Strasbourg, 18 January 2018

The European Parliament today backed the signing of the Marrakesh treaty that will help improve the availability and cross-border exchange of published works for blind and visually impaired people.

S&D Group spokesperson for the treaty, Jytte Guteland said:

“People who are blind or visually impaired face major hurdles in accessing books or other printed materials. This vote today will make it easier for people in Europe and around the world to access information and literature. It will give certain exceptions to copyright rules to make it easier for publishers to produce works in formats such as braille or in large print. It also makes it easier for works to be exchanged between national borders - giving people access to a much wider range of content.”