12 May 2026

GESAC statement on the EU Culture Council discussion on AI and copyright

Brussels, 12 May 2026, GESAC welcomes today’s discussion among EU Culture Ministers in Brussels on the urgent need to assess the EU copyright framework in light of generative AI developments.

The political message sent by Culture Ministers across Europe today was strong and clear: Europe cannot build its AI future on the unauthorised use of creators’ works. The growing threat posed by generative AI models trained on copyrighted content without authorisation, transparency and remuneration must be tackled. Member States strongly echoed the European Parliament’s March Resolution [Axel Voss report] and called for a rapid and ambitious EU policy response.

We thank Spain for bringing this important issue to the Council agenda, together with Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece, Austria and Estonia, and welcome the broad support expressed by Member States during the debate.

Spain’s proposal points the need to review the current EU copyright framework in view of GenAI developments to address three key issues: 1) clarify that the current rules under Art. 4 of the CDSM Directive address only certain acts of reproduction and that a broad interpretation of such article raises concern regarding compliance with the 2001 Copyright Directive and the Berne Convention. 2) provide clarity about the exploitation rights involved by Generative AI services when using copyrighted protected works. 3) Ensure effective transparency by going beyond the existing obligations currently applicable to Generative AI services under the EU AI legal framework.

GESAC welcomes the importance of workable licensing solutions, strong protection of creators’ rights, and safeguarding of cultural diversity addressed by all the member states that took the floor today, ensuring that creators and the cultural and creative sectors receive proper and adequate remuneration. GESAC particularly welcomes the broad support for additional targeted measures capable of ensuring meaningful protection for creators and rightsholders in the GenAI environment.

GESAC also welcomes Executive Vice-President Virkkunen’s words confirming the European Commission’s awareness of the difficulties of creators to control the use of their works by GenAI services and her will to reach a flourishing AI licensing market for rightsholders. Her acknowledgement that additional targeted measures are needed to complement the existing ones is an important step forward.

GESAC will follow these developments closely and contribute constructively to ensure a balanced and equitable Generative AI framework, one that supports European culture and guarantees fair outcomes for creators and right holders.

Policies

3 Key priorities for 2024 - 2029

During the previous EU term, significant strides were made toward protecting and promoting European creators and their work in the
digital age, with dedicated reports from the European Parliament on music streaming and buy-out issues, and the adoption of the AI Act.

But they were only the first step.

Progress in these areas will require yet more collaboration and determination to be transformed into effective implementable measures at EU level, and new legislative proposals from the European Commission.

Read our overview document below for our position on:

Clear actionable measures to ensure licensing of copyright protected works and appropriate remuneration of creators by Generative AI services.
A dedicated legislative proposal to tackle coercive buy-out practices imposed on authors and composers, and circumvention of EU’s protective measures by non-EU-based VOD platforms.
Introduction of new or additional rules at EU level requiring algorithmic transparency and discoverability of European works on music streaming platforms.

Policies

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence brings about many new opportunities for our lives, including in the field of culture and creativity, but its applications also raise a number of ethical and legal questions due to their wide-spread uncontrolled and unchecked usage.

The rapid deployment of GenAI services requires targeted EU legislative action to ensure transparency, fairness and full respect for authors rights.

Such intervention should:

reaffirm the full applicability of EU and national copyright laws to all GenAI services operating in the EU, regardless of where they are established or developed;
provide meaningful transparency obligations for GenAI services;
introduce a presumption mechanism to enable a functioning licensing market; and
consider solutions to address the harmful substitution effects of AI-generated outputs competing unfairly with original works.

Policies

Music Streaming

Music streaming has unquestionably become the predominant means of enjoying music, replacing traditional physical media and expanded far beyond the live sector by providing user-friendly, high quality, and affordable access to the largest possible repertoire anytime, anywhere, online, or offline.

Songs and compositions are at the heart of this thriving market, which counts 524 million users on subscription-based music services globally, reaches more than 2 billion users including the streaming on UGC platforms, and offers more than 70 million tracks from approximately 8 million artists.

Yet, the authors and composers cannot benefit adequately from this success, and the debate over unfairness of this market is gaining traction across Europe and around the world.

There is a need to look more closely at how songwriters and composers are connected to this thriving economy and what can be done to improve their currently neglected situation.

Read below to find out more about the Music Streaming market.

Policies

Buy-out contracts: a dangerous threat to European creators

European music creators are being forced to forsake thousands of euros in future earnings by draconian ‘work made for hire’ (WMH) and buy-out contracts.

Online audiovisual services and broadcasters that are mainly US-based are forcing music creators to accept such contracts, which enforce a one-time payment in exchange for their rights.

Given the worldwide popularity of shows and series on platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Disney etc., and their replay value, the audiovisual market represents an important revenue stream for creators. Soundtracks alone are part and parcel of series and often attract a similar amount of popularity, massively boosting sales, streams and the worldwide fan-base of their authors.

Read below to find out how video on demand (VOD) platforms and broadcasters are circumventing EU law and what can be done about it.

Policies

Authors’ societies & the collective management model

Authors’ societies are hugely beneficial to both authors (creators), users (platforms and services), and the broader public.

Beyond benefiting these different groups, authors’ societies also support the broader cultural ecosystem by funding and promoting cultural and creative initiatives.

Below are five key benefits to authors’ societies and the collective management model.