Brussels, 27 July 2021

On 26 July the European Commission started infringement proceedings against 23 Member States for failure to transpose the Copyright Directive 2019/790 (EU) before the 7 June 2021 deadline. Member States have two months to respond to the letters of formal notice, explaining why they are late transposing the Directive.

From European press publishers’ perspective, we hope the infringement proceedings will contribute to speeding up the national implementation of the press publisher right.

Wout van Wijk, Executive Director at News Media Europe, said: “The time has come to stop free ride over media content online and put an end to online platforms’ delay tactics, limiting payment to press publishers. The EU has provided a set of rules that provide fairer online ecosystem for press content. We call Member States to implement them fast and get it right.”

The transposition must be done in a smart manner to make the neighbouring right a practical instrument that will increase European press publishers’ bargaining power towards tech giants and generate revenues. In this regard, we call Member States to take inspiration from the recent decision of the French Competition Authority, recognizing the  Copyright Directive as a stand-alone basis for remuneration, distinct from tech products (e.g. Google News Showcase). Going forward, European press publishers willing to enter in negotiations should be able to engage on fair grounds and enforce their right free from pressure.