Conclusions of the Council and the Ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council of 18 May 1989 on books and reading with a view to the completion of the internal market in 1992
Date: 1989-05-18
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: book trade, copyright, cultural cooperation, cultural heritage, cultural prize













EUR-Lex - 41989X0720(01) - EN






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41989X0720(01)

Conclusions of the Council and the Ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council of 18 May 1989 on books and reading with a view to the completion of the internal market in 1992  


Official Journal C 183 , 20/07/1989 P. 0003 - 0003 





CONCLUSIONS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL of 18 May 1989 on books and reading with a view to the completion of the internal market in 1992 (89/C 183/02) The Council and the ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council held an exchange of views on the subject of books and reading with a view to the completion of the internal market in 1992.  With regard to taxation on books, after hearing a statement from the Commission they noted that the Commission was reflecting on the possibility of revising its present proposals on indirect taxation and excise duties in a manner which would, inter alia, provide scope for the lowest possible rate of VAT on books.  For the same reasons, they considered the prices of books and, in the absence of an alternative system acceptable to all, decided in favour of continuing national policies intended to ensure a balance between the interests of authors, publishers, booksellers and the public, while complying with the rules of competition.  In the same context, they stressed the role of small and medium-sized publishing firms that cared about publishing quality books, in order to ensure the vitality, originality and pluralism of publishing.  As regards questions of copyright affecting authors, they noted a statement from the Commission concerning its Green Paper on copyright and its intentions in this field.  By way of encouragement to authors, the Council and the ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council decided to create an annual literary prize to be awarded in the context of the European City of Culture.  All general action concerning books should also involve libraries ; the Council and the ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council await with interest a Commission proposal on the intensification of collaboration between libraries regarding data processing.  The Council and the ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council also agreed on the importance of increasing public awareness of books and reading by placing particular emphasis on the use of television for that purpose.  Finally, they were aware that the existence of different language areas was an obstacle to the spread of books and culture in general in Europe, and that it was essential in order to overcome this obstacle to derive benefit from the diversity of cultures, and in particular those based on the less widely known languages in Europe. They drew attention to the practical actions agreed on 18 May in the resolution of the Council and of the ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council concerning the promotion of books and reading. In particular, they noted the creation of an annual prize for the best translations of literary works, also to be awarded in the context of the European City of Culture.