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The government of French-speaking Belgium (Wallonia and Brussels) has adopted a draft decree permitting publishers to fix book retail prices after a fourth and final reading.
“Book professionals have been waiting for this for 30 years,” commented vice president and culture minister Alda Greoli. When implemented, the rule will help to bolster publishing diversity and permit booksellers to “finally play their role fully in advising (customers), stocking a variety of titles and organizing events,” the ministry said in a statement.
The draft stipulates that the prices of imported French-language books cannot be higher than that charged in the country where it is published, the French trade publication Livres Hebdo reported. The aim is to end the mark-up of 10% to 17% on books published in France and sold in Belgium by Hachette Livre Distribution and and Editis’ distributor Interforum.
The decree should be adopted by the French community’s parliament by the end of the year, and take effect gradually at the beginning of 2018, the ministry said in a statement. A co-operation agreement with the Flemish community is being examined by the Economic Affairs Ministry so that the rules will apply in all bilingual retail outlets.
The draft, which was adopted on a first reading by the government and was submitted for comment to the European Commission and Belgian Council of State, will be presented to parliament in September.
France has had a law enabling publishers to set retail book prices since 1981. The Lang law, named after the culture minister at the time, Jack Lang, is generally recognised to have helped France maintain a solid network of independent booksellers and small publishers, as well as a diversity of titles.