From: Majella Cunnane <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, Jul 5, 2016 at 6:49 AM

Dear all,

Please see our press release “Our Common Future” published online
today and with full text also available below.

The Hague, 5 July 2016

EBLIDA is an organisation that embodies trans-national cooperation for
the public good of all Europeans.

EBLIDA’s membership achieves this by harnessing the skills, expertise
and aspirations of Europe’s professional library organisations and
institutions, their members and staff, that regardless of nationality,
are united by strong common professional values.

In light of the result of the UK Brexit referendum of 23 June 2016,
EBLIDA intends to strongly support the British library community
during the years ahead.

We believe that during this period, the best way for British library
and information organisations and institutions to protect their
potential interests in Brussels is through membership of pan-European
library and information organisations such as EBLIDA, since the UK may
decide to take a path that leads to remaining in the EEA or striking
an agreement with the EU that gives it enhanced access to the EU
Internal Market, whereby relevant EU law may in future still continue
to apply to many UK library and information activities, especially in
the digital environment.

EBLIDA pledges to continue to represent the interests of all its
members in its advocacy with the EU institutions, including its
British members who now find themselves in the unprecedented situation
of having in political terms suddenly lost their own direct voices in
Brussels while the UK continues in EU membership and pending the
outcome of the UK's negotiations on the nature of its future
relationship with the EU.

We stand ready to help our British colleagues now and in future and
will not give up fighting for them in Europe in relation to:


·         copyright and other information law

·         education, research and culture

·         cross-border access to information and knowledge

·         development of libraries, literacy and a reading culture

·         information literacy and other skills training for citizens

·         global exceptions and limitations at WIPO

Finally, we won’t give up on you because we know that for all those
campaigns, whether within or outside of the EU, you will, as always,
stand by your colleagues throughout the rest of Europe.

************

Best Regards,
Majella Cunnane
Administrative Officer

On behalf of
Vincent Bonnet
EBLIDA Director

EBLIDA - European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations

National Library of the Netherlands
Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5
2595 BE The Hague
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 3140137