Clarification of whether the principle of reciprocity is consistent with EU law

Question for written answer E-002400/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Emma Rafowicz (S&D), Hannes Heide (S&D), Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (PPE), Laurence Farreng (Renew), Marcos Ros Sempere (S&D), Milan Zver (PPE), Aurore Lalucq (S&D), Nikos Papandreou (S&D), Sandro Ruotolo (S&D) Subject: Clarification of whether the principle of reciprocity is consistent with EU law Following the 2020 judgment in the Recorded Artists Actors Performers Ltd case, the European music sector, supported by Parliament, requested clarification of Directive 2006/115/EC. It seeks confirmation of the principle of reciprocity that derives from international treaties, so that Member States may apply a different system, should they wish to do so. The Court of Justice of the European Union highlighted that it was the responsibility of the EU legislator to clarify whether this principle is consistent with EU law. Without EU intervention, performing artists, along with very small, small and medium enterprises that produce music in Europe risk having EUR 125 million of their annual revenue transferred to the United States. This is despite the fact that such performers and entities are a catalyst for diversity and European creative talent. The EU's capacity to exert trade pressure on third countries who do not follow EU legal norms is also at stake. Clearly, it is even more important for the EU to maintain trade pressure, given the aggressive trade policy pursued by the Trump Administration. Confirming the...