WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/CSS/W/74
4 May 2001
(01-2361)
Council for Trade in Services
Special SessionOriginal:  English
COMMUNICATION FROM SWITZERLAND
GATS 2000:  Audio-visual services
The attached communication has been received from the delegation of Switzerland with the
request that it be circulated to Members of the Council for Trade in Services. It is without prejudice toSwitzerland’s specific position as regards individual issues raised therein.
_______________
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Switzerland submits this proposal on the basis of the roadmap decided by the Members of the
Council for trade in services for the first phase of the negotiations on trade in services in accordance
with GATS Article XIX. This communication is mean t as an invitation to Members to consider a way
forward to the issue of how to treat audio-visual services in the framework of the GATS.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE SECTOR
2. The audio-visual sector basically covers the production and distribution of audio-visual
contents such as motion pictures, radio programmes, television programmes and sound. The digital
revolution has modified the way audio-visual contents are created, produced and distributed. In some
instances, the so-called convergence has blurre d the boundary between the telecommunication and the
audio-visual sector. New services are emerging that raise questions as to their relevance for
telecommunication, audio-visual and cultural policies. At the same time, they suggest that the present
classification may need to be revisited to better take these developments into consideration.
3. The audio-visual sector is a growing market. All available indicators suggest that the
activities related to the production and distribution of audio-visual contents tend to account for a
growing share of employment, and the output attributable to the sector seems to be growing as well.
Furthermore, the audio-visual sector has undergone  important structural changes over recent years,
mainly induced by technological changes. The digi tal revolution has lead to the development of new
content generating processes, which tend to lower the marginal cost of production whilst raising the
overall volume of produced and distributed content. The digital revolution has also brought about new
distribution channels, based on the use of the Internet.
4. The audio-visual sector has traditionally been heavily regulated in most countries. This is due
to the high social, cultural and economic importance of the sector. Such regulatory measures usuallyconcern issues such as public service obligations, subsidisation of content production, diversification
of the supply of audio-visual contents, protection from socially harmful content, regulation of
advertising through audio-visual channels, access to major events etc.S/CSS/W/74
Page 2
III. THE TRADE POLICY DEBATE ABOUT THE AUDIO-VISUAL SECTOR
5. Despite the growing economic importance of the sector, the existing commitments in the
audio-visual sector under the GATS are very lim ited. In addition, a great number Members have taken
MFN-exemptions in this sector. This is the result of the configuration of interests during the Uruguay
Round on the fundamental issue of how to treat audi o-visual services under a trade agreement such as
the GATS.
6. During the Uruguay Round, the treatment of audio-visual services had been debated as a “all-
or-nothing” issue:  according to one view, audio-visual services were to be considered as
entertainment products that are in no way different from any other commercial product and had
therefore to be submitted to the same trade rules as any other service. The opposite view considered
audio-visual products as cultural products, as vectors of the fundamental values and ideas of a society.
As such, they are fundamental instruments of social communication and contribute to the culturalidentity of a society. Therefore, they cannot be treated as commercial products and need to be
excluded from trade disciplines.
7. This debate needs to be overcome if any soluti on to the issue of the treatment of audio-visual
services under the GATS is to be found. In fact, none of these two positions reflects the whole reality.
For Switzerland, the audio-visual sector represents both an important field of commercial activity aswell as a vector of cultural identity. The challenge for the trade policy consists therefore in reconciling
these two views within a balanced solution that satisfies both sensibilities. In that context, Switzerland
believes that the public service and its role in the audio-visual sector will need to be in the centre of
the debate. A broad discussion needs to take place, that will reveal to what extent the GATS has the
necessary flexibility to offer appropriate solutions to  the specificity of the audio-visual sector, and to
sufficiently take into account the cultural, social and democratic objectives of Members in that sector.
8. The relevant trade statistics suggest that, with foreign market shares of 40%-60% as regards
broadcasting and of up to 95% as regards motion pict ures - with the exception of the USA - the audio-
visual sector is one of the service activities that experiences the greatest foreign penetration. Despite
the ideological trade policy debate about audio-visual services, private operators have obviouslymanaged to find a way to live fairly closely together. There is no reason why this reality could not be
appropriately translated into trade policy terms without unduly encroaching on Members’ competence
to pursue their national audio-visual policies.
IV. TRADE-RELEVANT REGULATORY ISSUES IN THE AUDIO-VISUAL SECTOR
9. In an attempt to design a solution to the question of how to treat audio-visual services in a
trade policy context, Switzerland wishes to suggest that the individual concerns that Members may
have in relation to the regulation of the audio-visual market be taken as a starting point. Suchconcerns should be discussed with a view to find ing a suitable way of dealing with them. Obviously,
where such concerns would need to be reflected in the form of reservations to market access or
national treatment obligations, concrete solutions would need to emerge from bilateral offer/request
negotiations.
10. Before resorting to the bilateral negotiating proc ess, it seems that a number of issues related
to the regulation of the audio-visual market deserve to be discussed with a view to elaborating
possible multilateral solutions or at least common responses to them. Based on previous discussions
on the audio-visual services and on the public debate on this issue, Switzerland wishes to suggest that
the following non-exhaustive series of questions be debated:
11. Cultural diversity safeguard :  Cultural diversity has emerged over the past few years as a
short-cut formula for a public policy objective for the audio-visual sector that enjoys a very broad
acceptance. When facing the ambition of achieving a significant level of commitments in the audio-S/CSS/W/74
Page 3
visual sector under the GATS, Members will need to consider how to ensure that the notion of
cultural diversity is sufficiently taken into acc ount. This can be done implicitly by targeting the
instruments put in place by Governments to preserve cultural diversity and ensuring that their
implementation remains possible, subject to certain disciplines to be developed. This can
alternatively, or in addition, be done explicitly through the introduction of a general enabling clause tothat same effect. In the latter case, the notion of cultural diversity would probably need to be properly
defined, or at least circumscribed, and appropriate safeguards would need to be built-in in order to
avoid any abuse. We believe that this question deserves to be thoroughly discussed among Members.
12. Subsidies :  General subsidy rules under GATS Article XV are yet to be developed. It is a
matter of fact that most WTO Members do subsidise with different intensities the production and
distribution of audio-visual products, at least as re gards motion pictures. Therefore, in addition to the
discussion on general subsidy rules, it would seem to be worth discussing subsidisation practices andtheir standing under disciplines to be agreed as pa rt of the solution to the audio-visual issue. A
common understanding among Members about subsidies, the policy purpose justifying them, as well
as their effect on trade, would represent a positive precondition both for the negotiation of specific
commitments in the audio-visual sector as well as for the elaboration of general subsidy rules.
13. Public service :  Nearly all Members perceive audio-visual services at least partially as
services which contribute to the integration and to the identity of a society as well as to the education
and to the functioning of democracies. They promote political pluralism and – in the case of
Switzerland – “pluri-linguism”, national cohesion and integration.  In addition, such audio-visual
services should be available at affordable prices to the whole population and/or in a defined territorial
area. To that end, Members prescribe different types of measures that reflect their political and socialpreferences as regards the criteria outlined above. In fact, most Members have established public
service organisations and provide them with the necessary funding and access to communication
infrastructure. They usually issue prescriptions as regards the contents that such public operators are
expected to provide to the public. Switzerland believes that the issue of public service is central to a
solution of the audio-visual question under the GATS and therefore deserves to be thoroughlydiscussed.
14. Illicit content :  Some Members have been suggesting that the notion of protection of public
morals contained in GATS Article XIV(a) could help finding appropriate solutions to regulatory
concerns by Members. Given the wording of that sub-paragraph, it seems that particularly content-
related regulations may be concerned by that provision of the GATS. It may seem useful to discuss
whether any regulatory concern regarding public moral, such as the protection of minors, would be
sufficiently covered by that provision and whethe r any other regulatory concern related to content
exists, that would not be covered by that same provision.
15. Competition issues :  the audio-visual sector is characterised by high entry barriers, both as
regards the production and the distribution of content. This tendency has even intensified as a result of
the IT-revolution and the digitisation of the audio-visual contents. A growing vertical integration
across the industry reinforces the fears of anti-competitive behaviours such as abuse of dominantpositions. This tendency impacts not only the functioning of the audio-visual market per se , but also
tends to induce a homogenisation and a levelling of the supply of contents. For these reasons, it seems
that the competition dimension of the regulation of the audio-visual sector deserves some discussion.
16. Other regulatory issues :  Members could further discuss the relevance and implication of
issues such as regulation of publicity and sponsoring, specific transparency requirements for the
audio-visual sector, the application of fair and eq uitable procedures, the issue of the independence of
the regulator or any other issue relevant for the audio-visual sector.
17. Market access and national treatment restrictions:   Some types of regulatory requirements in
the field of audio-visual services - such as diffusion or screen quotas, economic needs test for theS/CSS/W/74
Page 4
establishment of film theatres, ownership restrictions, nationality or residency requirements etc - are
by nature restrictions to the free market access and to the principle of national treatment and as such
matters for negotiations. They could therefore be left to the bilateral offer-request process. Bearing in
mind that Members are free to maintain such restrictions and to choose whether or not to take specific
commitments in respect to them, Switzerland believes however that there would be merit indiscussing these regulatory measures. Such discussion could serve to reach a common understanding
of their effect both in terms of the regulatory objective to be achieved and of their impeding effect on
trade and could thereby facilitate offer-request negotiations.
V. A MULTILATERAL TRADE POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR THE AUDIO-VISUAL
SECTOR?
18. At this stage, Switzerland wishes to suggest that the above mentioned issues be discussed
within the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services with a view to clarifying the situationand possibly to identify common views and solutions. This should take place without prejudice to the
format that any multilaterally agreed solution might take when it comes to dealing with the audio-
visual sector under the GATS.
19. It seems however that possible solutions to the audio-visual issue could take the form of an
Annex to the GATS on audio-visual services, or of  any other suitable instrument, depending of the
nature of the solutions to be elaborated. They could also have implications on the General agreement
itself, be it through the addition of a specific provision on audio-visual services, be it by way of
interpretation of an existing provision when applied in the audio-visual sector. In any case, the process
should permit to distinguish regulatory issues that lend themselves to the elaboration of common
provisions, from measures that represent restrictions from market access and/or national treatment andshould therefore be listed as reservation in the schedule of specific commitments. The work to be
undertaken under the GATS would also need to take into account any relevant development outside
the WTO framework on the issue of audio-visual regulation, and cultural diversity in particular.
__________