European Parliament resolution on the fixing of book prices
Date: 1999-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Austria, Germany, cultural policy, price fixed in advance, prices policy, publishing

C 296/210

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.10.2000

Thursday 16 December 1999

C. whereas many farmers who had lost their harvest in the even greater floods one month ago had taken

out loans in order to be able to plant new seeds, and whereas they have now lost a second harvest,

1.

2.

Expresses its sympathy with the families of those who were killed in the recent floods;

Calls on the international community to come to the aid of the Vietnamese farmers;

3. Welcomes, in this connection, the efforts of ECHO to make ECU 700 000 in humanitarian aid imme-
diately available in order to help the Vietnamese people;

4.
Notes the report by the government concerning violent protests by peasants in the Thai Binh pro-
vince in northern Vietnam which indicates that the situation of the rural population in Vietnam is becom-
ing economically more and more difficult and calls on the Commission to consider further long-term aid
to improve the situation;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Government

5.
of Vietnam.

20. Book prices in Germany and Austria

B5-0329/1999

European Parliament resolution on the fixing of book prices

The European Parliament,

A. whereas the Commission will shortly be deciding on the complaint from the Austrian undertaking

LIBRO on the German-Austrian fixing of book prices,

B. whereas Parliament, the Council and the Commission have considered the importance of books and

the fixing of book prices on a number of occasions (1),

C. whereas it views books as both economic and cultural assets,

D. whereas it believes that the fixing of book prices, in which a number of Member States engage, safe-
guards the existence of numerous independent publishing houses, helps to preserve and promote var-
ied literary production, freedom of opinion and independence of research, science and teaching and 8
in common cross-border linguistic areas 8 to promote the European idea and ensures, without direct
or indirect government aid, a dense network of bookshops, giving the reader an extensive, high-qual-
ity and easily accessible supply of books,

E. whereas the fixing of book prices in common cross-frontier linguistic areas can be avoided by import-

ing or exporting and re-importing,

F. whereas the fixing of book prices is also threatened by electronic commerce,

(1) European Parliament resolution of 13 February 1981 on the fixing of book prices (OJ C 50, 9.3.1981, p. 102)
Commission communication to the Council of 25 May 1985 on the creation of a Community framework system
for book prices (COM(85) 258); Commission communication to the Council of 27 November 1985 on the Euro-
pean dimension with regard to books (COM(85) 681); European Parliament resolution of 12 March 1987 on the
fixing of book prices (OJ C 99, 13.4.1987, p. 172); European Parliament resolution of 10 July 1987 on the Com-
mission communication to the Council on the European dimension with regard to books (OJ C 246, 14.9.1987,
p. 136); Resolution of the Council and the Ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the Council of
18 May 1989 concerning the promotion of books and reading (OJ C 183, 20.7.1989, p. 1); Commission commu-
nication of 3 August 1989 on ‘Books and reading: a cultural challenge for Europe’ (COM(89) 258); European
Parliament resolution of 21 January 1993 on the promotion of books and reading in Europe (OJ C 42,
15.2.1993, p. 182); Council Decision of 22 September 1997 on cross-border fixed book prices in European linguis-
tic areas (OJ C 305, 7.10.1997, p. 2); European Parliament resolution of 20 November 1998 on common book-
price fixing across borders (OJ C 379, 7.12.1998, p. 391).

18.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 296/211

Thursday 16 December 1999

G. whereas French law includes rules on imports, exports and re-imports that are compatible with

Community law and have proved successful in practice,

H. whereas the rules on the fixing of book prices should be harmonised by means of a directive on the

basis of French law,

1.
Calls on the Commission to recognise and leave untouched national and regional measures to pro-
mote books, including the fixing of book prices, which is better than any other system at improving the
production and distribution of literary works without competition being eliminated;

Calls on the Commission to recognise rules on imports and on exports and re-imports in common

2.
cross-frontier linguistic areas in order prevent the fixing of book prices from being avoided;

Calls on the Commission to take its decision in the LIBRO case in accordance with the principles of

3.
French law;

Calls on the Commission to give the German and Austrian book trade sufficient time to adjust the

4.
fixing of book prices to these principles;

Calls on the Council and Commission to participate, under the directive on electronic commerce, in
5.
the search for solutions that prevent the fixing of book prices from being avoided through electronic
commerce;

6.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.