PLR 2008 Seminar

PLR 2008 SEMINAR

bucharest, 19-21 september 2008 - background

The seminar will be the fourth in a series of such meetings held over the last five years and is set against the background of the implementation across the European Union of the 1992 Lending Right Directive. The European Commission has in recent years taken a prominent role in ensuring that Member States implement the Directive properly and the Commission’s efforts have been supported by this very successful series of seminars.

The seminar will aim to bring together delegates from the host country, Romania, and over 20 EU Member States to discuss the progress being made across the EU by Member States in establishing Public Lending Right systems as required by the 1992 Lending Right Directive. PLR is now establishing itself as an important right for authors across Europe and the number of countries with PLR systems has grown from 15 to 24 in the last ten years.

The seminar is open to representatives of authors’ organisations and related bodies with an interest in PLR issues in Europe. It provides an opportunity for delegates to provide reports on PLR progress in their own countries, and to receive advice on best practice from administrators in well-established PLR nations. The seminars have proved very successful in the past and are now an important part of the European PLR scene.

These European meetings are aimed primarily at Member States that have recently set up PLR systems or which are aiming to set them up soon. At the core of the seminars are national reports on PLR from each State. This year we will also have delegates from two countries hoping to join the EU in future – Croatia and Turkey – with details of what progress they have made towards establishing PLR systems. There will also be a presentation from a representative of the European Commission providing an update on Commission policy on PLR and implementation of the 1992 Directive. A seminar session will also be devoted to discussion of PLR developments in the host nation, Romania.

As with previous seminars, funding towards costs is being provided by the seminar sponsors, Kopinor and the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association. The seminar is being hosted by the Writers Union of Romania and is supported by the European Writers Council. Administrative support is being provided by Dr Jim Parker of the UK PLR office.

The seminar proceedings will be published and made available on the International PLR and EWC websites.

For more information on the seminar, please contact Jim Parker (jim.parker@plr.uk.com).