National Media Briefing: Belgium and the Netherlands
On 28 March 2017, the partners in the FAIR INTERNET Campaign with the support of AEPO-ARTIS members Playright and NORMA held a Press Briefing at the Silken Berlaymont Hotel in Brussels, targeting the Belgian and Dutch media.
Entitled “Copyright: Will the reform of the copyright directive ensure fair treatment of Dutch and Belgian performers in the online world?” the briefing focussed on the FAIR INTERNET Campaign and the draft Copyright Directive. It provided an opportunity to explain the relevant issues as they apply at the national level to the media and representatives of the European Parliament in attendance.
Belgian and Dutch performers attending the event included Caroline De Bruijn, Carel Kraaijenhof, Klaas Delrue, Tom Kestens, Peter Bulckaen and Ivan Pecnik. Also participating were Luc Gulinck from the Belgian performers’ collective management organisation PlayRight and Wisso Wissing from the Dutch performers’ collective management organisation NORMA.
In a significant development concerning the Finnish cultural sector, AEPO-ARTIS expressed grave concerns over the Finnish government’s proposal to halve private copying remuneration.
On May 16th, AEPO-ARTIS organised a seminar on the EU enlargement and the impact hereof on performer rights. With representatives from three different EC Departments, performer organisations from a.o. Türkiye, Serbia, North Macedonia and Georgia and over 65 participants, the seminar was a succesfull first step towards a strong future collaboration with performers and their organisations in the EU Candidate Member States.