Brussels, 16/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Public Lending Right (PLR) is being applied differently in different EU Member States. In some cases, it is not being applied properly as required by the 1992 Council Directive on the Rental and Lending Right and Certain Related Rights. Those are the conclusions of a European Commission report published on 16 September, assessing the implementation of the PLR provisions under the Directive and reiterating the Commission's commitment to ensuring that the PLR is effective in all Member States and to monitoring the way increasing use of new technologies is affecting the application of the PLR. Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said: "Following harmonisation in 1992, we now need to take stock and look to the future, where new technologies will play an ever increasing role. The challenge is to respect cultural traditions and maintain good public access to cultural products while making sure that those who create them get equitable remuneration which allows them to keep on working and giving us pleasure." The 1992 Directive requires that the authors of books, films and any other copyright works and (at Member States' discretion) other rightholders, have the right to authorise or refuse lending of their works by institutions such as public libraries, and be remunerated for such public lending.