Brussels, 25/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Internal Market Council did not manage, Thursday, to reach an agreement on the Directive concerning copyright in information society, due to the divergences between the Member States on the degree of protection granted to authors. Despite a debate of several hours, the text will again be discussed at a technical level. However, the Portuguese Presidency hopes to resolve the dossier before the end of June, and is preparing, if necessary to call a special session of the Internal Market Council, on the 15 June.
"Significant advances were obtained today," felt the French Minister for European Affairs, Mr. Moscovici. Thus the EU 15 seem to be in agreement to integrate into the Directive in question, technical measures allowing the holders of rights to limit the possible number of private copies of a work. "We also have removed all references to "time shifting" that allow a different vision" (and was called for by the United Kingdom and Ireland), indicated Mr Moscovici. The debate nonetheless focused on the remuneration paid to artists to compensate for the authorisation of certain private copies. France, with a minority position on this subject, challenges the possibility that this remuneration might be at zero level, as foreseen in one of the directive's preambles. At its request, the Presidency agreed to continue the debate, rather than proceed to voting.
The Council had earlier adopted, without debate, the directive on chocolate (see page 14 of this bulletin). The political agreements also started up on honey and on the harmonisation of procedures for the liquidation of insurance companies, an agreement for which the European Commissioner responsible for the Internal Market, Mr Bolkestein, congratulated himself. In the evening, ministers continued their work, seeking above all a political agreement on the draft directive aimed at harmonising "good clinical practices" in the carrying out of tests on medicines for human use. EUROPE will publish an overview of the results of the session tomorrow.