Unveiling "Cultural Market Power Europe": EU Digital Policy-Making as a Geopolitical Force

This paper explores the central research question: To what extent does the European Union's digital policy-making contribute to the emergence of what the author terms "Cultural Market Power Europe" in the context of a global landscape dominated by the USA and China? Anchored in Chad Damro's "Market Power Europe" concept, the research investigates the geopolitical dimensions of the EU's evolving influence in the digital realm. The primary argument posits that as cultural industries lobby the EU in shaping the Digital Single Market (DSM), a narrative emerges that portrays the EU as a bastion safeguarding arts and culture against global digital behemoths. This narrative, translated into concrete regulatory measures, signifies the emergence of a distinct geopolitical influence—the "Culture Market Power" of the EU. To operationalize this investigation, the study focuses on two pivotal cases: the lobbying dynamics surrounding the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. Methodologically, the research employs a comprehensive approach, combining data collection from relevant documents with semi-directive interviews involving cultural industry lobbyists and EU civil servants. The collected data are analysed through discourse and network analysis. This paper contributes to the scholarship on EU governance by emphasizing the geopolitical implications of cultural industries' influence on policy-making. The analysis of lobbying efforts within the context of the DSA and AI Act aims to elucidate the nuanced dynamics shaping the EU's evolving role as a significant geopolitical force championing and safeguarding cultural interests amidst the complexities of the digital age, all within the overarching context of a global power struggle with the USA and China.