Activities of Tomasz FRANKOWSKI related to 2023/2053(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
The future of the European book sector (debate)
The future of the European book sector (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the future of the European book sector
Amendments (37)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the entire book sector value chain relies on the balance between the various actors, such as authors, publishers, translatordistributors, translators, printing companies, booksellers and libraries;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas authors are the creative source of all books;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas publishers play an essential role in the book value chain, as the link between authors and their potential readers and independent businesses are essential with regard to freedom of expression allowing a multitude of voices to be heard and views to be aired;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the vast majority of European publishers are SMEs or even microenterprises;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas bookshops and libraries are the focal point for readership development and reading promotion, whilst contributing to social and digital inclusiveness;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the governments of some Member States have exerted influence and regulatory pressure on the book sector, which negatively impacts on freedom of expression and conflicts with EU values;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas readers, including young ones have shown a continued preference to read printed books;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas Brexit has significantly affected the European book market, namely in English-speaking Member States such as Ireland, that heavily relies on the UK’s book market; whereas Brexit has an immense influence on the book sectors’ supply chain by increasing the prices of books and shipment and customs costs, while disrupting the imports of books printed in continental Europe and exports to the EU Member States and other countries, such as the US or Australia, thus negatively affecting the dissemination of European content;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas the availability of digital books offers an opportunity to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, however this requires adequate investments in the production of different formats and the development of relevant skills;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. given the difficulties posed by shortages of the paper and ink required for producing works;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas Brexit has a strong impact on skills in the publishing sector by reducing the student exchange between the UK, Ireland and other European countries in the highly-regarded publishing programmes, thus making it more difficult to develop much-needed skills and limiting the opportunities of young Europeans interested in the sector;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas the lack of interoperability between e-book formats reinforces the position of dominant market players, whilst restricting consumer choice and protection;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines the need to ensure a balance in the book ecosystem by fulfilling the specific roles of the various actors of the value chain, such as authors, publishers, printers, distributors, translators, booksellers and libraries;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States, in this regard, to implement the European Accessibility Act17 as soon as possible and take measures to ensure that books are available in accessible formats for persons with disabilities, in the interests of cultural, social and professional inclusion; Recalls that the European Accessibility Act goes hand-in-hand with the Marrakesh Treaty, which has been transposed into European legislation through the Marrakesh Directive and Regulation; Emphasises that the Marrakesh Treaty and the European Accessibility Act are complementary tools that aim to improve the access of persons with disabilities to published works, both physically and digitally, on equal basis with others; _________________ 17 Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services (OJ L 151, 7.6.2019, p. 70).
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Invites the Commission in its mid- term review of the Creative Europe programme 2021-2027 to introduce measurable goals on how funding is used to improve the accessibility of books for persons with disabilities;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Urges the Member States to foster cultural diversity by increasing the acquisition budget of libraries, so that they can further expand the range of books that they offer, andto supporting local bookshops, to safeguard the appropriate remuneration of authors and the investment capacity of publishers;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need to support the creation and translation of European books, in particular by enhancing public funding at both national and European levels so as to improve the circulation, visibility and diversity of translated books;
Amendment 91 #
8a. Underlines the importance of the mobility and exchanges between authors in order to facilitate their creative work and improve their opportunities to gain new professional experiences abroad;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Welcomes the new mobility action Culture Moves Europe in the frame of the Creative Europe Programme offering mobility grants to artists and cultural professionals, in particular for literary translators;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Recalls that the ability of the book sector to maintain a diverse network of booksellers and innovation-driven market relies on proper education and training that allows people to pursue a career in the book industry;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8e. Underlines that 2023 has been declared the European Year of Skills and calls on the Member States in this regard to support the education and training programs dedicated to the various actors of the book sector;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Supports further promotion of the EULP in the Member States, including via the creation of an EU category for European children’s books;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Underlines the positive role taken by influencers to promote books on social media in an innovative way, thus fostering reading and European culture among younger generations;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Underlines the social role of libraries as places where citizens meet with authors and exchange views, in particular in small towns and less developed regions;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Underlines the positive role of book fairs to promote reading and authors, foster the circulation of European books and share good practices within the sector;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Emphasises the prevailing paper- based nature of the book industry and calls on the Commission to take into due account this specificity in the design and implementation of green transition policies to prevent negative impacts and to devise specific support measures to accompany the book sector in its transition towards a more sustainable model;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that sufficient funding continues to support the Ukrainian book sector, including artists and authors for the duration of the war and the reconstruction of the country;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Underlines the role taken by the Creative Europe Programme to fund some of these projects, such as the Tales of EUkraine initiative;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Encourages the Member States to further support the green transition of the book sector through financial incentives or other measures, for the whole supply chain, including the usage of raw materials, sustainable packaging and transport needed for the production and distribution of printed books;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Commission to support print-on-demand programmes that make it possible to legally republish books that are out of print and not scheduled to be reprinted;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Calls on the Member States to exercise greater vigilance over paper and ink production capacities, and to explore providing support to this link in the book chain;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the development of industrial capacities in Europe (paper and ink production and printing houses) so that books for young people and children can be printed here and thus reduce their carbon footprint;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to support research and innovation projects on the use of AI, in order to enhance the efficiency of the sector, notably with regard to environmental sustainability and accessibility for instance through Horizon Europe;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Underlines the importance of collecting data from publishers in order to display the origins of all parts of the book through the entire production chain, including information on paper certification and place of production;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the need for fair competition in the book market in order to guarantee consumer choice and cultural diversity; underlines the unfair practices by certain dominant online players that abuse their position to the detriment of other actors in the value chain; in this regard, calls on the Commission and the Member States to monitor the effective implementation and compliance with the obligations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by dominant online market players to ensure fair competition;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Commission to support national initiatives that help protect SMEs, micro-enterprises and independent structures in the book sector from unfair competition from the large platforms;