On Tuesday 18 July, the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture (CULT) gave the green light to an own-initiative report on the future of the European book industry.
According to the rapporteur, Tomasz Frankowski (EPP, Polish), “the European book sector is one of the largest cultural and creative industries in Europe, employing more than half a million people and publishing around 600,000 titles annually”. This is “the first time in 10 years that the European Parliament has addressed [this issue]”, he said. His text sets out a series of recommendations designed both to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and to promote universal access to literary works.
It underlines the importance of bookshops and libraries, particularly in rural areas, as places where ideas can be exchanged. Defending the right of access to reading for all, it also calls on Member States to implement the EU Accessibility Act, to ensure that books are available in formats suitable for people with disabilities.
With his report, Mr Frankowski also wants to promote better circulation of European books. Deploring the “linguistic and geographical fragmentation of the markets” in the EU, he notes that “translation plays a strategic role”.
Finally, he discusses the challenges facing the sector, such as the green transition, the impact of artificial intelligence and the lack of interoperability imposed by dominant market players.
He calls on the European Commission and the Member States to support him, including by increasing public funding for the sector and introducing VAT exemptions for books.
To see the draft report, go to https://aeur.eu/f/85c
To read the compromise amendments (all adopted), go to https://aeur.eu/f/85b (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)