EWC‘s Annual General Meeting took place in Brussels on 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th June.

Words and Poetry as a Meeting Point

On Friday, 12^th June, EWC began the Annual General Meeting with a Welcome Reception at the Maison Européenne des Auteurs et des Autrices (MEDAA), our headquarters in Brussels. The event counted with the speeches by EWC President, Sebastià Portell, and Judith Videcocq, Head of Unit at Creative Europe – DG EAC. Afterwards, two Belgian poets sparked the hearts and minds of delegates from EWC member organisations, guests and friends of EWC with the power of poetry: Els Moors shared several poems in Flemish, and Laurence Vielle read a selection of her work in French.

Burning Issues Forum: The Writer as Critical Infrastructure!

This year’s main theme was the role of Writers as critical infrastructure: the importance of strengthening and protecting our voices for a more plural, diverse, and democratic society. Accordingly, this year’s Burning Issues Forum (BIF), which took place on Saturday, 13^th June, explored this idea from different perspectives.

The BIF began with a discussion on how the various organisations and federations representing the entire book value chain can collaborate to advocate for shared improvements. The discussion featured Anne Bergman-Tahon, Director of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP); Matthijs De Ridder, President of the Flemish Writers Association (Vlaamse Auteurs Vereniging); and Francesca Novajra, President of the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL), and it was moderated by Nicole Pfister Fetz, EWC Secretary General.

This was followed by a discussion on how collective management organisations can also act as partners in protecting authors’ rights. Samantha Holman, President of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) and CEO of the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency; Kurt Van Damme, Head of Sales, Legal & International at Reprobel; and Niina Vettensola, Executive Director of the Finnish Literary Copyright Society Sanasto, took part in it, and in this case it was moderated by Nina George, EWC Commissioner for Political Affairs.

Finally, the debate continued in several breakout sessions, where the participants discussed in smaller groups, different experiences from various national contexts related to the importance of protecting our professional, cultural, and linguistic rights.

Public Action: Critical Voices in Critical Times

At the end of the day, the participants of EWC’ AGM gathered for the public action: a collective reading, in front of the European Parliament, of the EWC Statement “Critical Voices in Critical Times”, highlighting the importance of remembering that writers are the first spark in the creation of books and also the first step for a more informed, more critical, and more pluralistic society.

The full statement: at this link

Annual General Meeting

On Sunday EWC’s Annual General Meeting concluded the gathering, as main forum for discussion and decision-making regarding EWC’s action.

In addition to approving last year’s Activity Report and finances, as well as the Work Plan and proposed budget for 2026 and 2027, the EWC has welcomed three new members: the Associació Col·legial d’Escriptors de Catalunya (ACEC) –  Professional Association of Writers of Catalonia (ES); Calibro Confederazione Autrici e Autori del Libro – Confederation of Book Authors (IT); and HagÞenkir félag höfunda fræðirita og kennslugagna – HagÞenkir Association of Icelandic Non-Fiction Writers (IS). Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the family!

During the AGM, several other developments concerning our future were also approved, including a number of amendments to our Statutes, primarily intended to correct minor linguistic inconsistencies and clarify certain provisions and procedures.

The AGM also included the election of two members of our Board, both approved unanimously. Sebastià Portell was elected President of the EWC, and Saulius Vasiliauskas was elected Board Member for the remainder of the current Board’s mandate, until next year’s AGM.

Thanks to EWC’s supporters

All the events held throughout the weekend were possible thanks to the hospitality of the Maison Européenne des Auteurs et des Autrices (MEDAA), as well as the support of our special partners for this year: Reprobel, Stichting Leenrecht, the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), and DeAuteurs, and the tremendous efforts and always precious contribution of our colleagues Nicole Pfister Fetz, EWC Secretary General, and Zsuzsánna Dóczy, EWC Coordinator, in the organisation of the AGM.