The executive director of the Romanian Publishers Association (AER), Mihai Mitrică, declared on Thursday, in Târgu Mure?, that despite the increase in VAT for books and the lack of involvement from the authorities in supporting written culture, the Romanian book industry will not die, being very flexible to economic shocks.
"I assure you, with the minimal experience I have in this industry, since 2011, that the book industry in Romania will not die. It is a very flexible industry to economic shocks. Think that, according to calculations made (...), in the last 15 years we have lost a third of our employees and we still manage to survive. That says a lot about the resilience of this field. But we must take into account the fact that this industry is fundamental for preserving the Romanian language, for protecting Romanian culture. And these are not big words. This is how it is protected, these are the antibodies. In the publishing industry, antibodies are found to ensure the continuity of the Romanian language, its growth and the attempt to keep people vaccinated against disinformation," Mihai Mitrica declared for AGERPRES.
The executive director of the Romanian Publishers Association pointed out that the increase in VAT to 11% caused a new shock in the book market, because apart from Targu Mures and Chisinau, no other city or county hosting the Bookfest Book Fair is materially involved.
"We must be aware that when the VAT on books increased, more than double, we did nothing more than throw another sandbag behind someone who was trying to survive, keeping afloat. An event like Bookfest, where we may still be able to find books at a discount, gives us a somewhat distorted image of the market, because in bookstores costs have increased since August 1 for everyone. And not everyone has the capacity of the Targu Mures Local Council and the Mures County Council to support an event like Bookfest, which offers exhibitors stands at no cost. With the exception of the Bookfest edition in Chisinau and Targu Mures, nowhere else can we provide this very, very important facility for exhibitors.Unfortunately, these are the conditions (...). Therefore, bookstores are obliged to deduct their operating costs, rent, etc. from the price of the book. The book market was already on a declining trend, we had an increasingly smaller number of copies sold from 2023 onwards, immediately after the pandemic. And this in conditions where there was no specific measure to support this field of written culture from any government formula that has existed since the beginning of the pandemic and until the moment we are discussing it," stressed Mihai Mitrica.
The 10th edition of the Bookfest Book Fair in Targu Mures saw many more exhibitors present compared to previous years.
"We have more exhibitors than in the previous edition. Perhaps taking advantage of the fact that it is a jubilee edition, word has spread that Targu Mures is a very honorable market for an event like Bookfest. Besides, we wouldn't have held 10 editions here if we were coming for charity, but we come because there is interest from the public to visit Bookfest and buy books. I am happy that I see so many children, so many students, right from the first hours. I know that many of them came as a result of the exhortations sent by the schools, but I am also happy about this mechanism, because although it may seem a little forced, it only gets the children used to the pleasure of sitting among books, of leafing through books and, why not, to read them," said the executive director of the Romanian Publishers Association.
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