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AER conference, Brixen, 18 October 2002Globalisation of culture and education, WTO and GATS
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THE
COMMERCIALISATION OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
by
Frode Bakken, Councillor, President of the Norwegian Library Association and
member of the EBLIDA Executive Committee
Dear
ministers and representatives of the
Assembly of European Regions
Ladies and
gentlemen
I am very
happy to have been invited to this important conference as a speaker and I
appreciate very much that the Assembly of European Regions has the focus on
globalisation of culture and education and the role of WTO and GATS.
One of the
biggest challenges for governments, both central and regional, government
bodies and non-governmental organisations these last years is to understand and
analyse the real implications of the new trade policy regimes being introduced
on a global scale.
In all
fields, these questions are complicated. And it is becoming even more
complicated as parts of the negotiations to some extent are kept secret.
I am
speaking on my own behalf but it is relevant to mention that the topic of today
– the possible effects of WTO and GATS on education and culture – is closely
followed by EBLIDA, the European association of library and archive associations
with its headquarters in the Hague, the Netherlands and with a ten-year history
of active lobbying for libraries and
archives in Europe. I am myself on the Executive Committee of EBLIDA but
present today are also the President, Britt-Marie Häggström from Sweden and
the Director of EBLIDA, Teresa
Hackett. I hope also that some of you will
become more aware of the EBLIDA activities in Europe – we have a common
interest in developing user-friendly and modern libraries and archives all over
Europe.
EBLIDA has
stated that:
“EBLIDA
believes that libraries and archives constitute a vital and necessary building
block in the development of the knowledge and information society in which all
citizens benefit from access to information, knowledge and culture through
publicly funded cultural heritage institutions such as libraries, archives and
museums.
Libraries
and archives empower European citizens by collecting, organising and providing
access to a great range of high quality, current information and services to
millions of researchers, students and members of the public, as well a by
preserving our cultural heritage. Libraries aggregate resources and
collections, which they keep up-to-date and make available to the community. In
addition libraries preserve material which publishers no longer holds in stock.”
The growing
digital divide is in addition a major threat to the information society in the
coming period. Libraries and archives bridge the gap between the information
rich and the information poor by delivering services free of charge or nearly
free of charge. The free-of-charge principle is a decisive instrument in the
development of an information society in Europe which delivers services to all
its citizens.
WTO
The aim of
WTO is to
enhance world trade through liberalisation of world trade or as this is
formulated by WTO itself: "the main function is to ensure that trade flows
as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible." WTO is a follow-up to
GATT - the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
GATT was later superseded
by the World Trade Organization when WTO was established and the GATS treaty is
part of the total WTO mechanism to promote world trade.
While GATT comprised only
goods (physical goods), WTO comprises all kinds of trade activities in physical
goods, services, investment rules and intellectual property. Different sector
agreements have been established.
World trade has expanded
enormously since the Second World War and over the last years, the increase in
trade in services has been very significant. In 1997, global trade in services
represented approximately 25% of trade in physical goods. It is expected that
trade in services will expand extensively - especially as a result of the
development of large regional free-trade zones and the rapid development of
information and communication technologies.
It was our colleagues in
the British Columbia library association and later the
Canadian Library Association who developed the library approach to these complicated processes
and who informed the world library and archive community about them.
While WTO has a process
which to some extent is open and transparent, OECD - the Organisation for
Economic Development - the organisation for 29 of the richest countries in the
world - was running a parallel process promoting the MAI-agreement. This was a
closed and secret process until the world became aware of it in during 1996-97.
This agreement which never became a reality, was meant to promote foreign
investments all over the world. It was expected that this would reduce the role
of the nation state and its legislation in a dramatic way and increase the influence of trans-national
companies. The focus from the Canadian librarians came at a time (1997 and
1998) when the world became aware of the realities of the MAI-proposals. The MAI-process collapsed in October 1998 when
France withdrew their support for a continuous MAI-process within OECD.
Commitments and
sectors
The
GATS-system is based on specific commitments made by each government in different
sectors. And we must expect that this means that the nation state has full
control of this general agenda until it makes written commitments in the
different sectors which open up sectors for international competition.
The system
of mechanisms is complicated and this is exemplified by the fact that when a
commitment in a sector has been made it will in addition depend on «Limitations
on Market Access», «Limitations on National Treatment» and «Additional
Commitments». It can also be of
importance if the service is provided
in the context of «Cross-border supply», «Consumption Abroad», «Commercial
Presence» or «Presence of Natural Persons».
Basically
the mechanisms shall secure fair competition and in this context it would mean
similar rules for government agencies or bodies like libraries and private and
commercial companies.
It is
important to be aware that the WTO and its members are engaged in shaping
policy and applications of this policy on an ongoing basis.
When a
country has made its commitment in a sector, a set of mechanisms will come into
force as mentioned.
We already
know that 13 countries have committed themselves to bringing libraries and
archives into international competition.
This has
been done under the sector «Recreational,
Cultural and Sporting Services» where we find
Japan, Singapore and the USA but I am happy to say no EU-countries. But
Iceland is amongst these countries.
The main
sector «Recreational, Cultural and Sporting Services» represents a very central
part of library activities with public libraries and archives.
But this is
not he only sector affecting libraries. Extremely important will be library
services offered by universities and colleges which I expect will belong to the
educational sector in GATS. This means that library services offered to pupils
and students and to teachers and professors and researchers in the enormous
system of educational institutions in Europe will be closely inter-connected with the fate of educational
institutions in this same GATS-perspective. If governmental educational
services are threatened by GATS-mechanisms, library services in the educational
area will also be affected.
Here it is
also relevant to mention services which we may expect will not be part of a
specific sector but which will belong to two or more sectors. I am thinking
of online information services which
already are delivered by libraries or will be a part of their services in the
future. These can clearly become competitive with commercial “On-line Information and Data Base
Retrieval»-companies under the sector «Communication Services» and maybe other
border areas in the total GATS sector system.
The Canadian Library Association as mentioned earlier already during the
MAI-treaty discussions in 1997 raised the concerns and have formulated the
following:
«Consider the following scenario: a foreign «information services» company enters (in this case) Canada and sets up its operation. The company defines its services as similar to those offered by libraries here in Canada. It
then demands equal treatment with Canadian libraries under the articles of the GATS. Equal treatment would include government subsidies, and the government would then be faced with the following options in response to this demand:
1. subsidize the information services companies to the same degree as libraries
2. decrease subsidies to libraries, and then extend this decreased level of assistance to the foreign corporations as well
3. cut funding to libraries altogether and thereby avoid subsidizing every information services company that enters Canada.»
If this mechanism comes
into effect we all know very well that the basic free-of-charge principle which
is our main instrument for opening up the information society for all, may become
redundant.
WTO in general accepts that
this is a kind of mechanism which can be implemented and which is relevant –
but WTO stresses that it is each WTO member state which takes the decision on
which service under a GATS-sector shall be committed. WTO is right. It is the
decision of each country. When a country has committed itself, we do not know
if there is any way back.
There are around 225.000
library service points in Europe with about 140 million registered users.
Library visits in 1998 were registered at 3.5 billion and loan transactions at
more than 3,5 billion each year. Libraries are centred at the heart of local
communities and in everyday locations such as high streets and community
centres. Special services are provided for targeted groups, such as minorities
and people with disabilities. Mobile library services provide access to rural
areas and to special groups, such as the elderly.
I believe that
publicly-funded libraries and archives with a long historical tradition in
society can adapt and prosper in response to changing needs and business models
in society, for example, 24 hour reference services such as “Ask a librarian”,
UK People’s Network.
We do know that library
services may be of interest private sector companies but we do not know at the
moment if commercial interests would like to become involved in this activity
with the aim to take over and commercialising parts or all of it.
Yesterday, I visited the
public library of Brixen/Bressanone situated on the Domplatz in the centre of
town on an inspection tour. It was three o’clock in the afternoon and I could
see a lively and modern and open public space used by a lot of young and
grown-up people – young people studying their textbooks, people reading
newspapers and magazines, persons looking into reference books in the reference
department and at least 20 youngsters playing and reading in the children’s
department. A good experience of a positive societal institution.
We should not gamble with
this.
Even if we do not know if
there are commercial interests which would like to take over and make the
services in part or wholly commercial, we should be aware that there is a
public domain to defend.
My proposal but I also
think the main proposal from library associations nationally, on the European
level with EBLIDA and globally, will be to ask their national governments and
regional governments not to make commitments in the field of education and
culture which will take away the power of our public educational and cultural
institutions.
Based on these considerations I will urge national and regional governments in Europe to make it clear that there should be no commitments in Europe to force libraries and archives to become part of the on-going trade negotiations under the WTO umbrella.
Created: 12 November 2002
Last updated: 19 November 2003