News

ENPA, the association representing newspapers and news media in Europe, welcomes the announcement of the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, regarding a future EU proposal to reduce VAT on digital press.

European Press publishers welcomed today’s decision by the European Commission to take action in the ongoing EU anti-trust investigation into Google’s business conduct.

Press publishers across Europe today called on the European Commission to come forward rapidly with a proposal allowing Member States to adapt VAT rates for digital publications, following yesterday’s ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding VAT on e-books.

The Union of Publishers in Bulgaria (UBP) has brought to ENPA’s attention a potential abuse of power by the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) in Bulgaria, which has invoked legislation against marketmanipulation to impose heavy fines on the Economedia publishing house, and on the small regional press publishing and media company, Alpiko Publishing. In addition to the fines imposed on Economedia totaling BGN 160,000 (approx. EUR 82,000) and Alpiko Publishing amounting to BGN 100,000 (approx. EUR 50,000), the FSC has also started sanction proceedings against two othermedia outlets, Bivol website and Mediapool.bg.

Following the Council’s orientation debate on the draft General Data Protection (GDPR) Regulation, journalists and press publishers in Europe urge Member States to prevent any weakening of press freedom and give their full support without delay to a robust, directly applicable and legally binding exemption for journalistic data processing in Article 80 of the GDPR.

Lord Black of Brentwood, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group (UK) addresses Members of the new European Parliament in Brussels. Brussels, 30th September 2014 – ENPA, the association representing publishers of newspapers and news media in Europe, today launched “10 Action Points for a free, independent and sustainable press sector in Europe”, for the new mandate of the European institutions from 2014-19. The “10 Action Points”, ranging from freedom of the press to copyright, data protection and competition in the digital market place, were presented at ENPA’s Tête à Tête with the Press at the Sofitel Hotel in Brussels, during the news media sector’s first formal encounter with the new European Parliament.

Publishers and their trade associations call for rejection of a flawed deal and to enforce EU competition law properly to the benefit of consumers, publishers and businesses (European Commission’s Competition Investigation of GOOGLE – AT.39.740)  Brussels, 4 September 2014– Newspaper and magazine publishers across Europe have called on the European Commission to reject the third set of commitments by Google in the ongoing anti-trust investigation. 

European newspaper and magazine publishers have written to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta and Vice President Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) to express their deep disappointment following the publication last week of the Report of the Commission-appointed High Level Group on Taxation of the digital economy.

Following the announcement made by Mrs Monika Grütters, the German Culture Minister, and Mrs Aurélie Filippetti, the French Culture Minister, on 19th February 2014, press publishers in Europe join this call to the Member States and to the EU institutions to take immediate action allowing the reduction of VAT rates on digital press.

A coalition of European organisations representing the interests of both journalists and press publishers [1] today criticised the vote in the European Parliament on the draft EU General Data Protection Regulation, which jeopardises  press freedom and fails to properly protect journalistic sources. They vehemently refute claims from the author of the Parliament’s report, MEP Jan Philipp Albrecht, that “nothing will change for journalists” following the vote.

Call by newspaper and magazine publishers across Europe to safeguard press freedom and journalism under Article 80

A controversial draft EU Regulation designed to restore confidence in financial benchmarks following the LIBOR and EURIBOR scandals is set to undermine press freedom and  journalists’ right to protect their sources, if MEPs fail to adopt important amendments to the proposal on 17th February.

Reacting to European Commission Vice-President Joaquín Almunia’s announcement today, European press publishers are greatly concerned that the Commission appears to be moving quickly towards a settlement in the Google anti-trust case, despite lack of evidence that the latest proposals from the company will end its abuse of dominant position in the digital market.

A coalition of European newspapers and magazines’ publishers is greatly concerned to learn from recent press coverage that, in the face of all the evidence of continued market abuse, European Competition Commissioner Almunia is set to settle the anti-trust case with Google without further consultation on or market testing of Google’s proposed commitments to stop its anti-competitive practices.

ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, and EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association, representing the press sector in Europe, express their strong support for the initiative of the French Government applying the same VAT rate (2.1%) for all press products and services on all platforms (print and digital) in respect of the principle of fiscal equality and technological neutrality.

In advance of the EU Justice Ministers Council meeting on 6 December, a coalition of European organisations representing the interests of both journalists and press publishers have issued a joint statement for the attention of ministers criticising data protection reform plans for failing to underpin press freedom and protect journalistic sources.

Press publishers in Europe and their trade associations call on Vice-President Almunia to reject Google’s revised commitments and to ensure a full enforcement of EU competition law (European Commission’s Competition Investigation of GOOGLE – AT.39.740) 

Last minute compromises leave journalistic data processing without adequate protection in Europe and restrictions on marketing will damage the press Brussels, 18th October 2013 – Publishers of newspapers and magazines in Europe today sounded the alarm ahead of a vote in the European Parliament on the new Data Protection Regulation that could seriously undermine freedom of press reporting and the marketing of press titles.

In an unprecedented move of solidarity, hundreds of Europe’s leading publishers and their trade associations at European and National level have joined together in an informal coalition to call on European Commission Vice President Joaquín Almunia to reject outright the package of draft measures offered by Google on 25 April this year to end their abusive practices.

Newspaper publishers and national newspaper associations from around Europe spoke out clearly today against the increasing calls for press regulation and monitoring at European level.