Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled

The Committee on Legal Affairs adopted the report by Max ANDERSSON (Greens/EFA, SE) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the Marrakesh Treaty.

As stated in the explanatory statement accompanying the recommendation, the Marrakesh Treaty, adopted on 27 June 2013, is part of a series of international copyright treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

The purpose of the treaty is to facilitate the access for persons with visual impairments and other print disabilities to works in accessible format, all the while protecting the rightholders. To this end, the Treaty harmonises exceptions to the international copyright system and allows for the cross-border exchange of accessible format copies.

The Committee for Legal Affairs of the European Parliament has successfully finalised the inter-institutional negotiations on the legislative package implementing the Marrakesh Treaty into EU law.

Parliament and Council adopted Directive (EU) 2017/1564 and Regulation (EU) 2017/1563 on 13 September 2017.

The Council’s decision to conclude the international treaty would be another decisive step towards the full implementation of these copyright laws.