More than a hundred MEPs oppose new publishers right

Today, more than a hundred MEPs sent the following letter to copyright rapporteur Axel Voss. MEPs that want to add their name to this list are welcome to do so on a rolling basis, and can do so by sending an email to mathias.vermeulen (AT) ep.europa.eu.

Updated list: 111 (32 Greens/EFA, 27 ALDE, 22 S&D, 14 GUE, 8 ECR, 6 EFDD and 2 EPP)

Brussels, 07/06/2018

We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament, are extremely worried about the impact that the introduction of a new neighbouring right for press publishers will have on access to news and information. While we support efforts to ensure a level playing field between online platforms and businesses through the enforcement of competition and consumer rules, we believe that the introduction of a new European neighbouring right will have a nocent and injurious effect on citizens’ access to quality news and information. We urge you to:

1. Listen to the voices of consumer groups, small publishers, civil society and the business community who are overwhelmingly opposed to the introduction of a new copyright restricting access and sharing of news and information.

2. Take account of the perspective of over 200 European copyright legal and academic experts who argue that a neighbouring right “would likely impede the free flow of information that is of vital importance to democracy,” “would be likely to harm journalists” and would “exacerbate existing power asymmetries in media markets that already suffer from worrying levels of concentration in many Member States.”

3. Respect the advice of the European Parliament’s own independent, non-partisan academic study of similar rules in Germany and Spain which raised doubts that “the proposed right will do much to secure a sustainable press” and highlighted worrying issues on the possible future of linking in Europe.

4. Consider the significant majority of amendments tabled by individual MEPs which called for the neighbouring right to be scrapped or replaced by a less invasive, more proportionate legal solution to the historical challenges faced by European publishers, journalists and freelancers.

Ahead of the Plenary vote, we, the undersigned MEPs representing citizens from all political groups and every corner of Europe, urge you to consider the deletion of Article 11 of the directive of copyright in the digital single market, and find an alternative, less invasive, and more proportionate solution to support quality journalism and freedom of the press in the digital age.

Marietje Schaake (ALDE)

Isabella Adinolfi (EFDD)

Laura Agea (EFDD)

Maria Albiol Guzmán (GUE)

Jan-Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA)

Rosa D’Amato (EFDD)

Max Andersson (Greens/EFA)

Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA)

Petras Auštrevičius (ALDE)

Hans van Baalen (ALDE)

Catherine Bearder (ALDE)

Brando Benifei (S&D)

Monika BEŇOVÁ (S&D)

Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (ALDE)

Malin Björk (GUE)

Michał Boni (EPP)

David Borrelli (EFDD)

Anneleen van Bossuyt (ECR)

Klaus Buchner (Greens/EFA)

Matt Carthy (GUE)

Dita Charanzová (ALDE)

Nessa Childers (S&D)

Dan Dalton (ECR)

Jakup Dalunde (Greens/EFA)

Karima Delli (Greens/EFA)

Martina Dlabajova (ALDE)

Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA)

Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA)

Jill Evans (Greens/EFA)

Tanja Fajon (S&D)

Frederik Federley (ALDE)

Laura Ferrara (EFDD)

John Flack (ECR)

Luke Ming Flanagan (GUE)

Anna Fotyga (ECR)

Eugen Freund (S&D)

Evelyne Gebhardt (S&D)

Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE)

Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg (S&D)

Adam Gierek (S&D)

Ana Gomes (S&D)

Tania González Peñas (GUE)

Karoline Graswander-Hainz (S&D)

Antanas Guoga (EPP)

Jytte Guteland (S&D)

Marian Harkin (ALDE)

Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA)

Nadja Hirsch (ALDE)

Ian Hudghton (Greens/EFA)

Jan Huitema (ALDE)

Liisa Jaakonsaari (S&D)

Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE)

Benedek Jávor (Greens/EFA)

Petr Ježek (ALDE)

Eva Joly (Greens/EFA)

Karin Kadenbach (S&D)

Kaja Kallas (ALDE)

Ska Keller (Greens/EFA)

Jeppe Kofod (S&D)

Arndt Kohn (S&D)

Kateřina Konečná (GUE)

Dietmar Köster (S&D)

Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR)

Merja Kyllönen (GUE)

Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA)

Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA)

Sabine Lösing (GUE)

Monica Macovei (ECR)

Florent Marcellesi (Greens/EFA)

Jiří Maštálka (GUE)

Martina Michels (GUE)

Matthijs van Miltenburgh (ALDE)

Angelika Mlinar (ALDE)

Caroline Nagtegaal (ALDE)

Norica Nicolai (ALDE)

Urmas Paet (ALDE)

Tonino Picula (S&D)

Jozo Radoš (ALDE)

Julia Reda (Greens/EFA)

Evelyn Regner (S&D)

Michel Reimon (Greens/EFA)

Terry Reintke (Greens/EFA)

Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA)

Bronis Ropė (Greens/EFA)

Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE)

Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA)

Helmut Scholz (GUE)

Molly Scott Cato (Greens/EFA)

Alyn Smith (Greens/EFA)

Igor Šoltes (Greens/EFA)

Barbara Spinelli (GUE)

Bart Staes (Greens/EFA)

Helga Stevens (ECR)

Catherine Stihler (S&D)

Dario Tamburrano (EFDD)

Charles Tannock (ECR)

Keith Taylor (Greens/EFA)

Pavel Telička (ALDE)

Yana Toom (ALDE)

Nils Torvalds (ALDE)

Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA)

Bodil Valero (Greens/EFA)

Monika Vana (Greens/EFA)

Sophie in ‘t Veld (ALDE)

Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA)

Renate Weber (ALDE)

Martina Werner (S&D)

Joseph Weidenholzer (S&D)

Lieve Wierinck (ALDE)

Tiemo Wölken (S&D)

Gabriele Zimmer (GUE)