For the 2024-2029 mandate, European publishers call on the European Parliament to uphold a vibrant publishing sector, the largest cultural industry in Europe, ensuring that we can continue to freely publish a wide variety of books, guaranteeing freedom of expression, a plurality of opinions and our democratic values.
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Thirteenth edition of the Author-Publisher Dialogues
On 12 February 2025, the Federation of European Publishers organised the 13th edition of the Author-Publisher Dialogues with the support of SOFIA and with the following speakers:
- Gauthier van Meerbeeck, Editorial Director of Le Lombard (Belgian publishing house specialised in comics and graphic novels),
- Philippe Glorieux, Chief Marketing Officer of IMPS The Smurfs,
- author François Boucq (winner of the Angoulême Grand Prix)
- and Alix Garin, author of ‘Ne M’oublie pas’ and ‘Impénétrable’.
The highly successful event was attended by around twenty participants, including eight Members of the European Parliament:
- Laurence Farreng (France, RENEW), member of the Culture and Education Committee (CULT) and host of the event
- Bernard Guetta (France, RENEW), substitute member of the CULT Committee
- Fabienne Keller (France, RENEW), member of the LIBE Committee
- Emma Rafowicz (France, Socialists & Democrats / S&D), member of the CULT Committee
- Benoît Cassart (Belgium, RENEW), member of the International Trade Committee (INTA)
- Michael Gahler (Germany, EPP), substitute member of the ECON Committee
- Hannes Heide (Austria, S&D), member of the CULT Committee
- Manuela Ripa (Germany, EPP), member of the CULT Committee and substitute member of the ENVI Committee
- Inese Vaidere (Latvia, EPP), member of the INTA Committee and the Internal Market (IMCO) Committee
As well as half a dozen assistants, including Isabelle Le Callennec’s assistant (FR/EPP).
Laurence Farreng introduced the evening, recalling the obligation of transparency, respect for the opt-out and remuneration by AI companies, as well as the importance of freedom of expression (with occasional differences on secularism with the Nordics, who may emphasise the notion of blasphemy).
On the right, MEP Laurence Farreng. Next to her the comic author Alix Garin
The two comic authors spoke of the long time it takes to produce their work (one to two years for an album). Gauthier van Meerbeeck mentioned the support, particularly financial, during this time and pointed out that 9 out of 10 albums are commercial failures.
Publisher Gauthier van Meerbeeck during the Dialogues
The participants widely spoke about AI, notably:
– A. Garin called for a reflection on the bias of AIs and the society they may shape and noted that AI amounts to annihilating the fact of sharing an experience through art.
– F. Boucq explained that with AI, we give up discovering the world for ourselves, ‘the machine puts a distance between the author and the reader’, he said, adding that ‘there is no symbolic world’.
Finally, Philippe Glorieux cited the emotional relationship that everyone has with the Smurfs around the world (the Smurfs have been translated into 55 languages).
MEP Emma Rafowicz expressed her disappointment at the final declaration of the AI Summit, held in Paris on 10-11 February. MEP Benoît Cassart was very sensitive to the issues of copyright and freedom of expression.
Text translated from French, courtesy of Catherine Blache (Syndicat National de l’Edition, the French Publishers Association).
Authors Alix Garin and François Boucq and Philippe Glorieux, CMO at IMPS The Smurfs during the Dialogues
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