WRITTEN QUESTION E-2145/01

by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Commission

(18 July 2001)

Subject: Public library subsidy

1. Is the Commission aware that the European Union is complicit in an anti-competitive trading situation because it has authorised only one commercial agent for the supply of its literature in the UK, namely The Stationery Office (TSO)?

2. Is it aware that it has created a monopoly situation in authorising only one agent (TSO) and that that agent is the only mechanism through which libraries throughout the UK may claim a Public library subsidy?

3. Is it aware that UK Government publications and the Public library subsidy for them are much more freely available?

4. What steps does the Commission propose to take to resolve the anti-competitive position it has taken on the sale and distribution of its own literature?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(24 October 2001)

1. The Commission and other European institutions as well as agencies sell their publications and other information services (databases, document delivery, etc.) through a network of sales agents. This network is managed by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (EUR-OP). Sales agents act on the basis of a contract granting them non-exclusive rights to sell publications and/or other services to any client anywhere. Any firm wishing to become a sales agent may sign a contract with EUR-OP. There are currently more than 60 sales agents in the Member States, of which 19 sell paper publications only. In the United Kingdom there are six agents: one sells books and electronic products, one is a data-base gateway, one is a document delivery agent and three sell electronic products only.

EUR-OP also sells directly through the Internet (http//online.eur-op.eu.int).

The publications sold by EUR-OP are specialised and have small print-runs: a top-selling publication will have sales in the range of 1 000-1 500 copies in English, but usually the number of copies sold is substantially lower. For most sales agents, the profit generated by the sale of EUR-OP's publications only represents a fraction of their business.

Hence, the fact that in some Member States only one firm sells Community paper publications is a consequence of the market conditions rather than the result of any specific marketing policy.

2. As explained above, it is EUR-OP's policy not to limit the number of its partners.

National Public library subsidy systems and the relevant conditions do not fall within the Commission's responsibility.

3. Through EUR-OP, the Institutions supply free of charge all or part of their publications to the following networks: European Documentation Centres, European Depositary Libraries, Info Points Europe, European Reference Centres, Rural and Development Centres, Urban Forums, Euro Libraries, Euro Info Centres. For the United Kingdom, a total of 322 organisations are affiliated to these networks, and specifically 212 public libraries are part of the Euro Libraries network.

The Commission is not in a position to evaluate how this policy compares to the British Government's policy regarding the subsidisation of its publications.

4. Given the above explanations, it is clear that the Commission has not taken an anti-competitive position pertaining to the sale and distribution of its publications and information services.