French are right to defend their culture

Caught in a pincer movement driven by static economic growth and the seemingly unstoppable rise of the East, Europe and America are trying to reconcile trade, cultural and philosophical differences to their, and hopefully our, mutual benefit.

Never the most comfortable of bedfellows, capitalism’s near-death experience, unsustainable unemployment figures and the prospect of growing social disharmony — if not unrest — mean that two seemingly natural allies must overcome persistent differences and be more accommodating towards each other. With that in mind the European Union is trying to agree a common position to open, one more time, trade talks with America. The difficulties involved in resolving even those internal European differences should not be underestimated, a point illustrated by the increasingly fraught positioning by countries who feel cheated or threatened by the opportunities presented to multinational corporations by conflicting national tax regimes. When that issue is discussed between Europe and America the potential for division is unfortunately of an entirely different order.

Despite the implications for Europe’s farmers and hi-tech companies on either side of the Atlantic, France has dug its heels in over its determination to protect its film and television industries through government subsidies. Television and film are not the primary issues but rather the fact that they are a conduit, the oxygen and stage for much of French culture, that wonderful mix of the earthy and the esoteric, the sublime and the bombastic.