520 / 532
504
VERONIKA VILÍMKOVÁ
CYIL 5 ȍ2014Ȏ
Audiovisuals WTO decision; the link between environmental, social and cultural
concerns and the objective of sustainable development seen through the WTO case-
law; and the CDCE in the context of the negotiations of a Services Trade Restrictiveness
Index at the OECD. The second subsection focuses, on its turn, on the CDCE impact
in areas of international law that go beyond international trade law (intellectual
property rights, social and labor issues, the creative economy and digital technologies)
and assess the legal nature and effects of the CDCE Operational Guidelines in order
to propose a systematic and more effective approach to the CDCE.
The second part of the book under review evaluates the CDCE’s promotional
call for integration of cultural concerns in cooperation and development strategies,
at the international, regional and national levels. The contributions composing this
part of the book assess the integration of the “culturally-inspired” concerns into
international cooperation (technical and financial assistance on the basis of the CDCE;
cultural governance through networks of the civil society; cultural diplomacy and
relations examined through the example of the Mediterranean region; and protocols
on cultural cooperation concluded by the European Union with third parties). The
second subsection of this part of the book looks into the “vertical implementation” of
the CDCE at the regional and national levels. As for the regional implementation, the
EU is analyzed as the only non-State party to the CDCE, along with the practice in
the Mercosur and more generally in Latin America. The national examples are, on their
turn, associated with Brazil and Quebec.
The conclusion of the book casts a global critical view on the record of the
CDCE application. Among other comments, Lilian Richieri Hanania emphasizes
that specialized international organizations and the CDCE parties could improve
coordination and coherence in their actions and policies, since the different fields
covered by the CDCE and other instruments are often closely connected. As
a consequence, the editor of the book highlights the potential of the CDCE as
a comprehensive framework for next action to reflect on these flaws, notably based
on the explicit integration of culture into the concept of sustainable development.
She points out that while the main reason for the CDCE negotiation was the “trade
and culture” debate, the CDCE has had an impact, and its potential remains, beyond
this initial topic. Accordingly, building on the suggestions spelled out by each of the
contributions, Lilian Richieri Hanania lists practical recommendations in a view of
greater effectiveness of the CDCE as well as to stir follow-up inquiry and research.
To sum up, this book provides an insightful and innovative tool for anyone wishing
to consider the challenges to, and potential of, a larger insertion of the CDCE into
national, regional and international action relevant for preservation and promotion of
cultural diversity.
Veronika Vilímková*
*
Mgr. Veronika Vilímková
is Référendaire at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg.