06/07/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 6 July, the European Parliament approved the compromise negotiated with the Council of the EU on the modalities for applying the Marrakesh Treaty (see EUROPE 11786). This treaty was adopted in June 2013 under the auspices of the WIPO and seeks to facilitate access for the blind and visually impaired to a broader choice of books published in adapted formats, such as braille, large lettering or audio digital recordings. The agreement with the Council is in the form of directive on the introduction of a copyright exception for content destined for the blind and a regulation on the exchange of these copies with non-EU countries. The European Commission has promised to monitor the directive’s transposition, including the possibility of leaving it up to the member states to introduce limited financial compensation for press publishers whose content has been republished in an accessible format. (SPj)