European authors' organisations urge MEPs to safeguard authors’ rights in copyright reform

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with a group of European creators’ organisations (ECSA, EVA, EWC, FERA, FSE, GESAC and SAA) has called on members of the European Parliament in the Legal Affair Committees to examine carefully the amendments to an own initiative report on reforming EU copyright. The group expressed their concern in a letter  about the draft report by MEP Julia Reda on the implementation of the 2001/29 Copyright Directive. They said, “If [the report is] not completely amended, [it] would severely weaken the position of European authors who need to be placed at the heart of the EU copyright policy." Importantly, they called on MEPs to support the amendment in the report to ensure appropriate remuneration of authors in the digital economy. The European Commission is currently reviewing the EU copyright law. Early May, the Commission will publish a Digital Single Market Strategy Paper outlining its vision for the copyright reform. The EFJ will meet with the European Commissioner in charge of copyright, Mr. Günther Oettinger, and his cabinet members to put forwards the concerns of journalists on 30 April.