Activities of Massimiliano SMERIGLIO related to 2023/2053(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The future of the European book sector (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the future of the European book sector
Amendments (47)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the European book sector is rich and diverse and one of the largest culture industries in Europe, with around 600 000 titles published annually, and the overall value chain is estimated to employ more than half a million people in the EU;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the entire book sector value chain relies on the balance between theits various actors, such as authors, publishers, translators, booksellers and libraries; whereas each of them plays a vital role and whereas any measure negatively impacting either of them affects the entire ecosystem;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas authors are the backbone of the sector and play a vital role in society’s development;
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 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the book sector plays an essential role in fostering freedom of expression, which can only be exercised by ensuring freedom, independence, editorial diversity and editorial responsibility within the publishing industry;
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 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas printed books, e-books and audiobooks represent different options available on the market nowadays and complement each other on the market;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on the book sector leading, however, to uneven effects through Europe; whereas within each country, the impact of the pandemic has been quite diverse across several domains, such as publishing sectors, trade channels, players of different sizes, and types of books; whereas nevertheless, where the sector has been able to best adapt to the challenges raised by the pandemic, adequate and targeted support from public authorities has proved essential;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the consequent rise in costs for the sector, rampant inflation and the paper crisis have posed significant challenges to the book sector and substantially hindered its competitiveness;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas libraries are gateways to knowledge and culture and play a key role in society, especially in local communities; whereas the relevance of libraries is experienced by community members by providing access to information and resources, supporting literacy, promoting lifelong learning and serving as gathering spaces;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas only a very smalla steadily growing but still insufficient proportion of books are produced in formats that are accessible to persons with disabilities;
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 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 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K d (new)
Recital K d (new)
Kd. whereas the Deforestation Regulation will apply to the books value chain, given the essential role played by paper mills and printing houses in collecting data on sources of wood, and given that the paper required to produce a single book contains numerous different sources of wood, it will be impossible to retrace the sources of wood after it has been made into paper;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on theall Member States to recognise books as essential goods and take measures at national level to further promote reading from an early age;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the value of books as tools for theto promote diversity and inclusion of groups at risk of marginalisation within society, in particular people lacking digital skills and persons with disabilities;
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 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines that due to the large number of titles available on the market and the technical challenges related to accessibility, not all e-books will be accessible by 2025; calls therefore on the Member States to ensure that adequate resources are made available to meet high costs and to ensure that the requirement to make e-books accessible does not result in a diminished offer on the market;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Member States to provide adequate financial and structural support to the sector, in particular to SMEs, while financing research and innovation dedicated to increase accessibility;
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 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need to support the translation of European non-fiction books, particularly via the Creative Europe programme, which does not currently allow for this;
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 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 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for more initiatives to promote reading in the Member States, such as the introduction of ‘cultural vouchers’, especially for young people and marginalised groups, that could facilitate the purchase of books;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the Commission’s launch of the first edition of the Day of European Authors to encourage book reading among the younger generations and supports the strengthening and the continuation of this initiative in the coming years;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. CallsUnderlines that independent bookstores are cornerstones of local communities by offering a differentiated customer experience and often supporting new and local authors contributing to lively literary scenes; calls therefore on the Commission to create a label for independent bookshops in the EU in order to boost the visibility of local bookshops and promote the diversity of European books;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Deplores the growing attacks against bookstores and libraries, as well as the increasing censorship of inclusive books; Stresses the role of bookstores and libraries as safe and welcoming spaces, where neither censorship nor any violent acts should be tolerated;
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 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. WRecognises that calculating the carbon footprint of printing activities and its products is crucial to help consumers understand the environmental impact of their activities; in this regard, welcomes the sector’s efforts to produce printed books in a greener and more sustainable manner through the widespread use of certified and recycled paper, as well as various related initiatives, such as CO2 calculators and green labels;
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 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Calls on the Commission to establish clear guidelines on applying the Deforestation Regulation, taking into account the specific characteristics of the book sector and the enormous complexity of its value chain so as to ensure that the due diligence obligations of the various publishing actors are clear while also remaining proportionate and feasible;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to support national initiatives on data sharing and standardisation, and to collect data on the European book sector as a whole, so as to furtherbetter understand the challenges the sector is facing and further support it, optimiseing production, distribution and sustainability efforts;
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;