FEP Statement - European book publishers condemn the exclusion of three German bookshops from the German Bookshop Award

11 March 2026

The Federation of European Publishers joins the International Publishers Association, our member, the German Booksellers and Publishers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels) and the European and International Booksellers Federation in condemning the exclusion of three bookshops from the German Bookshop Award. This decision highlights serious deficiencies in terms of the procedure which led to the exclusion and transparency, and directly undermines the values of freedom of expression and freedom to publish on which the publishing sector is based.

FEP President, Sonia Draga, said: ‘European publishers are concerned that these bookshops were excluded without being provided any justification. Bookshops are places where ideas are exchanged and new opinions are shaped. We demand clarity on the process that led to the exclusion of the three bookshops and, in the absence of a clear process and transparency, their immediate reintegration in the German Bookshop Award’.

FEP is an independent, non-commercial umbrella association of book publishers’ associations in Europe. FEP represents 31 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials, in all formats, in Europe. FEP is the voice of the great majority of publishers in Europe.

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