The socialist senator from Ille-et-Vilaine Sylvie Robert returned to the charge, during the question session with the government, this Wednesday, May 27. Evoking the concern of the world of culture, she questioned the Minister of Culture, Catherine Pégard, on the actions “ of a far-right industrialist who decided to buy tools of influence to serve his political agenda ».
Referring to the multiple assets of billionaire Vincent Bolloré, from Hachette Livre to Canal+, via the Relay points of sale or the Havas communications group, she assures that “ by acting on the media and on culture, [il] wants to have control over the entire value chain which structures the various cultural sectors ».
Such concentration in the hands of the same individual leads to “…real concerns about diversity and independence Â,” underlines the senator, especially since the tycoon claims “ an assumed ideological project which threatens our French cultural model ”. Vincent Bolloré in fact supports, via the editorial means of the Fayard house and, above all, the media of the CNews channel, a far-right story as well as the representatives of this political camp.
In order to “ safeguard the essential, our democratic framework, freedom of expression, creation, programming ”, urges Sylvie Robert, one of the solutions is to  limit the economic concentration that reinforces the power and influence of a few to the point of placing our democracy under control. It is becoming more than necessary to better regulate these phenomena of vertical concentration, to guarantee independence, diversity and ultimately, our sovereignty. »
A very docile ministry
Week after week, Catherine Pégard’s spine becomes clearer at the Ministry of Culture: beware of back pain. Indeed, the tenant of the rue de Valois multiplies the formulas so as not to offend Vincent Bolloré and the other cultural industrialists, nor to question the financial concentration of the sector.
At the end of April, while the dismissal of Olivier Nora brought part of the edition out of its torpor vis-à-vis the authoritarianism of the Bolloré group, Catherine Pégard thus braided the laurels of the “ major publishers [qui] make the great authors since it is they who are the first to detect the writers of tomorrow ”. A few hours later, she gathered up the courage to say: “…[J]He thinks that together we must continue to study these avenues which will protect publishers and authors. »
The cinema sector, during the Cannes Film Festival, was in turn concerned about the power of the far-right billionaire, likely to take control of the UGC cinema chain. This resulted in the signatories of a column on the subject being threatened with being placed on a blacklist by the Canal+ group, of which Bolloré is a shareholder.
Asked on this point last week, Catherine Pégard largely ignored the subject, emphasizing the quality of Canal+ as the leading financier of French cinema when asked about economic concentration, indulging in a tribute to French cinema to respond to fears about creative diversity.
A satisfactory model…?
This Wednesday, May 27, she again minimized the situation, limiting herself to recalling that, “ when it comes to the life of ideas, arts, culture, limiting freedom of creation and expression cannot be an objective, under any circumstances, under any circumstances ».
Catherine Pégard a souligné, devant le Sénat, que les « guarantees of this pluralism » found themselves in the rule of law and the  instruments put in place by law, particularly with regard to the regulation of audiovisual media ”. The latter did not prevent the significant media concentration, but they nevertheless seem to satisfy the Minister of Culture…
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Diving once again into the off-topic, Catherine Pégard then recalled that the “French model” supported the cultural industries with the help of “…sectoral mechanisms, such as the single book price » and public interventions.  Let’s not lose our fight », then osé the tenant of the rue de Valois. « The real challenge is to consolidate our model, to improve its effectiveness. I observe that many professionals, great leaders of the economic world, express the same desire for vigilance and appeasement. »
Of course, no avenue for improvement of this model, nor proposal aimed at limiting the effects of concentration in the cultural sector, will be put forward…
Senator Sylvie Robert, disappointed, warns: “ Mr. Bolloré will become a matter of state, or even a danger for the Republic. Today, we must act, also at the European level, so that European legislation follows the French model Â,” she says. A model more resistant to financial powers, if possible.
The senatorial question and the minister’s response can be viewed at this address.
Photography: Catherine Pégard, in the Senate, this Wednesday, May 27 (screenshot from the Senate website)
By Antoine Oury
Contact : ao@actualitte.com
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