA. These countries are presently enjoying American $ investment and support to unsure their loyalty to US/K NATO. But they too have problems that can quickly ignite or be taken advantage of by any other following the "Haider model".

The former east is now the centre of Europe.
The former left is now the centre of Europe.

Things are moving.
Best thing to do is hide under a table.

here is W. B. Yeats at his worst.
He was trying to write a poetic drama.
do not try and do that very bad idea generally.

from

The Shadowy Waters.

Aibric. What riches can you find in this waste sea
Where no ship sails, where nothing that's alive
Has ever come but those man-headed birds,
Knowing it for the world's end?
Forgael. Where the world ends
The mind is made unchanging, for it finds
Miracle, ecstasy, the impossible hope,
The flagstone under all, the fire of fires,
The roots of the world.
Aibric. Shadows before now
Have driven travellers mad for their own sport.
Forgael. Do you, too, doubt me? Have you joined their
plot?
Aibric. No, no, do not say that. You know right well
That I will never lift a hand against you.
Forgael. Why should you be more faithful than the rest,
Being as doubtful?
Aibric. I have called you master
Too many years to lift a hand against you.
Forgael. Maybe it is but natural to doubt me.
You've never known, I'd lay a wager on it,
A melancholy that a cup of wine,
A lucky battle, or a woman's kiss
Could not amend.
Aibric. I have good spirits enough.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5379/TheShadowyWaters_frame.html

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EU/GATS/Cultural Diversity: Regions rally behind Jacques Chiracd

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