PRESS RELEASE 

– Brussels, 8 February 2019 –

Europe’s press publishers, represented by EMMA (European Magazine Media Association), ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers’ Association), EPC (European Publishers Council) and NME (News Media Europe) welcome Member States’ decision to move forward with the Copyright directive.

The adoption of a new mandate by COREPER was necessary for final negotiations between Member States and the European Parliament to occur.

While the text agreed upon today is a step in the right direction as it improves the wording of the previous mandate, it would still lead to substantial legal uncertainty for press publishers as it does not protect with sufficient clarity the use of press content by news aggregators and search engines, which is the whole purpose of a right.

Ultimately, the European Parliament’s approach on Article 11 (the press publisher´s right)– towhich many Member States showed support or flexibility in COREPER – proposes a balanced and enforceable solution to protect press publishers against thefree-riding on press content by online services in the digital environment.

The Trilogue which is expected to take place on 11 or 12February, represents a unique opportunity to set the right balance for the online ecosystem to adapt the current copyright regime to the ongoing technological revolution.

A spokesman for the press publishers said: “The clear legal provision in EU legislation that a workable neighbouring right will grant us will be a huge boost to professional journalism and an independent European press sector.”

The press publishers continued: “If, as we now hope, a legally clear and workable neighbouring right is agreed in Trilogue, this copyright directive will help instil fairness in the digital ecosystem for the benefit of consumers and professional journalism alike.”

For further information, please contact:

Contacts:

Contact:

Wout van Wijk 
NME 
wout.vanwijk@newsmediaeurope.eu 
+32 473 685864 
www.newsmediaeurope.eu

Ilias Konteas 
EMMA 
ilias.konteas@magazinemedia.eu 
+32 2 536 06 00 
www.magazinemedia.eu

Ilias Konteas 
ENPA 
ilias.kontes@enpa.eu 
+32 2 536 06 03 
www.enpa.eu

Angela Mills Wade 
EPC 
Angela.MillsWade@epceurope.eu 
+32 2 231 12 99 
www.epceurope.eu

About us:

EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association, is the unique and complete representation of Europe’s magazine media, which is today enjoyed by millions of consumers on various platforms. EMMA represents 15,000 publishing houses, publishing 50,000 magazine titles across Europe in print and digital. See: www.magazinemedia.eu

ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) is the largest representative body of newspaper publishers across Europe. ENPA advocates for 16 national associations across 13 European countries, and is a principal interlocutor to the EU institutions and a key driver of media policy debates in the European Union. See: www.enpa.eu

EPC, the European Publishers Council is a high level group of Chairmen and CEOs of leading European media corporations actively involved in multimedia markets spanning newspaper, magazine, book, journal, internet and online database publishers, and radio and TV broadcasting. See: http://epceurope.eu

NME, News Media Europe (NME) represents the progressive news media industry in Europe – over 2200 European titles of newspapers, radio, TV and internet. NME is committed to maintaining and promoting the freedom of the press, to upholding and enhancing the freedom to publish, and to championing the newsbrands which are one of the most vital parts of Europe’s creative industries. See: www.newsmediaeurope.eu