Brussels, 08/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The five European publishers' associations (EADP, FAEP, EPC, ENPA and FEP) held their second forum on Thursday in Brussels on the premises of the European Commission, focusing on the major challenges facing the publishing world, a sector that is undergoing great change. Discussion focused on three key elements: competitiveness, freedom of expression and the freedom of the media. In a single voice, publishers spoke out in favour of a light regulatory approach during revision of the Television without Frontiers directive, in order to be able to face up to competition and guarantee freedom of the press. They made several requests to the European bodies for: - legal security in all fields; - protection of copyright; - respect of intellectual property rights (as publishers mainly fear Internet abuse during digitalisation of book collections); - free use of creative and inventive technologies; - guaranteed freedom of expression; - a 0% VAT rate on written supports; - non-interference by European institutions in the code of conduct for journalists and publishers as far as content is concerned; - maintaining national competence in regulation of the publishing sector; - abolition of advertising barriers (which, publishers say, ensures the viability and therefore the pluralism of the media); - and greater recognition of the efforts made by publishers to combat illiteracy.
In her speech, Commissioner Viviane Reding noted the comments of publishers and other parties interested further to the public consultation initiated in September (see EUROPE 9032). There is optimism that there will be a smooth transition in due time of publications diffused in electronic form, which is very positive for the sector's survival, the Commissioner said. On the subject of copyright, Viviane Reding was opposed to the national structure of collective management of these rights, which partitions the Single Market. “We need a forward-looking approach to copyright that exploits the flexibility of new technologies and offers new possibilities to publishers, authors and users, on a European scale”, she said. She also reassured publishers regarding product placement, recommending a light regulatory approach in the greatest possible transparency. Ms Reding also returned to the differences between the Commission and publishers over the Rome II draft Regulation in which the Commission suggested that the law to be applied in the case of an individual's rights being violated by the media is the law of the country where the injury is done or could be done (principle of “country of destination”). Following the rejection by publishers who feared that this provision would allow complainants to choose among the various jurisdictions to select that which defends their interests best, even though only a few copies of a newspaper had been distributed there, the European Parliament amended the proposal at first reading, on 8 July, calling for it to be specified that the law applicable would be that of the country where the most significant aspects of damage occur or could occur (principle of “country of origin”: see EUROPE 8987). Ms Reding said this places the Commission in a difficult position. She went on to say: “In spite of our strong belief in the country of origin principle, we know well that Member States will never accept the full 'country of origin' principle in Rome II. It favours, in their view, publishers too much compared with victims. And Member States point out that the right to privacy is as much a fundamental right as freedom of expression”. The Commissioner concludes by stating her determination to continue discussing the future of the publishing sector in 2006 in an environment increasingly marked by media concentration.