France to be Guest of Honour at Frankfurt Book Fair in 2017

Friday, 26 September 2014 Books+Publishing

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has accepted the invitation for France to be Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) in 2017, the France Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced in a statement. The decision reflects the French government’s ‘determination to continue and strengthen French-German cooperation in the cultural policy arena, which is especially strong in the field of books following the adoption of common positions on reduced VAT rates for digital books and copyright protection,’ said the statement. According to Bookseller the invitation was issued to France in July 2013, but was not initially accepted because of the cost and perceived lack of political gain. The Culture Ministry has declined to comment on how it will pay for the €8m-€9m (A$11.6m-$13m) Guest of Honour stand. France was previously guest of honour at FBF in 1989.

Category: International news