WIPO - Signing ceremony of the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled persons on behalf of the European Union and Greece

The Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union, represented by the Ambassador of Greece to the UN in Geneva, Alexandros Alexandris, signed on Wednesday the 30th of April the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled persons on behalf of the European Union and Greece, in the presence of WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, the Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva, Mariangela Zappia, the Executive Director of the European Blind Union Mokrane Boussaid and the Secretary General of the International Publishers Association Jens Bammel.

The Treaty was also signed by France and India during the same event.

The Treaty intends to accommodate the needs of blind, visually impaired and people with print disabilities when it comes to access to books and other print material. The aim of the Treaty is unique (in many respects), exceptional (in many aspects) and therefore not comparable to any other type of exception or limitation.

As Irini Stamatoudi, Director General of the Hellenic Copyright Organisation mentioned in her speech in the World Intellectual Property Organisation, "the Hellenic Presidency to the Council of the European Union has put its bestendeavoursto have the decision of the signing of the Marrakesh Treaty by the EU adopted as soon as possible and has succeeded in this goal".