Fresh attack launched on book prices

Date: 10/04/1997

COMPETITION Commissioner Karel van Miert has signalled that he is considering a fresh attack on agreements between publishers and shops setting minimum prices for books.

Speaking at an informal meeting of EU culture ministers in Maastricht this week, Van Miert warned that he had serious doubts about whether supporters of fixed price agreements had made a strong enough case to win exemptions from competition proceedings.

Van Miert's comments suggest he is preparing a fresh assault on a practice which is still widespread across much of Europe.

But if he is, it is likely to run into fierce opposition from some member states.

Dutch Culture Minister Aad Nuis said after this week's meeting that ministers had supported such price-fixing schemes and believed books were a cultural issue and therefore an area which should be left up to member states.

Van Miert's competition officials are currently scrutinising an agreement between Germany, Austria and Switzerland which sets minimum prices for German language books sold within their borders. Similar floors for book prices are set within France and Belgium, said an official.

The tussle between Commission competition watchdogs and national publishing associations has been going on for more than 15 years, punctuated by judgements from the European Court of Justice which have come down on both sides.

Competition officials have focused their attack on cases where national associations have tried to protect their minimum price regimes by sealing deals with publishers in neighbouring same- language countries or blocking the importation of lower-priced books.

The European Booksellers Federation, which mostly represents small, independent book shops, attacked Van Miert's latest remarks. “He does not understand the book trade and has not attempted to understand it,” said federation president John Hitchin, adding that many European countries were moving to reinforce or establish minimum prices for books. Spain has agreed to renew its system of fixed price agreements, Portugal is establishing a framework, and the Netherlands has moved to extend its agreements until 2005.