European publishers discussed in Rome with Minister Franceschini in occasion of the Italian Presidency of the EU

PRESS RELEASE

Rome,29 July 2014

European publishers discuss today in Rome with Minister Franceschini in occasion of the Italian Presidency of the EU
Focus on copyright, VAT on e-books and competition on the internet

Mota (FEP): “We can’t let our guard down”
Polillo (AIE): “Italy has clear ideas on the support for the publishing industry”

. The meeting between the vice-president of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) Henrique Mota, the president of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) Marco Polillo and the Italian delegate to the Federation Stefano Mauri and the Minister for Culture and Tourism Dario Franceschini, held in occasion of the beginning of the Italian semester of presidency of the EU, has just finished.
Three crucial topics for the European book sector in the spotlight: protection of copyright, equating VAT on e-books to that on print books and competition between e-book operators on the internet marketplace.
“We appreciated the attention and expertise of the Minister – commented FEP vice-president Mr. Mota -. The difficult situation that book publishing is facing in Europe requires more than ever that we do not let our guard down. We are optimistic, also after this meeting, about the management of these fundamental files at EU level”.
“The debate was very fruitful – underlined the president of Italian publishers Mr. Polillo –. It is comforting to know that Italy enters its presidency semester with clear ideas in support of the largest cultural industry in Europe”.
According to FEP data, the European book publishing market is worth some 22.5 billion Euro and employs 130,000 people. Production is around 535,000 titles.

To know more about figures on book publishing in Europe: http://www.fep-fee.eu/European-Book-Publishing,446

For information,
Daniela Poli
Press office AIE
Telephone 02 89280823 - Mobile 335 1242614
daniela.poli@aie.it
www.aie.it
@danielapoli

You will find here the original version of the press release