Federation of European Publishers

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) is the umbrella association of book publishers in the European Union and the voice of the great majority of publishers in Europe. FEP represents 31 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials of the European Union, the European Economic Area and other European countries.

On behalf of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) we would like to share the following feedback. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already a reality, with visible impact on the market and in publishers practices.

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) is an independent, non-commercial umbrella association of European book publishers associations. FEP represents 29 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials from 28 European countries. FEP is thus the voice of the great majority of publishers in Europe.

The Geo-blocking Regulation aims to prevent retailers from discriminating between consumers on the basis of their country of origin with regards to the conditions of access to their goods and services (including price). It excludes copyright-based content, such as digital books, and its application must respect fixed book price regimes.

On behalf of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) we would like to share the following feedback. The refusal of AI providers to comply with EU law and to buy licences, the systematic use of pirated sources and the difficulty for rightsholders to enforce their rights due to a lack of transparency, create a systemic imbalance which prevents the development of an AI licensing market.

The Federation of European Publishers welcomes the opportunity to submit a contribution to the call for evidence on the Education Package 2040 Roadmap. Educational publishers are key players in delivering high-quality, inclusive education, with their core mission being to improve learning outcomes and provide effective pedagogical support to teachers and students.

FEP takes note of the plan of the Commission to review the Database Directive as part of the incoming Data Act. Publishers rely on a daily basis on the rights granted by the Database Directive, including its sui generis right, to protect their databases, ensure legal access to them and ensure that their significant investments in databases are protected.

FEP welcomes the Commission’s proposal for the Digital Services Act. This update of the E-Commerce Directive is needed to address the emergence and dominance of new hosting services, whether in the form of marketplaces or content sharing services. These new services use legal safe harbours that were never envisioned for them to reduce their obligations regarding illegal content.

FEP welcomes the objective of the Commission to review and clarify the responsibilities of digital services as part of the Digital Services Act package. The core principles of the E-Commerce Directive should be maintained as they remain valid, particularly the limited liability applicable to purely passive and merely technical intermediaries and the related ban on general monitoring.

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 31 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials form 30 countries across Europe - mainly in the EU and EEA. FEP fully supports the goal of ensuring legal clarity for operators, traders and surveillance authorities on the categories of products falling within the scope of the EUDR.

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) is an independent, non-commercial umbrella association of European book publishers’ associations. FEP represents 29 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials from 28 European countries. FEP is thus the voice of the great majority of publishers in Europe.

The Federation of European Publishers welcomes the possibility to provide feedback regarding the proposed review of the General Product Safety Regulation. FEP and its members have at heart the safety of citizens all over Europe, and publishers’ utmost care goes into ensuring that their products do not present any hazard for readers.

The Federation of European Publishers welcomes the opportunity to provide its views to the European Commission regarding the proposal for a review of the Directive on consumer credits. The review aims, among other elements, to remove the exemption from the scope of the current rules with regard to: Consumer credit agreements below the amount of EUR 200; Credit agreements where the credit is granted free of interest…

The Federation of European Publishers welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the roadmap on a digital levy. We fully support the Commission's to design a modern, stable regulatory and tax framework to appropriately address the developments and challenges of the digital economy.

The Federation of European Publishers is glad of the opportunity to provide feedback on the subject of the European Statistical System. The work done on the European statistics is of the highest value for many stakeholders, including us. One of our missions is to collect data on the book publishing sector in Europe and we would highly appreciate to rely on the ESS - we consult EUROSTAT databases regularly.