COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
C0M(89) 258 final 
Brussels, 3 August 1989 
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-m BOOKS AND READING: A CULTURAL CHALLENGE FOR EUROPE 
:*HP 
5^ (Communication from the Commission) 
v$P 
In a society characterized by rapid advances in information and 
communication books, together with the audiovisual media, constitute the 
basic educational tool available to Europeans in their quest to relate to 
an environment distinguished by the diversity of national and regional 
cultures on the one hand and by a shared set of values on the other. They 
are ih£ medium for literary creation, research and reflection, essential to 
the pursuit of knowledge, self-awareness and an understanding of others and 
of the world around us. 
A special product, both in cultural and industrial terms, books - and, by 
extension, reading - represent a priority area for action as we move 
towards completion of the internal market in 1992: this was the conclusion 
reached by the Ministers for Cultural Affairs when they met within the 
Council on 27 May I960 to consider the plan put forward by the Commission 
to provide a fresh boost for culture in the Community.1 
Tn.1s paper attempts to summarize the different cultural and economic issues 
raised at each stage in the book's journey from author to reader and to 
examine how they interact; it looks in turn at the creative work involved, 
at publishing, translation and distribution and, finally, at the promotion 
of books and reading. 
I. Tim cjTfntlvft wmfc thftt gore? into producing a froofc 
1. Any action in the book seotor must be of particular benefit to authors 
and translators, who provide the essential creative input. In the 
cultural sphere, as elsewhere, the Community has a duty under 
Article 117 of the EEC Treaty "to promote improved working conditions 
and an improved standard of living for workers, so as to make possible 
their harmonization while the improvement Is being maintained". The 
aim must therefore be to guarantee authors and translators a fair 
standard of living - in social as well as fiscal terms - which takes 
account of their special living and working conditions. 
2. Copyright enables authors to reap the benefits of their Intellectual 
endeavours and, by protecting them, encourages literary production. 
However, providing protection for authors and translators and at the 
same time allowing books to circulate freely means finding a 
satisfactory solution to major problems such as the term of copyright 
protection, publishers' contracts, public lending right, and 
reprography. 
OCM(87)60S final/2, 14.12.1967. 
- II -
If these sensitive and controversial issues are to be resolved it will 
be necessary: 
to examine the scope for a gradual alignment of the terms of 
copyright protection and associated rights; 
to make collective agreements guaranteeing authors and 
translators a minimum level of protection and fair remuneration 
general practice throughout the Community; 
to propose measures on public lending right in the light of 
developments in legislation; 
to strike a balance between the interests of users and the 
requirements on the part of authors and publishers for the 
exploitation of printed material given the Intensive use of 
reprography in libraries, schools, unlversitites, research 
institutes and documentation centres. 
1. Publishing is an essential vehicle for promoting and disseminating 
culture. It is also of considerable economic importance In terms of 
employment, total added value, Investment and external trade. 
The Commission therefore intends to publish a set of statistics at the 
end of 1989 on the state of the book market in Europe and on the 
changing patterns and trends In consumption and practices in this 
sector. 
2. The structure of the publishing industry is changing under the twofold 
pressure of national and international competition and rapid 
developments in the new technologies. Reconciling the vitality, 
Independence and diversity of publishing companies with a healthy 
financial position is a cultural and eoonomio target which must be 
achieved if cultural, scientific and technical knowledge and 
information are to be properly disseminated. The Commission believes 
that priority must be given to safeguarding the Independent 
development on the Community and international markets of publishing 
firms with a commitment to producing quality books. A healthy 
competition policy within the single European market area is a must if 
the publishing Industry is to respond not only to technical anod 
economic developments but also to cultural requirements. 
HI. Twmngl^+rlrm 
1. In a multicultural, multilingual Community, the objective of joint 
action in the book sector must be to give European citizens access in 
their own language to important literary, scientific and technical 
material - classical and contemporary - published in the Community and 
in the rest of the world. This would entail producing more and better 
translations, given that the chances of ioultilingualism becoming 
general practice are limited. The stakes for the Community are high, 
not only for the professional translator but also for the man in the 
street. 
- Ill -
2. The implementation in 1989 of a Community pilot scheme to provide 
financial support for translations of works of contemporary literature 
will be the first experiment of its kind. Modest funding will mean 
that some 30 books a year can be translated over a five-year period 
and priority will be given to minority languages. The Commission will 
then make proposal s for a more ambitious scheme in the light of the 
experience gained. 
3. For a translation market which is expanding steadily, particularly for 
technical publications (economics, law and the sciences), the number 
of professional translators is low and the proportion with specialist 
knowledge far from adequate. 
In order to rectify this situation, which can only get worse as 1992 
approaches, priority should be given to Community action to improve 
translator training. 
The Commission consequently intends to encourage the setting up of 
more training colleges for translators, the introduction of 
translation into university curricula and the organization of 
specialist training courses. The Commission also feels that a body of 
rules governing translation as a profession should be drawn up at 
Community level in cooperation with the Member States and the 
professional groups concerned. 
iv. fflfmirïmtitoji 
The main problems when it comes to dissemination can be summed up in two 
words: networks (bookshops and libraries) and pricing. 
1. For books to be disseminated satisfactorily, each Community country 
has to have a network of good bookshops which can provide the public 
with the wide variety of published material available and a network of 
libraries which can rise to the challenge of the computer revolution 
and adapt to user expectations. 
The Commission is planning to carry out a study of the part played by 
distribution systems in view of production and distribution 
developments, with particular reference to bookseller training and 
bookshop computerization. 
It also intends to step up the action on the computerization of 
libraries in which it has been engaged since 1985. 
2. nryft pricing 
The Commission set out its position on book pricing as far back as 
1985.2 It stands by this position, as its only objection in 
principle is to resale price maintenance which distorts trade inside 
the Community, particularly within language areas. 
00^85)681/5. 
IV -
The Commission notes that there is as yet no proof that extending 
pricing arrangements to trade between Member States is the appropriate 
way, still less the only way, of raising production levels and 
promoting distribution. 
It therefore intends, in cooperation with national authorities and 
representatives of all the professional interests concerned, to look 
more closely at distribution systems and at alternative measures to 
promote book publishing and distribution. On this basis it will, 
where appropriate, make speciflo proposals. 
A study of reading patterns in the Community shows that there is a high 
rate of functional illiteracy and that, in the face of the growth in the 
audiovisual media, reading is no longer the favourite leisure activity. 
This is a dangerous trend from both the educational and cultural points of 
view. 
The Commission therefore considers that, in parallel with the action being 
taken within the Community to fight illiteracy and to encourage the 
teaching of foreign languages, a series of promotional activities should be 
organized aimed at providing better training for those responsible for 
organizing cultural activity, improving the facilities in places where the 
public came into contact with books and using the media to promote our 
literary heritage. 
Such activities could be organized in. cooperation with the Council of 
Europe and Unesco. 
Summary 
Contents 
Introduction 
I. The creative work that goes into producing a book l 
I.A. Improving the social status of writers and translators 1 
1) Employment and vocational training for writers 3 
2) Freedom of movement and establishment 3 
I.B. TTarmon1z1ng copyright legislation 4 
1) The term of copyright protection 4 
2) Publishers' contracts 5 
3) Public lending right 6 
4) Reprography 6 
II. Publishing 7 
II .A. The situation on the European book market 7 
II.B. Publishing and the new technologies 8 
U.C. Concentration and internationalization In publishing 8 
III. Translation 9 
III.A. Community action to promote the translation of major works 
of European culture 9 
1) Pilot scheme to provide financial aid for 
translations of contemporary literary works 10 
2) The European Translation Fund 10 
3) The European Translation Prize 11 
III.B. Training and professional status of translators 11 
IV. Dissemination 12 
IV.A. Bookshops 13 
IV.B. Libraries 13 
1) Inter-library coopération in data processing 14 
2) Conservation and preservation of the cultural 
heritage held in libraries 14 
3) Permanence of paper 15 
IV.C. Book pricing 15 
IV.D. Facilitating the cross-border movement of books 17 
1) Harmonizing VAT rates 17 
2) Mailing 17 
IV.E. Exports and imports 18 
V. Promoting books and reading 18 
Conclusions 
Annex I Summary of proposed action 
Anrar TT Opinion of the Book Group on "Books and Reading: 
A Cultural Challenge for Europe" (preliminary draft 
Commission communication from Mr Dondelinger; 
_ 1 _ 
Introduction 
As part of the plan to provide a fresh boost for culture in the European 
Community1 and with due regard to the priorities set by the Council and 
the Ministers for Cultural Affairs,2 the Commission is proposing a 
programme of priority measures to constitute a vital component of Community 
cultural activity and complement the priority given to the audiovisual 
sector. 
This paper has been discussed with the group of experts on books (the 
Book Group) set up by the Commission to assist the Committee of Cultural 
Consultants (OOC).3 The Group's opinion is given in Annex II. 
Applying the general guidelines set out in the plan for a fresh boost for 
culture to the book sector, the Commission intends to continue to assume 
and to broaden the economic and social responsibilities incumbent on it in 
the cultural sector, as in others, under the EEC Treaty. 
This then will be the basis for Commission action to apply the EEC Treaty 
and Community policies to the economic and social situations in which the 
individuals, professional organizations and companies involved in promoting 
books in the Community and the rest of the world develop, whether their 
business is creative literary work, producing, distributing and trading in 
books, cultural cross-fertilization between individual s and nations, or 
promoting reading. 
I. T*ft nrrtttMw» ww» thaï, gras irttn prrrfimlîig A tout 
Ideas, knowledge, information and communication all spring from authors; 
in the book chain, they are both the source and the agent of creative 
literary work. They are also the guarantors of the oontinued existence and 
influence of Europe's cultural identity. 
This communication concerns all authors of literary, scientific, technical 
or other material published in book form, excluding brochures and other 
writing and the other categories of material listed in Article 2(1) of the 
Berne Convention. 
It should be stressed here that translators have a strategic part to play 
in communication between different language groups in the Community. They 
too are authors involved in the creative process, within the meaning of the 
international and national nomenclature for workers in the cultural sphere 
and the copyright laws in all the Member States. 
This chapter will therefore discuss authors and translators from two 
different viewpoints: 
- improvement of their social status; 
- harmonization of copyright legislation. 
I.A. Iimjroving thA «nrrtAl status of writers «r^ •hrangl*.-hr>T?8 
1. In a society where Information and leisure are burgeoning and the 
1 OCM(87)603 final/2, 14.12.1987. 
2 OJ C 197, 27.7.1988, p.2. 
3 Plans to set up the Committee were announced In the Commission's paper 
on a fresh boost for culture; its inaugural meeting was held on X 
8 November 1988 in the presence of Mr Ripa di Meana. ' 
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market for culture is booming, it is unfair that the prime movers in 
creative literary work and interoultural exchange still have no speoifio 
status reflecting their special living and working conditions and the 
uniqueness of their contribution and guaranteeing them royalties and 
earnings directly linked to their capacity as authors. 
In the cultural sphere as elsewhere, the Community has a duty under 
Article 117 of the EEC Treaty "to promote improved working conditions and 
an improved standard of living for workers, so as to make possible their 
harmonization while the improvement is being maintained".1 
The aim is therefore to guarantee cultural workers a fair standard of 
living so that they can carry on their intellectual and artistic activity 
free from any ideological or aesthetic pressures and without compromising 
their personal integrity. 
2. To provide a basis for the formulation of this special status, in 
addition to the individual studies on their legal, social and tax status 
commissioned in recent years, the Commission has launched a comprehensive 
study, on a Community-wide scale, of the social and tax position of 
cultural workers. 
In the light of the findings of this comprehensive study and of statistical 
information on the social situation of cultural workers,2 the Commission 
will be presenting its conclusions with a view to a series of Initiatives 
in respect of social security and tax arrangements.3 
3. The Commission is also proposing firstly that the resolution on 
recourse to the European Social Fund to assist cultural workers adopted by 
the Council and the Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs on 
18 December 1984,4 is acted on, and secondly that a guide for authors and 
translators is produced in preparation for 1992. 
In this context, we will deal with two problems in turn: 
1) employment and vocational training for writers;5 
2) freedom of movement and establishment. 
1 Communications on Community action in the cultural sector (1977) and on 
stronger Community action in the cultural sector (1982), Supplements 6/77 
and 6/82 - Bull. EC. 
Guide Fanti, Improving the living «™^ wwiHng rvwrH-MfYnfl nf miltm»*! 
ijnrTrAra (DOO. PE 96-944). 
Solemn Declaration on European Union adopted by the European Council in 
Stuttgart in dune 1983, Supplement 6/83 - Bull. EC. 
2 In response to Parliament's resolution on the social situation of 
cultural workers (OJ C 28, 9.2.1981, p.82), the Commission is working on 
a medium-term cultural statistics programme targeted in particular on the 
social situation of cultural workers (see Chapter II). 
3 A draft resolution concerning the adoption of tax measures in the 
cultural sector presented by the Commission on 2 May 1985 for adoption by 
the Council and the Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs provided 
that, for tax purposes, cultural workers' incomes should be averaged out 
over a number of years (0CM(85)194 final). 
4 OJ C 2, 4.1.1985, p.2. 
5 Vocational training for translators will be dealt with in Chapter III. 
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1) Employment and vocational training for writers* 
1. Irrespective of whether the European Social Fund2 is used - and the 
direct repercussions of such a move for writers can only be limited - the 
whole question of employment and vocational training for writers is 
governed by the need for most of them to have a second job, owing to 
under-employment and the fact that their income Is both irregular and 
extremely uneven. 
2. Similarly, although it would be difficult to create jobs directly 
linked to writing proper, involving writers in the soclo-cultural network 
represented by schools, universities, libraries, cultural centres, writing 
or reading workshops, etc. would encourage them to develop as 
creators,teachers and community cultural workers, as well as providing them 
with jobs which were a natural extension of their intellectual work. 
What is more, writers are more than likely to become authors in several 
d1sn1pHTWR, particularly with the development of the media. This has 
tended to create jobs for authors rather than do away with them. The 
progress being made means that writers must be given the opportunity to 
avail themselves of the new, increasingly sophisticated back-up facilities 
by receiving training in the new technologies so that they can express 
themselves as authors. 
3. As well as broadening the reading public and directly or indirectly 
encouraging people to read, investment directed towards integrating writers 
Into the soclo-cultural f abrio and training multidlsciplinary authors would 
mean a real improvement In their social situation. 
This is a field of action in which there should be speolfio coopération on 
a Community-wide scale between the Community, national and regional 
authorities. 
2) Frftflrtnm of movement and ffltftbllfihmffnt 
1. Freedom of movement and establishment for workers, both employed and 
self-employed, is one of the fundamental principles of the EEC Treaty. In 
the cultural sphere, as the 1992 deadline approaches, putting this 
principle into practice should mean an intensification in cultural 
exchanges between the Community's countries and regions. 
It is especially important for authors, enabling them to become better 
known in their own countries by building up a reputation abroad and to 
improve their standard of living as a result. 
In the case of authors, freedom of movement and establishment Is valuable 
only if they are adequately Informed about the legal, social security and 
tax arrangements which apply to them, the professional organizations and 
authors' associations which they may join, the way literary life is 
organized and the scholarships and grants available in each of the Member 
States. 
1 Vocational training for translators will be dealt with in Chapter III. A 
2 OTC 2, 4.1.1985, p.2. J 
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2. In Europe there has been an upsurge In contact between people 
professionally involved in the arts and exchange of information in that 
field is consequently becoming a major concern. As provided for in its 
plan for a fresh boost for culture,* the Commission intends to produce a 
guide for authors and translators, along the lines of the one produced for 
those involved in the plastic arts.2 
I.B. Harmonizing copyright legislation 
1. Copyright is a basic instrument of cultural policy» as there Is a vital 
commercial component in the aims it pursues and the ways in which it is 
applied. The primary purpose of copyright is to guarantee the originators 
of creative literary work a living from their intellectual activity by 
giving them an exclusive right to the use made of their work and a right to 
a fair share in the income which others, particularly publishers, likewise 
derive from it, thereby encouraging literary production and protecting 
authors. 
This means that copyright Is the only instrument which protects the 
interests of large numbers of authors at least to some degree against the 
purely commercial interests involved in the sale and utilization of the 
product of their intellectual work. 
2. On 1 June 1988 the Commission adopted its Green Paper on oopyright and 
the challenge of technology.3 The Green Paper deals with a limited number 
of priority fields in which existing oopyright legislation is being called 
into question by the technological advances of the last ten years. 
The purpose of the document is primarily to provide a basis for 
wide-ranging discussion among interested circles on a number of copyright 
questions relating to commercial piracy, audiovisual home copying, 
distribution right, exhaustion and rental right, computer programs, data 
bases and the role of the Community in multilatéral and bilateral external 
relations. 
Copyright, however, is a complex legal field and we cannot afford to 
overlook a number of sensitive and controversial questions which ought to 
be resolved from the point of view both of protecting authors and 
translators and of ensuring that literary work can circulate freely. 
This communication will therefore confine itself to a brief discussion of 
four problems of particular importance from the cultural point of view: 
1) the term of oopyright protection; 
2) publishing contracts; 
3) public lending right; 
4) reprography. 
1) The term of oopyright protection 
1. However complex the issues and interests involved may be, the question 
of the term of copyright protection cannot be ignored. 
1 COM(87)603 final/2, 14.12.1987, p. 9. 
2 Baymonde Moulin, A Handbook fn-n pi«.crMn A.rti«t«. Studies Collection. 
Cultural Hatters Series No 4 (1981). Second revised edition 1986. 
Commission of the European Communities. J~ 
3 CCM(88)172 final. -^ 
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After the author's death, the term of copyright protection for works of 
literature is 70 years in the Federal Republic of Germany, 60 years in 
Spain and 50 years in the other Member States, with extensions of unequal 
length granted in Belgium, France and Italy to allow for exploitation 
difficulties in wartime. In Belgium the draft law on copyright provides 
for this period to be increased to 70 years. 
This is, Incidentally, one of the rare cases in which, by introducing a 
minimum term, the Berne Convention has not produced convergence between the 
Member States. 
The different terms of copyright protection may create obstacles to freedom 
of trade in books and distortions in competition. At any given time the 
same work may be protected in some Member States while in others, where it 
falls within the public domain, it can be freely exploited. 
2. With the imminent completion of the single European market, the 
Commission considers that thought should be given to the extent to which 
the terms of copyright protection and of associated rights could gradually 
be harmonized, in respect of both literature and other artistic and musical 
material as well as the medium on which it Is marketed. 
2) PuftllahfTfi' contracts 
1. The publisher's contract constitutes the pivot between the legal 
protection enjoyed by authors and its practical application. A study of 
national legislation on copyright transfer shows that there are still 
serious gaps In the rules and considerable disparities between the various 
laws. In Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg and the 
Netherlands there are no special regulations governing publishers' 
contracts. Contractual relations between publishers and authors are 
covered by the rules laid down in the civil law on contracts, which are 
based on the principle of freedom of negotiation. 
There is hardly any difference in practice between this situation and the 
one which exists in countries where there are special rules in this area 
which are not binding and may be derogated from by clauses to the contrary. 
Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, on the other hand, have fairly detailed 
rules on publishers' contracts which do set out, albeit partially, to 
protect the authors' Interests. In Belgium the draft law on copyright lays 
down provisions to this effect. 
2. TO rectify this situation, professional authors' or translators' 
organizations and authors' associations on the one hand and publishers' 
organizations on the other have, in most Community countries, negotiated 
oodes of practice, standard contracts, outline oontraots and general 
contracts which represent an arrangement between the parties Involved . and 
serve as points of reference for problems which crop up when publishers' 
contracts are being concluded at a level of detail frequently not reached 
by statutory regulations. 
The fact, however, remains that, although the conclusion of these 
collective agreements constitutes undeniable progress in terms of 
protecting authors' and translators' interests, they contain no specific 
clause on payments to authors, except in the case of the Danish and Dutch 
standard contracts. Furthermore, these agreements do not actually have to 
be used as the basis for the conclusion of individual agreements. 
A\ 
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3. A clear obstacle to the harmonization of national copyright legislation 
in relation to publishers' contracts, at least at the moment, is the fact 
that contract law as it relates to authors overlaps at many points with 
civil law in general and the approaches adopted by the national legal 
systems in this respect differ enormously. 
With a view to ensuring that a balance Is maintained between authors' and 
translators' interests on the one hand and the equally legitimate interests 
of publishers on the other, the Commission is, In principle, in favour of 
standard, non-oompulsory contracts which would guarantee authors and 
translators miT^iim protection and fair remuneration becoming standard 
practice throughout the Community. 
3) Public lending right 
1. The Green Paper on copyright and the challenge of technology1 deals 
briefly with the question of public lending right or book-borrowing. The 
Commission can only reiterate its position on this subject, namely that 
Community action to harmonize législation in this field would not be 
Justified in the present circumstances. That said, it Is still incumbent 
on the Commission to ensure that the provisions of the EEC Treaty are 
complied with in this area as well. 
2. To some extent the question of public lending right is linked to the 
development of libraries in the Community and to public reading habits. At 
the moment public lending right exists only in the four countries in the 
northern part of the Community where there is a dense network of libraries 
and where the public reads extensively: the Federal Republic of Germany, 
Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The Flemish community in 
Belgium, in addition to copyright legislation, has drawn up a draft decree 
on public lending right. 
With the build-up of a comprehensive network of libraries throughout the 
Community's regions, the problem of publio lending right is bound to become 
increasingly acute. The Commission will, of oourse, monitor developments 
in this field and, if appropriate, put forward specific proposals in a 
wider context than that described in the Green Paper. 
4) Reprography 
1. The explosion in reprography, especially in Europe, can have an adverse 
effect on the eoonomlo Interests of authors, translators and publishers. 
At the moment the phemonenon mainly affects school textbooks and scientific 
and technical books, posing a direct threat to the very future of such 
publications and an indirect one to educational, scientific and technical 
research. 
Although the increasing sophistication of duplicating techniques is of 
considerable benefit when it comes to setting up archives and preserving 
collections and books in libraries and publishing houses, photocopying, if 
not kept under control, can be a disincentive to purchasing magazines and 
books, particularly quality publications; this results in falling print 
runs and Mgh«i» prices, which In turn causes such publications to become 
rarer or even disappear altogether. 
2. As far back as 1977 the Commission was emphasizing the difficulties 
involved in striking a balance between the Interests of users and the 
1 CGM(88)172 final, pp.152 to 154. A2 
- 7 -
requirements on the part of authors and publishers for the normal 
exploitation of written material owing to the intensive use of reprography 
systems in libraries, schools, universities, research Institutions, 
documentation centres and so on,1 as it is here that most of the 
reproduction of copyright-protected material Is done. 
A legal framework therefore has to be worked out at Community level to keep 
a check on the reproduction of protected published material, given the 
rapid developments in technology as well as the Increase in the different 
national regulations and in licensing agreements concluded by authors and 
publishers' associations and organizations representing schools, 
universities, libraries, etc.2 
IXiring the discussions on the Green Paper on copyright and the challenge of 
technology, it was decided that the question of reprography, as distinct 
from home copying of sound and audiovisual recordings, would be dealt with 
in the overall context of copyright, once the Green Paper had been 
published. In their conclusions of 27 May 1988,3 the Council and the 
Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs also expressed the view that 
this question should be examined in depth. 
The Commission has decided to conduct a study on the subject and will be 
putting forward proposals for action in the light of its findings and of 
consultations with the parties concerned. 
n. pnfflirihing 
1. Publishing is regarded as one of the major vehicles for promoting and 
disseminating culture; it also plays an educational role vital to the 
development of cultural life. 
2. In addition to its considerable economic importance (in terms of 
employment, total added value, investment and external trade), publishing 
is also an industry whose structure is changing under the twofold pressure 
of national and international competition and rapid developments in the new 
technologies. 
Reconciling the vitality, independence and diversity of publishing 
companies with a healthy financial position is a target that must be 
achieved if cultural, scientific and technical knowledge and information 
are to be properly disseminated. 
This chapter will deal in turn with: 
- the situation on the European book market; 
- publishing and the new technologies; 
- concentration and Internationalization in publishing. 
II.A. The situation on th,ff European book market 
1. There are no reliable comparative statistics in the Community at the 
moment on the situation on the European book market taken as a whole or in 
sectors. The Commission has made the compiling of reliable, comparative 
statistics on European culture, as a permanent tool with which to observe 
and analyse, a priority objective of its plan to provide a fresh boost for 
culture in the Community.4 
1 Supplement 6/77 - Bull. EC. 
2 These licensing agreements exist in Germany, the United Kingdom and 
Denmark. _ 
3 0JC 197, 27.7.1988, p.2. A? 
4 O0M(87)603 final/2, 14.12.1987, p.9. 
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2. In response to the conclusions reached by the Council and the Ministers 
responsible for Cultural Affairs on 27 May 1988,1 the Commission has 
decided to collaborate with the Council of Europe and Unesco on the gradual 
implementation of a medium-term programme (1989-1992) for the publication 
of statistics on priority sectors (audiovisual sector, books, training and 
sponsorship). Top priority is to go to the book sector. The Commission 
anticipates that it will be able to release an initial set of European 
statistics at the end of 1989. 
II.B. PnKHsfoJTig and the new technologies 
1. The publishing industry is directly affected by the new technologies. 
They influence the supply of and demand for published material in 
competition with other forms of information, and have an effect on the 
strategy adopted by publishing firms. 
Despite technological changes, the industry will continue to play an 
inçortant role as a vehicle for Information and scientific and specialist 
knowledge, given the complete transformation now beginning in publishing 
and the overestimation of competition from the new media. 
2. All four of the stages in the book chain are affected by the new 
technologies, with the result that the line of demarcation between the 
writing, production and distribution of books is now receding and in some 
cases disappearing. 
This development will certainly have a significant impact on the actual 
structure of the Industry as a whole, especially in the case of small and 
medium-sized publishing firms. 
U.C. Concentration and in+*rma.+AnnA.nrahinn in piKHrihiTg 
1. From the point of view of European Integration, publishing Is without 
doubt one of the most fragmented cultural industries In the Community. 
Within each Member State the salient feature of publishing is the 
predominance of small and medium-sized publishers. The notable exception 
is the United Kingdom. Most publishing groups In the Community are now 
having to operate in a climate of change due to a combination of factors: -
- the low level of financial independence which is a characteristic of 
publishing makes it frail and vulnerable to attempted takeovers by 
Industrial and financial interests In some cases completely unfamiliar 
with the cultural field; 
- new investors in publishing see in the industry a back-up stock of cheap 
input material for the new audiovisual media in the race for pictures and 
programmes; 
- the advent of these new Investors has coincided with an Internal 
rationalization of the management of publishing groups, which are often 
fragmented and run on paternalistic lines. 
2. It would appear that the following dual trend in the publishing 
industry is likely to continue in the years ahead: 
- a rationalization In distribution circuits and sales networks, as witness 
new types of cooperation between publishers and distributors capable of 
1 (XT C 197, 27.7.1988, p.2. ^V 
- 9 -
adjusting to the developments in large-scale distribution and to changing 
patterns of consumption or the establishment of mail-order networks 
which, purely in economic terms, more than make up for the slump in 
bookshop sales; 
- simultaneous vertical and horizontal oonoentration. The Community is 
full of examples which show that groups which are the most likely 
candidates for diversification into other media are also the ones whose 
traditional production structures are undergoing most upheaval. 
Small and medium-sized publishing companies are in danger of being 
gradually absorbed by large amalgamating groups boasting unparalleled 
production capacity and distribution set-ups, even if this dual pattern of 
rationalization and concentration does not necessarily mean a loss of 
independence on the publishing front. However, such developments, dictated 
as they are by cxmimercial and industrial logic, are still subject to the 
limits imposed on them by the cultural and linguistic sensibilities of the 
European public. 
3. The Commission will therefore give assiduous attention to ways of 
safeguarding publishers' independence and to developments in publishing 
firms anxious to produce quality books, with a view to safeguarding 
vitality, originality and variety in publishing. 
Consequently, the Commission considers that a healthy policy of competition 
within the single European market area is a must for the publishing 
industry if it is to respond not only to technical and economic 
developments but also to cultural requirements. 
m. Tmnfiiafrlnn 
1. There can be no burgeoning of cultural and eoonomio exchanges among the 
Member States or between them and the rest of the world without 
translation. The stakes for the Community are high - not only for the 
professional translator but also for the man in the street, given that in 
practice multillnguallsm is limited. In a multicultural, multilingual 
community, genuine European Integration cannot be achieved without a 
coherent and comprehensive policy on translation. 
As far as the spread of ideas and knowledge is concerned, it Is a slow 
process. There is usually a considerable time-lag before contemporary 
literature from other Community countries and regions becomes available to 
the publio; this is due to the objective obstacles represented by the 
Community's linguistlo fragmentation, the predominance of translations from 
the widely-spoken languages, and the cost of translation.1 
This chapter will deal with: 
- Community action to promote the translation of major works of European 
culture; 
- training and professional status for translators. 
III.A. Community action to promote the translation of major works of 
titfTQPft*" Obture 
1 Most Member States have increased the amount of financial assistance 
available either to publishers or to translators for the publication of 
foreign writing translated into the language of the country concerned, as 
well as for the translation and publication abroad of important 
home-produced works of literature. A5 
- 10 
1) Pilot scheme to provi/te firwnnla.1 gnjprpn-rt. f0r translations of 
contemporary literary works 
In response to the resolution adopted by the Council and the Ministers 
responsible for Cultural Affairs on 9 November 19871 and to their 
conclusions of 27 May 1988,2 the Commission, working with the Committee on 
Cultural Affairs, has drawn up guidelines for a pilot scheme to provide 
financial support for translations of works of contemporary literature to 
complement the work which has been under way on an experimental basis since 
1982. 
The pilot scheme will give priority to the translation of works written in 
one of the Community's minority languages into the more widely-spoken 
languages. By way of exception, the translation of works of importance to 
European culture written by a national of a non-Community country which 
belongs to the Council of Europe will also be eligible. The translator's 
fee will be paid in full. 
One of the main objectives is to increase publisher Involvement in the 
submission of works for translation and to improve the selection procedure 
on the basis of criteria decided in advance. 
An advisory group of European experts chaired by the Commission will be 
given the task of making the final selection from the lists of books put 
forward by the publishers, in the light of the views of the national 
experts as to their literary value. 
Launched in 1989, the pilot scheme will initially run for an experimental 
five-year period only. It* will receive ECU 200 000 a year in funding 
(enough to pay for some 30 books to be translated every year). The scheme 
will be reviewed before it enters its fifth year. In the light of the 
experience gained, the Commission will make proposals for a permanent and 
more ambitious scheme. 
2) The European Translation Fund 
This idea was raised at the European Council held in Milan on 28 and 
29 June 1985. The Commission considers that, as things stand, the 
suggestion needs to be looked at more closely and the objectives, 
modnfi flfPff™**»™ and financing of the Fund defined. 
Among the subjects to be considered, the Commission, in close association 
with the Member States and the professional groups concerned, would like to 
look into the realistio possibility of launching, as a publisher - along 
the Unes of the experimental ventures by Unesco - and, if appropriate, in 
coll aberration with the Council of Europe, a European collection designed to 
promote significant works by European authors which have not yet been 
published. 
Lastly, with an eye both to 1992 and to developments in technology, thought 
should be given to ways of encouraging the production of more multinational 
joint publications, In ventures bringing together the publisher of the 
original version of the book and the publishers of its various 
translations. 
Thought should also be given to setting up, at Community level, a 
computerized file of works already translated, which would act as a spur to 
further translations and thereby encourage the circulation of works of 
literature. 
1 OT C 309, 19.11.1987, p.3. ., 
2 OT C 197, 27.7.1988, p.2. J*> 
- 11 -
3) The RUTOpftftn TrA.-ng1a.t1nn Vrir* 
In its plan for a fresh boost for culture1 the Commission advocated the 
endowment of an annual European prize to be awarded by a European Jury to 
the best translations of literary works from minority languages. 
This prize could be organized to tie in with Implementation of the pilot 
scheme to provide financial support for translations of works of 
contemporary literature as described at 1. above, and with the annual 
European City of Culture programme. 
III.B. Training and professional status of translators 
i) Training 
1. Translator training must go hand-in-hand with multilinguallsm as part 
of the move to provide a fresh boost for culture in the Ctamraunity;2 this, 
together with the fees they receive, is a vital factor In determining the 
quality of translations.3 
2. According to a study carried out by the Commission in 1981, piHHrfrfT^ 
Is one of the most promising sectors In the translation market; the 
expanding areas are, above all, the technical field (economics, law and 
science) and, to a very slight extent, literature and education. Literary 
translations account for only a tiny fraction of the translation market. 
The fact Is that, for a translation market which can only go on growing, 
the number of professional translators Is low and the proportion with a 
specialist knowledge of the subject matter to be translated Is far from 
adequate. 
3. The Commission consequently attaches great Importance to specialist 
training for translators. Consideration should therefore be given to 
setting up Community banks of semantio data and semantio difficulties and 
peculiarities for the use of technical and literary translators. 
Linguists should be provided with more training in specialized areas (lav, 
eoonomlos, and science and technology). Similarly, subject specialists 
oould be trained in translation, with emphasis being placed both on 
knowledge of languages and on translation techniques; this oould be done 
by organizing translation oourses for the different subject areas. 
The Commission would also like to see the experiment it had developed in 
the Joint Interpreting and Conference Service (JIGS) extended; this 
involves organizing Intensive training oourses for university graduates in 
specialist fields. 
The Commission is also pushing ahead with the Burotra programme, now In its 
third phase.4 The aim of this programme is to set up a common system 
capable of coping with translations from and into the nine Community 
languages. Four fields are covered at present: political, scientific and 
technical, economic, and education and training. 
1 COM(87)603 final/2, 14.12.1987, Pact Sheet III.l. 
2 Ibid., Fact Sheets III.l and IV.4. 
3 OJ C 309, 19.11.1987, p.3. ,-, 
4 COM(87)270 final, 31.5.1988. A T 
- 12 -
Machine translation does not, however, solve the problem of training 
specialist translators. A translation produced by a machine has to be 
worked on by revisers who post-edit the raw product. 
The results achieved by the programme will help in the compiling of 
dictionaries and in the setting of international lexicographical standards. 
4. Without excluding the various types of training which might emerge and 
be developed in the future the Commission, taking as its starting-point 
existing ventures and achievements to date, proposes that priority be given 
to the following operations: 
- setting up a network of training colleges for literary translators 
throughout the Community along the lines of the ones established in 
Straelen (Germany), Aries (France), Procida (Italy) and Tarazona (Spain); 
- encouraging universities to introduce translation into their curriculum, 
in the form either of courses in the theory and practice of translation 
or of special courses for graduates and/or postgraduates in any 
discipline; 
- developing special training courses for translators In the different 
specialist areas; 
- increasing the number of scholarships awarded for translator training, 
especially under the Erasmus programme. 
2) £ro£gssJ^mal_s£a£u£. 
Training translators also implies clarifying their professional status at 
Community level. What is expected of translators in the way of 
qualifications and experience is vague and the way in which they are 
organized varies from one Member State to another. 
The Commission therefore proposes that a body of rules governing 
translation as a profession be drawn up in cooperation with the authorities 
in the Member States and the professional groups ooncemed reflecting inter, 
alia the diversity of translations and of translator training and 
qualifications. 
There can be no such body of rules without mutual recognition of 
qualifications and increased cooperation between the educational 
establishments In Europe awarding translators' diplomas. 
iv. rrtmpmlTfttitQB 
There are two distinct and complementary routes by which books reach their 
readers: retail sales and loans. 
For books to be disseminated, there has to be a network of good bookshops 
in each Community country, as they provide the public with its only source 
of the wide variety of published material available by maintaining a 
permanent stock of books and by offering the advice and bibliographical 
research services associated with booksellers. 
The dissemination of books also depends on a concentrated network of 
libraries, whose social and cultural role and responsibilities as 
"middlemen" in spreading knowledge and information are of vital importance. 
This chapter will deal in turn with: 
- bookshops;. 
- libraries; 
- book pricing; 
- facilitating the cross-border movement of books; 
-imports and exports. 
At 
- 13 -
IV.A. BOOKSHOPS 
1. Bookshops form the last link in the book chain connecting author to 
reader; as the place where books are physically present, they play a vital 
part in the success and promotion of books and a fundamental role in 
relaying information between the publisher and his market. 
In terms of Community action on books and reading, the Commission is 
focusing primarily on bookshops, as they provide the public with the wide 
variety of published products by maintaining a permanent stock of books and 
offering a quality service. 
2. Bookshops are the weak link In the book chain. In economic terms they 
are not particularly profitable, given the special nature of the way in 
which they operate. The high cost of stock management is due to a 
combination of four factors: the proliferation of titles on the market, 
slow stock turnover, shortening book-life, and literary fashions. 
For a number of years, bookshops have been going through a process of 
drastic change which has transformed the ways in which general 1 st and 
specialist bookshops operate. These changes have been brought about by the 
need to rationalize distribution circuits and sales networks, the 
appearance of new retail sales methods alongside the traditional network, 
and the introduction of new technologies. 
3. This is a field as yet unexplored at Community level, and the 
Commission feels that detailed consideration should be given, in 
coopération with representatives of the parties concerned, to the following 
main points: 
- the part played by distribution systems in book promotion, life 
expectancy on the market and cost; 
- bookseller and staff training; 
- bookshop computerization. 
The potential for reorganizing and modernizing the book trade will in 
effect depend on the answers to these questions. 
IV.B. T.I bTA.fi gfl 
1. Libraries are the second vital element In the dissemination of books, 
especially specialist books. In countries where they are properly funded, 
they represent an extremely important market for the publishing Industry: 
as well as encouraging the public to read and get to know authors, they can 
act as a stimulus to book-buying. Libraries are therefore the point where 
action In the book field and action In the reading field converge. 
The role of libraries is changing. They are having to move on from the 
traditional service of providing information and adjust to technological 
developments by offering new services in line with user expectations. 
A recent study,1 however, has shown that there are wide gaps between the 
"north" and "south" of the Community as regards number of libraries and 
1 P. Pamsdale, Information Management. A study of library economics in the European QDmmunities. Final report (June 1987). Lib. 1 - BOON, EEC - jA 
EOR 11.548 W. 4? 
- 14 -
rate of development. It also confirms that different libraries perform 
different roles and functions.1 
1) Tntgr-HHrary finnpA™-ti nn in H*.tA prrxvgsHrff 
In the light of the guidelines laid down by the resolution on collaboration 
between libraries in the field of data processing adopted by the Council 
and the Ministers with responsibility for Cultural Affairs on 
27 September 1985,2 as confirmed in their conclusions of 27 May 1988 
concerning future priority actions in the cultural field,3 the Commission 
is now in a position, following comprehensive studies and the hearing on 
libraries in the Community held on 11 and 12 February 1987, to put forward 
a proposal for a draft action plan whose aims would be to promote: 
- the availability of and access to modern library services throughout the 
Community, with due allowance for the geographical disparities which 
exist in relation to access to libraries; 
- faster (but properly organized and oost-effective) penetration of 
libraries by the new Information technologies; 
- standardization, given the practical and economic advantages; 
- the harmonization and convergence of national policies on libraries. 
This plan, which will be adopted by the Commission very shortly, should be 
put into effect promptly and cover a period of five years. 
2) Conservation and preservation of tha cultural hftrltagft hftld i,n 11frr*Tlfifi 
1. The cultural heritage contained in the Community's libraries Is 
currently under serious threat and a question mark hangs over its future as 
a result of deterioration and the fragility of the acid-based paper used by 
publishers since 1850. A substantial number of manuscripts and printed 
material is set to become unusable long before the information they contain 
has been reproduced and disseminated by replacement methods or the 
originals have been manually restored or chemically treated. 
There is a direct link between preservation of the information contained in 
these documents using replacement methods to reproduce and disseminate it 
and the problems associated with improving access to that information. 
Such Improvement presupposes the systematic, coordinated use, on an 
inter-library basis, of standard, high-quality microfilming techniques and 
the use of optical technology. 
2. Given the Inadequate financial resources, the insufficient number of 
qualified staff and the overutl 11 zation of the books, any practical 
solution to the problem will imply increased coopération between libraries 
in the light of experience and achievements in each country and region of 
the Community and of the work of the International Federation of Library 
Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Council on 
Archives (IGA). 
1 According to Unesco nomenclature, libraries fall into six categories: 
national, public, higher education, school, specialist and non-
specialist. 
2 QJ C 271, 23.10.1985, p.l. Q 
3QTC 197, 27.7.1988, p.2. ID 
- 15 -
Such cooperation will entail spécial training for conservators, painstaking 
research into the most suitable methods and the costs of bulk treatment and 
paper strengthening, and coordinated use of substitute facilities employing 
data-processing and optical technology. 
3) PfnifftfTflnne of pnjpex 
To conserve and preserve books printed on acid paper, libraries have to 
give them Individual chemical treatment or microfilm them page by page; the 
high cost of both alternatives is compounded by the problem of microfilm 
durability. 
Permanence of paper is one of the most encouraging factors In the 
preservation and conservation field. Notwithstanding the relatively high 
short-term cost of manufacture and use, this type of paper offers genuine 
advantages in the medium and long term from both the economic and the 
ecological points of view. Permanence of paper is likely to be an 
Important factor in book exports, since a number of major markets, such as 
the United States and Austria, have drawn up national standards.1 
2. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has therefore decided 
to lay down European standards for permanence of paper and board, basing 
them on the work done by the International Organization for Standardization 
(ISO). The Commission fully supports the CEN's work and hopes that the 
standards will be formulated as soon as possible. 
The Commission also hopes that this will be accompanied by the development 
of cooperation between paper manufacturers, publishers and library 
representatives with a view to promoting the use of "permanent paper", 
especially for books Intended to last and for joint publications. 
In 1989 it proposes to launch a publicity oampaign to encourage the use of 
permanent paper In the Community, increase awareness of it among library 
users and the general public, and rehabilitate the image of the book. 
IV.C. Book pricing 
1. The Commission set out its position on book pricing as far back as 
1985.2 jt stands by this position, as its only objeotion in principle is 
to resale price maintenance which distorts trade Inside the Community, 
particularly within language areas. 
2. The Commission would, however, like to draw attention to the following 
features of the book market: 
- books are a special type of product, at one and the same time cultural 
and industrial; this means that there are likely to be difficulties 
Inherent in distribution given the legitimate Interests of authors, 
publishers, booksellers and consumers/readers alike; 
- all the Member States except Greece, Belgium and Portugal have statutory 
or contractual arrangements whereby retail prices are fixed, though there 
are wide differences between the conditions governing them and the ways in 
which they are put into practice; 
1 The American standard (ANSI Z 39.48 - 1984) is called "Permanence of paper for printed library materials". A. 2 G0M(85)681/5. */7 
- 16 -
- governments and the book trade generally feel that the existing national 
book pricing arrangements function satisfactorily and are therefore keen 
for them to continue; 
- trading in books takes place essentially within separate language areas.1 
3. The problem of the oompatlMllty of the transnational effects of 
national pricing arrangements with the EEC Treaty (Articles 30 ejLSSZ. and 
Articles 85 ejLSâg. ) arises mainly In the English-, French- and 
Dutch-speaking areas, the boundaries of which do not col nfil rift with 
national frontiers. 
In the two oases in which it has taken a formal decision the Commission 
established that the conditions for granting an exemption under 
Article 85(3) were not met.2 The first case involved a transfrontier 
agreement and the second a national agreement with a transfrontier impact. 
The Court of Justice has also ruled in this case and upheld the 
Commission's decision.3 
It should, however, be noted that future developments due notably to 
completion of the single European market are likely to be in the direction 
of increased trade in books between language areas. 
4. At the moment there is nothing new to report in this field. 
Looking beyond the situation described at 2 above, however, the Commission 
notes that there Is as yet no proof that extending pricing arrangements to 
trade between Member States Is the appropriate way, still less the only 
way» of raising production levels and promoting distribution In such a way 
as to guarantee the originality and vitality of creative literary work and 
ensure that it is fully and freely accessible to consumers/readers. 
Analysis of national resale price maintenance arrangements shows that 
these have failed to prevent either an overall rise In book prices, due in 
particular to rising distribution costs, or a fall in consumption leading 
to a slump in the number of titles published, as regards books both with 
slow and with fast turnovers. Furthermore, not only has the Introduction 
of such arrangements failed to improve the position of bookshops; it has 
also done nothing to prevent a large number of them from disappearing. 
Francois Bouet and Chantai Lacroix, T^g Changes de livr**? **a pays de la 
CEE 1966-1985. November 1987. Report submitted at the request of the 
Commission. 
Commission Decision of 25 November 1981 in the VBBB/VBVB case (IV/428). 
OJ No L 54, 25.2.1982, p. 36. 
Commission Decision of 14 December 1988 in the Publishers Association/Net 
Book Agreements cases (IV/27.393 and IV/27.394). 
OJ No L 22, 26.1.1989, p. 12. 
Judgment of 17 January 1984, Joined Cases 43/82 and 63/82, VBVB and VBBB 
v flnnmri acri nm 
As far as Article 30 of the EEC Treaty is concerned, the "Leclerc" 
judgment of 10 January 1985 in Case 229/83 clearly sets limits on the * n 
it of a transfrontier resale price maintenance system. 22. 
- 17 -
5. The Commissi on therefore intends, in cooperation with national 
authorities and representatives of all the professional interests 
concerned, to look more closely at distribution systems and also at 
alternative measures to promote book publishing and distribution. 
On this basis it will, where appropriate, make specific proposal s with an 
eye to completion of the internal market. 
IV.D. Fa^ntating th*> nrogg-hp-ndgr movement of books 
The completion of the single European market will mean an area without 
frontiers, in which goods, individuals and services will be able to move 
freely. 
The Commission has undertaken general action with particular implications 
for books in the following two fields: 
1) the harmonization of VAT rates, 
2) mailing. 
1) TfarmnniKing VAT rates 
With a view to the completion of the single market, the harmonization of 
indirect taxation, particularly VAT, is of vital importance. 
Eliminating fiscal frontiers involves a closer alignment of VAT rates and 
the main forms of excise duty to prevent distortion of competition, 
deflection of trade and tax fraud. The VAT rates currently applied to 
books range from 0% to 22ft.1 The Commission is proposing a reduced VAT 
rate for books of between 4% and 9%.2 
In its global communication3 the Commission recommends that in the case of 
sensitive sectors, such as the cultural sector, Member States set their 
rates in the lower half of that band. This proposal is currently being 
considered by the Council. 
2) felling 
The circulation of books in general and scientific and technical books in 
particular is to a large degree dependent on the cost and quality of the 
postal services between the Member States. 
A system of joint European consultation has therefore been established 
under the auspices of the European Conference of Postal and 
Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), involving representatives of 
seven national postal authorities (Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, 
Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark and France) and representatives of the press 
and printed book publishing sector, to seek ways of rationalizing and 
optimizing existing structures with an eye to Improved service quality 
linked to gains in terms of productivity. The Commission and the 
Universal Postal Union are involved in an observer capacity. 
1 0% Ireland, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom 
3% Greece 
5.5% France 
6% Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain 
7% Germany 
22% Denmark. 
2 OJ L 288, 21.10.1988, p. 39. t)i 
3 OOM(87)320, p. 12. ° 
- 18 -
As far as the European Community is concerned, the Commission is currently 
drafting a oommunloation to the Council on postal policy, which will deal 
with the question of postal services in the widest sense. Subjects covered 
will Include the conditions for the transfer of books and specialized 
information. 
iv.E. Exports and imports 
1. Exporting books creates serious problems for publishers, distributors 
and national authorities alike. Publishers and distributors have to face 
promotional costs, delays in executing contracts, an ever-greater number of 
Insolvent customers and the effects of currency devaluation. 
The existing export aid mechanisms were specially designed for industrial 
products with a high added value, even if, by extension, they are applied 
to a range of other products, including books. 
In the Community context, despite the efforts made to draft common credit 
insurance policy documents,1 the texts are not being applied, since their 
entry into force Is subject to a number of conditions which have still not 
been met. 
Thus, In the context of the QBCD, the Community countries have reached 
"agreements'1 and "consensuses" on export credits. The Community is a party 
to these agreements. 
2. Most of the Member States have developed measures to aid book promotion 
abroad. These Include financial assistance for the translation and 
publication of important works of national literature abroad. These 
measures, as well as others, such as aid for cultural events, bock fairs 
and the publication of literary magazines, show that the commercial 
promotion of published material and the promotion of books as an instrument 
of national culture tie In very closely. 
At the same time, coopération between the Member States in developing the 
promotion of European books in the rest of the world should be stepped up. 
This fits in with the concern expressed by the Commission in its "fresh 
boost" plan to set up cultural dialogue with the rest of the world.2 
TO this end, the Commission Intends to carry out a comparative study of 
existing export aid measures in the Member States, with a view to 
determining whether it is possible and/or advisable either to establish 
special Community arrangements to provide aid for book exports or to lay 
down principles for coordinating existing national arrangements. 
1. Any action involving books must lead to action in the field of 
reading, since books are the complete cultural and educational tool 
precisely because of the special features which distinguish them from other 
vehicles for providing Information, training and entertainment. High on 
the list of these special features come direct and permanent access to 
Information and the consistency of the information provided. 
1 QT L 234, 23.11.1970, pp.1 and 26. 9,, 
2 001(87)603 final/2, 14.12.1987, p.34. *T 
- 19 -
In a society reeling under an onslaught of information and images which 
cannot be properly assimilated, reading, especially the reading of fiction, 
provides an opportunity to affirm one's personality, both as an individual 
and as a social animal, intellectually and emotionally. It also provides 
an opportunity to find out about other national and regional cultures. 
2. A study of reading patterns in the Community shows that there Is a high 
rate of functional illiteracy1 and that, in the face of the growth in the 
audiovisual media, reading is no longer the favourite leisure activity. 
This is a dangerous trend from both the educational and cultural points of 
view. 
The functional illiterate cannot in fact engage in all those activities in 
which literacy is required for his own development and for effective 
functioning of his group and community. 
The Commission therefore considers that, in parallel with the action being 
taken within the Community to fight illiteracy2 and to promote the 
teaching of foreign languages,3 a series of promotional activities should 
be organized aimed at: 
- providing better training for those responsible for organizing cultural 
activity and improving the facilities in places where the public come 
Into contact with books (children's libraries, schools, bookshops, 
hospitals, old people's homes, prisons, cultural centres, etc.); 
- using the media to promote our literary heritage (reoording books on 
cassette, videos and television programmes with a literary content, 
etc.); 
- organizing Community-wide meetings between writers and the general 
public. 
Such activities could be organized as part of a "European Book and Reading 
Year", which could be tied in, as Europe's contribution, with the 
International Literacy Year being organized by Unesco for 1990, or could be 
the subject of a public-awareness campaign run jointly with the Council of 
Europe at a later date. 
3. The audiovisual media, Instead of competing with books, should ideally 
be consciously used as a positive Influence on the reading of European 
books and as a contributory factor In their promotion and In increasing the 
reading pinHo as a result. 
The definition of illiteracy adopted by the Commission and the national 
authorities corresponds to the definition adopted by Unesco on 
7 November 1978, supplemented by the definition adopted by the 
International Reading Association in 1974. 
Conclusions on the fight against illiteracy adopted by the Council and 
the Ministers with responsibility for Education on 4 June 1984. 
Social Europe. Report on the fight against Illiteracy. Supplement 2/88. 
Commission of the European Comrnunities. 
ODM(88)841, 21.12.1988. The Lingua programme to encourage the teaching „. 
and learning of foreign languages in the European Community. 2S 
- 20 -
The Commission proposes to act as a catalyst in encouraging radio and 
television companies and the professional groups Involved in promoting 
books and reading to lay down lines for action on literature in radio and 
television programmes, at Community, national and regional level. 
The purpose of such action should be to increase public knowledge of works 
of literature and of their authors, to publicize publications and to make 
sure that books are mentioned in non-literary programmes as well. 
4. The Commission at present has no overall picture of European cultural 
activities and habits in general or reading habits in particular. 
TO throw more light on Europe as a cultural entity1 and to improve the 
statistics in its possession,2 the Commission has decided to conduct a 
closely coordinated programme of studies on cultural habits in the Member 
States between now and 1990. 
It will be publishing the findings of a special Eurobarometer survey 
providing a systematic and detailed picture of cultural habits, 
particularly reading habits, with special emphasis on young Europeans. 
1 CCM(87)603 final/2, 14.12.1987, p. 9. V 
2 See Chapter n. *° 
QQMCLPSICNS 
It is proposed that the Commission: 
- adopt the guidelines set out in this <3ommunicatlon; 
- instruct the Member with responsibility for culture to implement these 
guidelines in stages in close cooperation with the other Members 
concerned; 
- transmit this communication to the Council, Parliament and the Economic 
and Social Committee forthwith. 
n-
Annex I 
fiiTrnmary of proposed action 
I. The creative work that goes into producing a book 
I.A. Improving the social status of writers and translators 
- In the medium term: 
Progressive harmonization of legislation governing the tax and social 
security arrangements for writers and translators 
- In the short term: 
1) . Recourse to the European Social Fund to assist workers in the cultural 
sphere (follow-up to the resolution adopted by the Council and the 
Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs on 18 December 1984) taking 
account of the objectives laid down in the rules currently in force 
.Integrating writers into the socio-cultural fabric, training authors in 
more than one discipline 
2) Producing a guide for authors and translators 
I.B. Harmonizing copyright legislation 
- In the medium term: 
1) Examining the possibility of gradually harmonizing the items of 
copyright protection and associated rights 
2) Collective agreements guaranteeing writers and translators a minimum 
level of protection and fair remuneration to become general practice 
throughout the Community 
3) In the light of developments in legislation proposal for action on 
public lending right. 
- In the short term: 
4) A Community study on reprography and consultations with the professional 
bodies concerned. 
U. Publishing 
II.A. The situation on the European book market 
- In the short term: 
Implementation of a medium-term programme (1989-1992) for the publication 
of cultural statistics in Halson with the Council of Europe and Unesco. 
U.C. Concentration and international 1 zation in publishing 
Application of the EEC Treaty rules on competition in the light of 
technical and economic developments and the cultural demands of the 
publishing sector 
m. Translation 
III .A. Community action to promote the translation of major works of 
European culture 
- In the short term: 
1) Launching of the pilot scheme to provide financial aid for translations 
of contemporary literary works 
- In the medium term: 
2) . Setting up of a European Translation Fund 
. Commissioning of a study on the launching of a European collection 
designed to promote significant but as yet unpublished works by European 
authors 
. Thought to be given to ways of encouraging the production of more 
multinational joint publications in ventures bringing together the 
publisher of the original version of the book and the publishers of its 
various translations 
. Thought to be given to establishing a computerized Community file of 
translated works 
- In the short term: 
3) Endowment of an annual European prize for the best translations of 
literary works from minority languages 
H 
- 2 -
III.B. Training and professional status of translators 
- In the short term: 
1) . Decision by the Council to move into the third phase of the Eurotra 
programme 
. Extension of the European network of training colleges for translators 
. A higher translation content in university curricula 
. More specialist training courses for translators 
. More scholarships for translator training, especially under the Erasmus 
programme 
- In the medium term: 
2) A body of rules governing translation as a profession to be drawn up in 
cooperation with the authorities in the Member States and the professional 
groups oonoerned 
IV. Dissemination 
IV.A. Bookshops 
- In the medium term: 
Consideration to be given to the part played by distribution systems in 
view of production and distribution developments, with particular reference 
to bookseller training and bookshop computerization 
IV.B. Libraries 
- In the short term: 
1) Adoption of an action plan for Inter-library coopération in data 
processing 
- In the medium term: 
2) Cooperation between libraries in the areas of conservation and 
preservation 
- In the short term: 
3) . Formulation of European standards for permanence of paper and board on 
the basis of ISO studies 
. Paper manufacturers, publishers and library representatives to 
cooperate on the use of "permanent paper" 
. launching of a Community campaign to promote the use of "permanent" 
paper 
IV.C. Book pricing 
- In the short term: 
Fresh critical appraisal of resale price maintenance arrangements and 
search for alternative measures to promote book publishing and distribution 
in the light of cultural and economic requirements 
IV. D. Facilitating the cross-border movement of books 
- In the short term: 
1) Consideration of the problem of VAT rates on books 
2) Presentation of a communication on postal policy 
x 
- 3 -
IV.E. Exports and imports 
- In the short term: 
Carrying out of a comparative study of existing measures to aid book 
exports in the Member States with a view to determining whether it Is 
possible and/or advisable either to establish special Community 
arrangements to provide aid for book exports or to lay down principles for 
coordinating existing national arrangements 
V. Promoting books and reading 
- In the short term: 
. Organization of a campaign to raise public awareness of reading In 
coopération with the Council of Europe and Unesco 
. Definition of guidelines for action to promote literature on radio and 
television; this will involve greater cooperation between television and 
radio companies and the professional Interests Involved in promoting books 
and reading 
. A series of studies to be conducted between now and 1990 on cultural 
habits in the Community, particularly reading habits 
Annex II 
Opinion nf th* Book Group on 
"flOOftfi ftTïl TftWllTTg: A fhil-hn^A.1 rîh^nflfngft for Europe" 
rprftHmiTwry draft Hommi «fii nn Crarmmiraticm frnw MT» TYmrte-lingffr) 
Before commenting on the preliminary draft communication on books and 
reading submitted to us, we would like to start by warmly praising the 
Commission's initiative in bringing out what we believe is the first 
document of this scope exclusively devoted to books in the 30 years since 
the Community was founded. What makes such a move even more welcome is 
the fact that it seems to be part of what might be called a change of 
political direction by the Commission, which for some time now has been 
showing a new interest in matters cultural. One sign of this is the 
setting-up of the Committee of Cultural Consultants and the groups 
belonging to it, including the Book Group (consisting entirely of people 
with a professional interest in books, from writers to booksellers), which 
was the first to start work. 
There is a feature of the preliminary draft communication which from the 
very outset, we feel we should stress. It sets out to study "the book" as 
a product in all its many aspects, whether from the cultural point of view, 
as a privileged method of passing on knowledge, or simply as a means of 
entertainment or a way of passing time, as well as from the economic point 
of view, as the product of an Industry which might be described, to put it 
no more strongly, as "sensitive". 
I. ThA orftfttira wnrlc th^t goes into producing a book 
With an eye, then, to 1993 and the establishment of the European 
book-publishing area, the communication sets out to look at books for the 
purpose of providing all those involved in producing them with "an 
economic, social and technological environment" which is as propitious as 
possible to "the economic and cultural aspects of book promotion, both in 
Europe and throughout the world". 
More specifically, Chapter I deals with the most important aspects of the 
creative work that goes into producing a book, placing these, very rightly, 
at the very start of the process. 
I.A. Improving thA «nni^l gtA*ng nf uritArfi and traralAtorg 
Among the measures connected with improving the social status of writers 
and translators, the communication announces that the Commission has 
launched a comprehensive study, on a Community-vide scale, of the social 
and tax position of cultural workers. The Group can only congratulate the 
Commission on this move. 
As regards the project involving setting up literary workshops for authors 
(a questionable undertaking given their usually profoundly individualistic 
personalities), we suggest that the principle be applied to translators as 
well, following the example set by translators' centres like the one in 
Aries or its counterparts in Germany, Italy and Spain. 
Still on the subject of literary workshops, we find it difficult to see a 
role for them outside teaching, particularly in universities. 
As regards the first chapter, we would like to suggest that a Community 
file-index of translated works be set up, to help promote the circulation 
of quality books and encourage more translations of them to be made. 
H 
- 2 -
The document by Mr Hubert Nyssen sets out a number of measures which we 
think need to be taken to improve the social status of translators. 
The Group does, however, have some doubts about the point in the first 
chapter (See IA.l) point 2, § 3); the advantage of training authors in 
several disciplines; without wanting to deny authors the chance of 
becoming "multidlscipllnary", most members of the Group think that such a 
practice should not be encouraged, but should be looked upon purely as a 
necessity, as it is sometimes their only way of making ends meet. 
As far as freedom of movement and establishment is concerned, the Group 
welcomes the Commission's stated intention of producing a guide for authors 
and translators. 
I.B. Ha.-rmnniy.ing copyright legislation 
On the question of harmonizing copyright legislation, the Group is 
unanimously in favour of a uniform term of protection, which must be of the 
order of 50 years, at the very least, though not more than 70, Including 
all legal time-limits. the Group, however, unanimously rejects the 
"oolleotive authors' rights" (a euphemlstlo way of describing a publio 
domain which is charged for), as such a principle is wholly at variance" 
with the spirit and political philosophy of the society we live in (see the 
document by Mr Fernando GuedesJ and is simply a way of actually evading 
copyright. 
On the subject of publishers' contracts, there was some difference of 
opinion In the Group as to the suggestion made in the text that standard 
contracts be drawn up. The fact is that the actual situations facing 
Individual authors and translators are, in practice, so different that 
establishing binding norms; even minimal ones, does not seem to us at all 
the proper response. On the contrary, we think it would be useful to 
devise a measure whereby translators and authors could be Informed of the 
actual bases on which they have to negotiate in Individual countries. 
The Group appreciated the caution with which the problem of public lending 
right was broached. This is very a delicate issue on which progress can 
only be made with the passage of time (on this subject, see the 
contribution by Mr Graham C. Greene). The problem of reprography, on the 
other hand, has to be dealt with in the firmest possible manner. This 
practice constitutes the most serious and most common violation of 
copyright and causes enormous losses not only to authors but also to 
publishers, whose legitimate Interests are also affected (see the document 
by Mr Didier Deooin). 
The Group gave an enthusiastic welcome to the announcement that the 
Commission proposes to bring out a Green Paper on reprography in the near 
future: this will be an inestimable service to everyone Involved in 
producing books. This kind of plundering usually hides behing the false 
argument that it democratises the written word and makes it easier for 
young people to gain access to culture, and it is vital that the veil of 
mystery surrounding it should be ripped away. 
3Z 
- 3 -
II. PnKlighing 
Chapter H deals with publishing and, from the outset, stresses the serious 
shortcoming resulting from the lack of reliable statistics on which a full 
analysis of the problem can be based. A first set of statistics is 
promised for this year, a development which the Group can only welcome. 
The assertion In the section on publishing and the new technologies that 
"such technological changes do not, admittedly, represent a serious threat 
to publishing" met with a negative response from the Group, a reaction 
which the claim, in the section on concentration and International 1 zation 
in publishing, that mail-order sales had more than made up for "the slump 
in bookshop sales" only served to heighten. Though this may be true from 
the economic point of view, it is a valueless consideration from the point 
of view of culture. 
We must, on the other hand, single out and welcome the concern shown in the 
communication for safeguarding the Independence of publishing firms 
"anxious to produce quality books, with a view to safeguarding vitality, 
originality and variety in publishing". The Group considers that it would 
be highly desirable and worthwhile to seek a formula whereby small and 
medium-sized publishing firms could be helped to retain their independence. 
III. TVaraalA.-Mnm 
Chapter III discusses translation. when the Group looked at the proposal 
for a pilot scheme to provide financial support for translations of 
contemporary works, its unanimous comment was that, although it could only 
applaud the idea, the financial resources allocated to the scheme could 
only be described as derisory. To create an opportunity for translating 
some 30 or so books a year when, In theory, those 30 books will altogether 
come from some half-dozen places of origin and be directed at four or five 
target audiences is to do virtually nothing, as a small mathematical 
calculation will show. 
It must also be said that the very fact of giving priority to translations 
from minority languages, though in principle understandable and 
Justifiable, is a concept which it is difficult to entertain in absolute 
terms, particularly over any length of time. 
The idea of a European collection (an old proposal which has already 
appeared in a variety of guises) also sparked off comment from some members 
of the Group. At all events, the suggestion which could draw least 
criticism from the Group would be that of "a European collection designed 
to promote significant but as yet unpublished works by young European 
authors". 
In the section on the training and professional status of translators, the 
measures advocated in the communication met, generally speaking, with 
agreement and support from the Group, particularly the proposals to extend 
the European network of training colleges for translators, to encourage 
universities to devise special courses (see the document by 
Mr Hubert Nyssen) and to increase the number of scholarships awarded for 
translator training, especially under the ERASMUS programme. 
35 
- 4 -IV. niRc^miTTatinn 
Chapter IV deals with dissemination, especially bookshops, which the 
cjommunication regards - quite rightly - as "the weak link in the book 
chain". 
IV.A and IV.C. Bnnfofonpq and book pricing 
The professional organizations involved with books have for a long time 
been pressing for a measure which is (although not the only one that needs 
to be taken) vitally necessary if the network of bookshops is to be 
preserved: resale prices maintenance on books, whether achieved by dint of 
legislation or by agreement between the parties involved. This Group, 
which is a forum bringing together well-qualified representatives of all 
the professions involved in producing books, unanimously edorses this 
stance and would add that, so long as no way is found of solving every 
aspect of this problem as it occurs at Community level, large numbers of 
bookshops will continue to go out of business, others will cut back on the 
services they provide and the major sales chains and large stores will take 
over the lion's share of the distribution market, with seriously damaging 
effects on culture (see the documents by Mrs Marleen Van Vollenhoven, 
Mr Pierre Mer tens, Mr Hubert Nyssen and Mr Marcel Mertens). 
It Is not a matter of dramatizing the issue when the book trade is 
unanimous in stating that this question has to be the keystone of the 
preliminary draft, and that the proposed measures are all utterly pointless 
unless there is resale price maintenance on books. We can none of us 
afford to lose sight of the very recent example of Sweden, where book 
pricing was deregulated with lamentable consequences both for booksellers 
and for publishers and authors. The need to resolve this problem and to 
avoid delays which will only make matter worse must be stressed. The 
Group eagerly awaits the findings of the Commission's research into resale 
price maintenance on books In areas speaking the same language. 
IV.B. T.ilT»rA.-H«*=i 
Chapter IV also deals in detail with the problems associated with libraries 
and book conservation. In general, the Group is in agreement. We would, 
however, draw attention to one aspect of the question which may seem to be 
of minor importance, i.e. the opening hours of libraries in some Community 
countries, which make it Impossible for working people to use them; 
secondly, the Group considers that the problem of "permanent paper" does 
Indeed require urgent and thorough study and that, at the same time, an 
Information campaign ought to be launched to alert publishers themselves to 
the problem, they being by and large completely oblivious to it. 
IV.D. Facilitating the cross-border movement of bnnfrg 
Still on Chapter IV, the proposal to harmonize VAT rates, which the 
communication recommends, deserves to be singled out; the Group regards 
this as a desirable move, provided the reduced VAT rate for books falls 
within a bracket ranging from 0% to 6% (see the document by 
Mr Graham C. Greene). 
The Group also considered the important question of mailing, currently the 
subject of talks with the Universal Postal Union and came out firmly in 
favour of reduced costs. 
iv.E - v. Exports and Imports; promoting books and reading 
The considerations and proposals on exports and Imports set out in the 
preliminary draft met with well-deserved agreement and support from the 
Group, as did those relating to raising publio awareness of books and 
reading. In due course, the Group Is even prepared to help departments 
give detailed study to the problems which these Issues raise, as well as to 
others suggested In the text already submitted by Mr Hubert Nyssen (of 
B±ucation)T with a view to finding the most appropriate solutions. It 
also intends to look at the possibility of establishing a Community system 
of aid for promoting European books In the rest of the world. 
- 5 - » 
Lastly, the Group would draw attention to the text by Mr Christos G. Lazos, 
putting forward the suggestion of establishing a European Cultural Fund, a 
proposal which we feel is of the greatest interest. 
Chairman 
Pierre Mertens Vice-Chairman 
Fernando Guedes 
Members of the Book Group 
Didier DEOOIN 
Graham C. GREENE 
Fernando GDEDES 
Christos G. LAZOS 
Marcel MERTENS 
Hubert NYSSEN 
Marleen VAN VCLLENHDVEN Writer, Chairman of the "Société des Gens de 
Lettres" 
Publisher, former Chairman of the Publishers 
Association, Chairman of the British Museum 
Publications 
Publisher, Chairman of the Book Publishers Group 
of the EEC (GEDC), Vice-Chai rman of the 
International Publishers Association (IPA) 
Translator 
Bookseller, Chairman of the Group of Booksellers 
Associations in the EEC (GALC) 
Writer and publisher 
Writer and publisher 
General Secretary of the Netherlands Publishers 
and Bookshops Association (VWB) 
N.B. : The papers by the members of the Group mentioned in this Opinion 
have been sent to the Commission. 
Ok 3r 

ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(89) 258 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 17 
3.8.1989 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-89-368-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-52584-3 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg