States very divided over cultural future

Meeting in Brussels on 25 November, the 28 ministers for culture continued to express diverging views on the digital era. French Minister Fleur Pellerin argued for "neutrality of the medium" in the context of e-books as opposed to traditional books – notably in terms of taxation –, but a dozen countries are opposed. France, Germany and Luxembourg, which apply reduced VAT rates to e-books, are under infringement proceedings launched by the European Commission, which maintains that e-books should be taxed…