The evolution of the European Union (EU) as both an economic and political project
aiming to combine the resources of a group of nation states has had some profound
consequences on certain aspects of the legal and regulatory systems of its member
states. Important industrial and social regulatory issues that represent core functions
of the traditional nation state have to a degree been transferred to combine the
political, economic and social resources of a group of nation states to provide for
a coherent regional bloc that is seen to generally bring about greater benefits for
business, consumers and citizens. Today the EU’s mandate covers a huge array of
areas including important aspects of the culture industries that is the focus of this
volume. The growth of the EU’s mandate into new areas such as the audiovisual
sector has not been unproblematic, as historically these industries have been the
sole regulatory responsibility of the member states. Aligning the audiovisual and
telecommunications industries to the principles of the common market, given the
inherent contradictions in the culture industries and their role in cultural, social and
economic spheres of life, has not been without its difficulties. Nevertheless the growth
of regulatory mechanisms at the EU level and the nature of these instruments have,
to some extent, brought about a partial re-configuration of regulatory parameters
and the distribution of regulatory responsibilities as member states comply with the
obligations established in the EC Treaty and the principles of the internal market
framework and the European Commission (EC), as the guardian of the Treaty, seeks
to ensure compliance across a range of industries to its principles and rules.