Meeting with Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef

On 16 May, the Federation of European Publishers, together with the European and International Booksellers Federation, met with the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, during World Book Prague, Prague’s Book Fair. FEP President Sonia Draga, EIBF President Fabian Paagman, as well as FEP Director Anne Bergman-Tahon and Deputy Director Enrico Turrin, participated in the meeting.

FEP presented its association and work to Commissioner Micallef, and together with EIBF, they handed him the joint statement from the entire book sector, calling for proper funding for authors, book professionals and literature and reading promotion in the next MFF.

FEP and EIBF Presidents jointly asked for the release of Boualem Sansal, the Franco-Algerian author unfairly imprisoned for his opinions exactly six months before, on 16 November 2024, and who won on the same day the Freedom of Speech Award at the World Book Prague. In his absence, the prize was collected by his daughters.

During the meeting, FEP also called for the release of Ukrainian and Belarusian publishers.