Once again this year, EIBF is thrilled to invite you to a half day of exchanges, discussions and meetings with colleagues

The European and International Booksellers Federation is pleased to once again provide you with a space for sharing knowledge and best practices with key stakeholders in the bookselling industry. We have prepared an exclusive programme -that you can check out here- dedicated to booksellers and booksellers associations, full of inspirational ideas to bring back home, and focused on the future.

The half day conference will be held on Thursday 19 October, at room Fantasie 1 (Congress centre, C3).
Please note that the entrance to the conference is free, but will only be granted upon registration. Please register here before 16 October.

Get to know the speakers

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Tiya Hapitiawati

Literary Translator (Indonesia)

Tiya Hapitiawati is a literary translator from German language into Indonesian language. 

She graduated from Universitas Indonesia with a bachelor degree in Humanities, majoring German Studies, and with a masters degree in Linguistics. She has translated several German classical and contemporary literary works into Indonesian language, such as the works of Hans Fallada, Stefan Zweig, Ricarda Huch, Jeremias Gotthelf, and Herta 
Müller. The translation of Walter Benjamin's essays is her newest project and will be published this summer.

Apart from translating classical and contemporary works from German authors, she is also acquisition editor of Moooi Pustaka Publisher, a publishing firm based in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 

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Iris Hunscheid

Bookseller and EIBF Board Member

She has been happily working in the book industry since 2001.

Together with her husband she owns two retail book shops in Germany, one in the north (near Bremen) and one in Bonn (in the west).

They are both retail shops with general assortments with only a few specialized sections.

(One of the shops has a shop size of 120 m² and the other one 160 m². They have 13 employees altogether.)

Besides their two shops she is also engaged in the German booksellers association – as the Chairwoman of the independent bookseller’s forum – representing about 500 smaller independent bookshops in our association.

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Hazel Kenyon

Director of Research, Book Research at NielsenBookData

Hazel Kenyon is Director of the UK and Ireland Nielsen BookData Research business. She joined in 2009 as a Publisher Account Manager working with a portfolio of clients to help 
them analyse the BookScan sales data. 

She is now responsible for all UK, Irish and South African client relationships in publishing, retail and media and for strategic business development across all the 
research products measuring changes in print, digital and consumer behaviour.

Hazel started her career as a Space Physicist, working in industry and academia. For her PhD she analysed particle data from the Cassini spacecraft during its grand tour of Saturn.

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Kate Layte

Founder, owner, buyer, bookseller at Papercuts Bookshop in Boston, MA

Kate Layte is the founder and owner of Papercuts Bookshop, the award-winning independent bookshop located in the beautiful Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain.

Kate established Papercuts in 2014 after a decade in the book business--both at Borders and Hachette. Papercuts started in a tiny 400 square foot space, and Kate relocated the shop to a beautiful corner storefront in 2020 where Papercuts is now thriving despite the pandemic and two cars crashing into our shop in April 2022.

Papercuts has received national and international press, won Best of Boston, Boston's Best, and Kate was named a PW Star Watch Honoree in 2017. 

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Cheryl Lee

Owner of 44th & 3rd Bookseller in Atlanta, GA

Cheryl Lee is the co-owner of 44th & 3rd Bookseller located in Atlanta, GA.  Her husband Warren and her daughter Allyce are also co-owners of 44th & 3rd Bookseller. 

The family owned bookstore opened in November 2017 and specializes in African American and African diaspora literature. 

Their concept for book selling was adapted from Cheryl's Master's thesis on the plight of independent bookstores and a strategy for success. 

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Daniel Martín Brennan

Policy Advisor at EIBF

Daniel Martin Brennan is EIBF’s Policy Advisor. Prior to joining EIBF in early 2020, Daniel studied European studies and European policy in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, before settling in Brussels, where he completed a traineeship at the European Commission, working on the implementation of European projects on non-discrimination, gender equality and the protection of LGBTQ+ rights. 

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Sulagna Mukhopadhyay

Literary Translator (India) 

Sulagna Mukhopadhyay is a translator from German language into Bengali. She has Masters both in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, Kolkata and in English Literature from Jodhpur National University, Rajasthan.

She has completed till C1 from Max Műller Bhavan/Goethe-Institut Kolkata. She has interest in Gender Studies and has translated poems, short story collection and novels by German authors like Kathrin Schmidt, Markus Kirchhofer, Hannah Ahrendt and Christa Wolf.

She is currently working on Tauben fliegen auf, a novel by Melinda Nadj Abonji. She has also written articles on German authors and Germany after reunification for various reputed Bengali and English journals. In 2021, she has edited the yearly journal published by Rritobak, a Bengali Publication

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Zala Zagorsek

Literary Agent at VigeVageKnjige (Slovenia)

Since 2020, Zala Zagorek Golob has been employed at VigeVageKnjige. She sells and purchases foreign rights, with a focus on graphic novels and comic books. She also organizes events, produces shows, and is the manager of a brand-new bookstore in Maribor. 

At the start of September 2023, EIBF joined over 70 networks and organisations from across the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSIs) in a Culture Action Europe-led letter to express our concern and disappointment by the proposed budget cuts of €40 million to the Creative Europe work programme 2024.

In the context of the annual budget procedure for 2024, The Council of the EU, which represents EU member states, has proposed to reduce the financial envelope of Creative Europe by €40 million. While such a budget cut will barely have any impact on the EU’s budget savings, it will significantly weaken the Creative Europe programme, the EU’s only funding envelope specifically dedicated to the European cultural sector and CCSIs.

In the letter, we strongly support the recent vote of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) to increase the Creative Europe budget 2024 by €43 million and urge member states to align with this position and increase the budget of the programme instead of reducing it.

We will be monitoring the next steps at the Council level while continuing our efforts to involve all relevant parties and stakeholders to keep a strong funding stream for the cultural and creative sector through the Creative Europe programme.

Read the full letter attached.

This own-initiative report marks the first instance of the European Parliament addressing the needs of the book sector in 10 years

Today 14th September 2023, the European Parliament's plenary session adopted by an overwhelming majority an own-initiative report on the future of the European book sector, which highlights the sector's value in European societies and introduces recommendations to support its growth in the years to come.

As the leading organisation representing the bookselling sector at European and international levels, EIBF has contributed and fed into the content of the report, and has been actively involved in the process to ensure that the priorities and needs of the sector were adequately represented.

The adoption of this report comes at a crucial time, as bookshops are gradually recovering from the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are still many changes and challenges to face, from increased digitalisation and the undeniable effects of climate change, to a cost of living crisis and growing book censorship. 

Bookselling is not immune to these challenges, and booksellers need to play their part in the digital and green transition. As an innovative and resilient sector, it intends to do so. However, the sector needs the means and support to adapt and thrive in these times, and EIBF welcomes that the report adopted today by the CULT Committee largely supports these calls, for instance, by calling for further educational and professional training opportunities in the book sector, proper enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to ensure fair competition online, the designation of bookshops as safe and welcoming spaces and the promotion of measures such as culture vouchers, which have proven to be invaluable to the sector while helping introduce new readers to bookshops.

Overall, EIBF is very pleased that the report on the future of the European book sector highlights the essential role of books and the value of the European book sector, advocates for measures that are in the best interest of booksellers and, most importantly, reiterates the European Parliament’s full support for the wider book sector.

Fabian Paagman, EIBF Co-President says “We’re glad to finally see a report from the European Parliament that focuses on the needs of the European book sector and includes measures that can help it continue to thrive. The acknowledgement of European bookshops as cornerstones of local communities and as safe and welcoming spaces is particularly positive. We count on the European Commission and Member States to implement the recommendations laid out in this report”.

EIBF congratulates MEP Tomasz Frankowski (EPP), the lead rapporteur of the file, as well as the shadow rapporteurs and other supportive Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for their engagement, open communication and willingness to support the sector.

You can find our full statement attached.

Last week, EIBF’s Policy Advisor, Daniel Martín Brennan, travelled to Strasbourg to follow the European Parliament’s plenary session in representation of the European bookselling sector.

During four days every month, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) travel from Brussels down to Strasbourg to debate and vote on key policy files which they have engaged with over the course of months in their respective committees and help define the European Parliament’s position on given topics.

This month was an especially eventful plenary session, as European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed the European Parliament in her annual State of the Union speech (and the last one in her mandate), outlining the European Commission’s key priorities in the coming months. Equally important, MEP Tomasz Frankowski (EPP)’s report on the future of the European book sector was also on the plenary agenda, with a scheduled debate and the final vote for adoption.

It was, therefore, a perfect occasion for EIBF to be present representing the European bookselling sector. Keep reading to follow our trip!

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Day 1 - State of the Union (SOTEU) and debate on future of the European book sector

On Wednesday morning, European Commission (EC) President, Ursula von der Leyen addressed MEPs during her last State of the Union speech before the end of her mandate in 2024. The speech summarised some of the key accomplishments under her leadership and highlighted some of the Commission’s key priorities, such as the digital and green transition and European competitiveness.

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The European Green Deal continues to be a key priority, both personally and the European Commission, as von der Leyen reiterated that no business will be left behind in their journey to decarbonisation.

As for SMEs and competitiveness, the EC President hailed the DSA and DMA as crucial achievements, which will help secure a fairer & safer digital space, where rights are protected and Big Tech is held accountable.

Von der Leyen also acknowledged that complex regulations and administration are a burden to SMEs, and promised to appoint a dedicated EU SME envoy towards the end of this year, which will report directly to her, conveying SMEs’ everyday challenges and needs. She also vouched to make the first legislative proposals next month towards reducing reporting obligations at the European level by 25%.

Later in the afternoon, we held a fruitful exchange with MEP Ibán García del Blanco (S&D) and his assistant. MEP Garcia del Blanco is an active supporter of the European cultural and creative industries, including the bookselling sector. We discussed many topics, including the relevance of a dedicated report on the book sector, key points for the bookselling sector included in the report, some of which are addressed through our RISE Bookselling project’s Industry Insights papers.

That same night, at 22:00, during the last debate of the day, MEP Frankowski (EPP) presented the report in front of the plenary room, hailing the report as the first active effort by the European Parliament to address the book sector’s needs in over 10 years.

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Other MEPs also took the floor to welcome this support and some, namely Ibán García del Blanco (S&D), Massimiliano Smeriglio (S&D) and Diana Riba i Giner (Greens/EFA), highlighted the unique role and contribution of booksellers to their local communities and in promoting reading.

Day 2 - Vote on future of the European book sector

In the morning, we met with MEP Tomasz Frankowski (EPP)’s assistant, to congratulate them on the report and once again reiterate the value and timeliness of such a report for the book sector. At the same time, we discussed other relevant issues for the sector, such as the planned budget cuts for Creative Europe and the RISE Bookselling sector.

Soon enough, the report was voted and adopted by a large majority of MEPs in the European Parliament, sending a clear and strong message: protect books and support all the pillars of the European book sector, including bookshops.

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You can find our reaction to the vote in a dedicated article on our website.

As seen with the practically unanimous vote, many MEPs across the policy spectrum welcomed the adoption of this report, including Irish MEP Grace O’Sullivan (Greens/EFA), who highlighted the great work of Bookselling Ireland and featured a list of Irish bookshops she has visited over the years. We took a picture with MEP O’Sullivan to thank her for her support

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And with that, our trip to Strasbourg came to an end. We might be leaving Strasbourg, but the work from Brussels continues!

On the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the European Writers’ Council (EWC), the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) call upon the European co-legislators to seize the opportunity of the AI Act to take decisive action to ensure the transparency of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and make it safer for European citizens

Generative AI models have been developed in an opaque and unfair way, illegally making use of millions of copyright-protected books without permission from authors or publishers. This practice impacts negatively not only rightsholders, but also democracy itself, by facilitating the mass creation of misleading, biased, and even dangerous content which has the potential to undermine European democracy. Transparency is therefore essential to the development of a fair and safe AI ecosystem. The EU now has the ideal opportunity to take a leading role in protecting its citizens through the AI Act.

The European Parliament has taken a good first step by proposing transparency obligations for Foundation Models, such as ChatGPT or Bard, to ensure they provide a detailed summary of the copyright-protected works used for training and operate in respect of fundamental rights. Member States and the Commission must now seize this rare opportunity to improve the proposal and finally put an end to the illegal sourcing and data-laundering abuses of generative AI developers. Transparency over inputs to AI is the only way to ensure quality and legitimacy of outputs.

Meaningful transparency obligations allowing a rightsholder to assess whether their work was used are easy for the innovative AI operators to comply with. They are technologically simple to apply and rely on data that AI developers already collect and organise. And they are needed now, as damage is already done since existing generative text models used works since years without consent, credit or compensation to the authors and publishers. On the 19th of October, FEP will dedicate its Rendez-Vous at the Frankfurt Book Fair to the impact of AI on the sector, the necessary legislative action, and how authors, booksellers and publishers may take steps towards protecting their works in the context of Text and Data Mining (TDM).

Read our full statement attached.

EIBF is back from another -the 75th!- edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF). Keep reading to discover some of the highlights of our participation this year at the biggest book fair in the world. 

Opening ceremony 

The 2023 edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair kicked off, as every year, with an opening ceremony at the Congress Centre of the Frankfurter Messe. 

This year’s FBF marked a significant 75th anniversary of the world’s largest trade book fair, which was celebrated with an opening video that evoked some key moments in the history of this event. 

In front of a well-attended auditorium, the ceremony was joined by high-profile figures, including the German minister for Culture, Claudia Roth; the mayor of Frankfurt, Mike Josef; the director of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, Juergen Boos, and Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, Chairwoman of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association (Börsenverein). 

Slovenia, with its slogan ‘Honeycomb of words’, was the guest of honour country in the present edition of the fair, a role that was celebrated on stage by the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar. Representing the country’s literary talent, the opening ceremony welcomed onstage the poet Miljana Cunta and the renowned Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek. 

Following a controversial speech from Žižek that, primarily addressing the Israel-Hamas war, prompted interruptions from part of the audience, Mr. Boos went back onstage to point out the Book Fair’s function as a place where freedom and tolerance have a central role. After that, Ms. Schmidt-Friderichs declared the 75th-anniversary edition of Frankfurter Buchmesse open. 

​The now traditional group photo of the entire EIBF Secretariat team, following the opening ceremony of the 75th Frankfurter Buchmesse

Day 1 

The first day at the fair started for the EIBF team with an agenda full of meetings and events with various stakeholders. 

In the morning, we had the opportunity to attend a presentation on the European book market statistics of 2022, an event from our colleagues at the Federation of European Publishers (FEP).

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Ricardo Franco Levi, FEP President, and Enrico Turin, FEP Deputy Director and Economist, announced that total turnover for the analysed markets in 2022 experienced a +1.3% from 2021. The data also presented a rebound in sales from bookshops, which grew their share as the main distribution channel for book sales. 

The morning continued with several meetings and events, including the opening of the Bulgarian stand at the fair. 

On Wednesday afternoon, EIBF's Policy Advisor Daniel Martín Brennan, joined a panel discussion at the International Publishers Association (IPA)'s 3rd Sustainability Summit. Daniel went through some initiatives from the RISE Bookselling project, explaining how sustainability is at their very core and a cross-cutting priority (the “S” stands for Sustainability after all!). For instance, the Industry Insights on Book Returns is a unique resource that sheds light on the returns dynamics across different book markets, exploring what works, what doesn’t, how sustainable these practices actually are and how we can make the process more efficient and with a lower environmental impact.

​EIBF's Policy Advisor Daniel Martín Brennan, at the 3rd Sustainability Summit, organized by IPA in Frankfurt

At the same time, the Frankfurt Studio was home to an event with winners of the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL), where Jasmin B. Frelih, 2016 winner from Slovenia, and the 2022 winner, Georgian author Iva Pezuashvili, sat down and discussed with Martina Vidaić, the winner of the present edition of the EUPL. 

​The European Union Prize for Literature winners Jasmin B. Frelih (2016, Slovenia), Martina Vidaic (2023, Croatia), and Iva Pezuashvili (2022, Georgia) at the Frankfurt Studio. Image: Johannes Minkus / Publishing Perspectives

Later that day, we listened in to the event “From Inclusion to Innovation: How Accessibility is Transforming the Book Value Chain” to get up to date with initiatives within the book sector and upcoming European legislation on accessibility. Most highlighted was the European Accessibility Act, an EU Directive coming to force in June 2025, obliging products and services to be accessible to people with various forms of disabilities. In the book world, this directive will apply primarily to e-books and retailers’ websites. 

To complete this eventful first day, EIBF celebrated the traditional dinner with members, ahead of the Annual Conference. This evening was an occasion to celebrate a year especially significant for EIBF, as it saw the 1st RISE Bookselling Conference, held in Prague last March. 

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Day 2 

The second day at the Frankfurt Book Fair started with the 2023 EIBF Annual Conference, gathering most of our members, as well as new partners, booksellers and representatives of the book industry from across the world. 

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The programme kicked off with a keynote speech by bookseller and EIBF’s Executive Committee member Iris Hunscheid, who shared the innovative contributions of MVB’s Lesemotive, an AI tool that helps booksellers arrange their store based on customers’ reading rationales. 

On behalf of the guest of honour country, Slovenian literary agent Zala Zagorsek Golob, member of the independent publishing house VigeVageKnjige, offered a fascinating take on the book market in her country. 

The audience was also able to listen to a panel session on the topic of banned books in the US, in which booksellers Kate Layte (Papercuts Bookshop, Boston, MA) and Cheryl Lee (44th & 3rd Bookseller in Atlanta, GA) sat down with EIBF’s Policy Advisor, Daniel Martín Brennan, to exchange views on this urgent issue that underscores big concerns about freedom of expression in the country. 

After a short break, the conference welcomed onstage Georg Haeusler, Director of Culture, Creativity and Sport at DG EAC, European Commission, who delivered an address to the book sector, praising its role as an essential contributor to the sharing of knowledge and culture across countries. 

​Georg Haeusler, Director of Culture, Creativity and Sport at DG EAC, European Commission, during his address at the 2023 EIBF Conference

Hazel Kenyon, Director of Book Research at NielsenIQ, was in charge of offering an exhaustive analysis of the book trends that are currently gaining traction around the world, paying particular attention to the direction in which these trends might indicate the market is heading. 

Finally, the EIBF conference also gave space to this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair International Translators Programme, with a panel session that explores the often overlooked role that translators play in bringing literature closer to other cultures. This panel was moderated by John Mutter, editor-in-chief at Shelf Awareness, and featured Sulagna Mukhopadhyay, a translator and teacher from India, and Tiya Hapitiawati, translator and acquisition editor at the publisher Moooi Pustaka, in Indonesia. 

Next up was the EIBF’s General Assembly, where we presented an overview of EIBF’s policy and communications activities over the past year. The GA also served as an opportunity to present the different calls to action from RISE Bookselling’s campaign on ‘Reviving the high street’. 

In parallel to this, EIBF also facilitated a meeting with different bookselling schools from around Europe. Representatives from L’École de la Librairie (France), Scuola Librai Italiani (Italy), Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruiperez (Spain) and MediaCampus Frankfurt (Germany), exchanged views on how the bookselling profession is formally trained in their respective countries, and laid the groundworks for a more regular collaboration, aimed at sharing information and best practices with each other to improve the professionalization of the next generation of booksellers.  

​Representatives from various bookselling schools from all around Europe, after their first meeting in Frankfurt

After these two days of relentless meetings and events, that was another edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair under the belt of the EIBF team. Back in Brussels, it’s time to take stock of the key learnings of this experience and employ them to the best advantage in our future activities! 

This past month, from 3 October to 3 November, EIBF ran an awareness raising and communications campaign on Reviving the High Street through its flagship project, RISE Bookselling.

Booksellers and retailers working across European town centres and high streets are facing increasing challenges, from the growth of online retail and the closure of retail spaces to soaring overhead costs and insufficient investment in local infrastructure. Now more than ever, they need political leadership, investment and support.

Through the ‘Reviving the High Street’ campaign run on the RISE Bookselling social media channels, 9 calls to action were presented, with practical and concrete measures to guide local political stakeholders in their efforts to support, protect and reinvest in their town’s high streets and ensure that local businesses remain viable, thriving and resilient spaces for all to enjoy, both now and in the near future.

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Each social media post raised awareness about an individual call to action, explained by a bookseller in an engaging video or through a video infographic, adding context, additional real-life examples and resources.

The campaign was supported by booksellers from all over Europe and endorsed by EIBF members at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair, as well as some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

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For more information, take a look at the RISE Bookselling website, where you will find all the campaign material, including:

• RISE Report on Buying Local and Reviving the High Street
• 2-pager with Calls to Action
• 4 videos from booksellers and bookseller professionals
• 5 video infographics

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget to #BookShopLocally!

Last 12th September, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation to combat late payment in commercial transactions. The proposal will replace the current Directive by, among other changes, imposing a strict payment cap of 30 days between all Business-to-Business (B2B) transactions without flexibility or exception.

EIBF is the voice of booksellers in the European Union and globally. EIBF’s members are national Booksellers Associations, which represent all kinds of book retailers, a majority of those being small and medium-sized independent and family-owned bookshops. As representatives of SME retailers, EIBF welcomes the proposal and its aim to address what is a serious issue for many businesses across Europe: late or even no payment for their services. 

However, EIBF is concerned by its likely negative impact on the sector and calls for the recognition of essential flexible payment terms for certain trade sectors working with slow-moving and seasonal goods, particularly the book sector. EIBF stresses that this proposal should not come at the expense of certain SMEs and their sectorial business models, where long payments terms are not late payments and are both desirable and necessary for the sector’s basic financial, logistical and operational structure. This is the case for the book sector, where long payment terms are essential to keep an optimal stock rotation throughout the year, while guaranteeing a healthy cash flow for bookshops and ensuring consumer needs are met. 

Our position

There are several concerning points in the legislative proposal that may severely impact the bookselling trade, given its unique business model and the particular rotation and shelf life of a book as a cultural product.

1. One size does not fit all
2. Sector specificities and particular business models need to be considered 
3. Flexible payment terms are an integrant part of the freedom to contract 
4. Books are slow-moving and slow-selling products
5. Long payment is not late payment
6. Shorter payment terms mean less liquidity for bookshops
7. Uncertainty for trade outside EU

Our asks

For small business owners in the bookselling sector who rely on flexible and long payment terms as an integral part of the business model, a 30-day cap for invoice payment with no flexibility or exception would have catastrophic consequences. Taking the points presented above into consideration, and given the unique structure of the trade and the specificity of books as a slow-moving product, EIBF asks for the book sector to be exempted from the Regulation’s obligations.

See our full position paper attached.

The European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the International Publishers Association (IPA) have expressed their concern about the imposition of an 18% tariff on books imported into Sri Lanka.

In letters to both the Sri Lankan government and the International Monetary Fund, the international organisations express their belief that the policy may contravene Sri Lanka’s commitments under the Florence Agreement and urge the Sri Lankan government to reconsider the tax hike.

EIBF represents the Ceylon Importers and Exporters Booksellers Association and IPA represents the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association (SLBPA). Both associations have worked together to explain the catastrophic consequences that such a tariff will have on the country’s book sector and dissuade the government from adopting the policy. EIBF and IPA stand in solidarity with their Sri Lankan colleagues and urge the government to reconsider this measure for the benefit of the Sri Lankan literary landscape.

Karine Pansa, IPA President said: "While we acknowledge that certain fiscal policies are necessary in times of financial difficulties, we do not believe that cultural products, including books, should be subject to such measures. Tariffs should not be imposed on books, regardless of format, because of their key role in ensuring the success of education, literacy and cultural development policies in all countries. Books, whether for adults or children, provide the basis of reading skills, curiosity, comprehension and individual enterprise, all of which contribute to a country’s sustained socio-economic growth"

Fabian Paagman, EIBF Co-President added: "Replacing an exemption with a significant tariff on imported books will immediately cause Sri Lankan booksellers to reduce or cease imports of books. Combined with the high prices of books due to the devaluation of the rupee, this can only have negative impacts by reducing access to books, increasing prices for consumers, and incentivizing piracy to the detriment of domestic publishing"

It is understood that the Sri Lankan government’s recently adopted proposal to introduce new VAT measures and remove exemptions for books are being implemented to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) fiscal obligations.

Sri Lanka is a signatory and States Party to the UNESCO Florence Agreement on the importation of educational, scientific and cultural materials, whereby the countries involved commit to not impose customs duties on certain educational, scientific, and cultural materials that are imported. The removal of books from the list of VAT exemptions seems entirely at odds with the country’s commitment under the Florence Agreement.

See our full statement attached.