Lawmakers exclude culture from EU-US trade deal

European Union lawmakers voted 23 May 2013 to limit the scope of a proposed free-trade deal between Europe and the United States, backing French demands to leave out culture and potentially irritating Washington.

The European Parliament, which can veto EU trade accords, voted 460 in favour and 105 against with 28 abstentions to limit Brussels' room for manoeuvre in talks on a deal that would encompass almost half the world's economic output.

ESO: Background Information: France threatens US trade veto over culture http://www.europeansources.info/record/france-threatens-us-trade-veto-over-culture/

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