Answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission

Article 15 of the directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market[1] strengthens the position of press publishers in the age of Internet . It provides press publishers with a new right to authorise or prohibit the use of their press publications by online platforms. The directive must be implemented by the Member States by 7 June 2021. France is the first Member State to have implemented Article 15 so far.

The Commission is monitoring the implementation of the directive and following market developments. Article 15 has already started delivering practical results in France, where press publishers and Google have concluded a framework agreement and a number of bilateral agreements for the remuneration of press content online. As more and more countries implement Article 15, the Commission expects that positive results will materialize in other Member States.

The French competition authority has opened an investigation into practices implemented by Google following the transposition of the directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market in France.

The Commission is not competent to negotiate commercial agreements on behalf of press publishers and can therefore not ask for a mandate to do so from the Member States.

• [1] Directive (EU) 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market and amending Directives 96/9/EC and 2001/29/EC