Brussels, 4 March 2021

The covid-19 pandemic has impacted all parts of society and everyone’s private and business life. The cultural and creative sectors have been some of the worst hit – and have had to quickly come up with new approaches, creative alternatives and short and long-term solutions. The book and image sectors have proven to be particularly hard hit.

IFRRO, together with EVA, EWC and FEP, invite you to the first in a series of online conversations, at which authors, publishers and collective management organisations in the text and image sectors will discuss, together with representatives from the EU Institutions:

• the impact of the covid crisis on the book and image sectors;
• the ‘best practice’ initiatives from European countries that have successfully allowed both users (individuals and licensees) to access text and image works and authors and rightholders to be remunerated;
• recommendations to ensure the recovery, resilience and sustainability of the book and image sector – and to be ready for a Re:Start

Welcome: Yngve Slettholm, IFRRO President

Opening speeches: Sabine Verheyen, Member of the European Parliament, Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture and Education

Barbara Gessler, European Commission > Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture > Deputy Director-General, in charge of Directorates C and D > Culture, Creativity and Sport > Creative Europe (EAC.D.2), European Commission

Discussion panel: Covid-19: recovery, resilience and sustainability of the book sector

Chair: Yngve Slettholm, IFRRO President

Nina George, Novelist, President of the European Writers’ Council

Ángel L. González, Team Leader, “Technology and Special Projects Business Development”, Pearson Spain and Portugal

Carola Streul, Secretary-General of EVA (European Visual Artists)

George Andrew Zannos, Managing Director, OSDEL (Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works)  

Closing comments: Rita Brasil de Brito, Representative of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU – Chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee

17 March, 10-11:30 CET, online