Why is multilateralism losing ground in audiovisual services in the WTO

International Organisations Research Journal. 2023. Vol. 18. No. 1. P. 107–126.

Biryukova O. V.

Trade in audiovisual services achieves economic goals and has an impact on the social values of host countries. That is why this area, in which the opposing approaches of the U.S. and the European Union (EU) collide, has traditionally been one of the most difficult issues in the negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The author shows that measures related to cultural policy can form protectionist trade barriers to support national companies. The rapid development of technology has expanded the possibilities for the transmission and distribution of audio and video content. At the same time, existing multilateral trade rules, as well as the applicable classification of audiovisual services, are becoming increasingly irrelevant. The article concludes that, on the one hand, the growing market for audiovisual services requires clearer rules for cross-border trade; however, on the other hand, the trend toward the formation of regional blocs with specific rules complicates negotiations (or even a general understanding) on the rules of trade in audiovisual services within the WTO.

Keywords: trade barriers, liberalization, GATS, technological neutrality, audiovisual services