The article centers on Donald Trump's assertion that Spain's quotas for Catalan, Basque, and Galician languages in cinema are a reason for imposing tariffs on the European Union. This claim is challenged by experts.
Francesc Vilallonga, a film industry professor, argues that American films dominate the Spanish market (approximately 80%) and that Trump's claims are a pretext for seeking complete market control. He highlights that the Spanish government and European legislation support cultural and linguistic diversity, a factor that irritates Trump.
The article also quotes Eduardo Escudero, copresident of Europa Distribution, who states that the EU's 30% quota for European content in programming is a necessary measure to counter the overwhelming dominance of American film and television and to protect European cultural identity.
The article details how the Catalan government promotes Catalan-language film through subsidies for dubbing and subtitling, including collaborations with streaming platforms. Despite these efforts, it's acknowledged that Catalan films often struggle to gain equal footing with Spanish-language films in terms of distribution and viewership.
Experts argue that these quotas are not significant barriers to the American film industry, as the Catalan dubbing is funded by the Catalan government, and the number of viewers is not affected by the language version. They further highlight that the American market's protectionist policies significantly hinder the success of European films in the US.