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What it is

Rules on books, fixed prices, reading and libraries

BOE step 7 of 7 · Passed

It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 13 November 2006. Introduced by: Gobierno.

Official title: Government bill on reading, books, and libraries.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000112· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The law defines what counts as a book (including e-books and books distributed online), library, digital library, publisher, distributor, bookseller and other key concepts.
  2. The Government must approve reading promotion plans, with funding and periodic evaluation, paying special attention to children, disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities. Libraries, especially public, school and university ones, play a key role.
  3. A fixed book price is established: publishers and importers must set the retail price, and booksellers must respect it. Using books as a sales gimmick for other products is banned.
  4. There are exclusions and exceptions to the fixed price: textbooks, used, old or out-of-catalog books, and allowed discounts on Book Day, at book fairs, or for libraries and research centers.
  5. Public libraries must guarantee free access to on-site consultation, lending, information and the Internet. The Spanish Library System and the Library Cooperation Council are regulated, based on voluntary cooperation between administrations.
  6. Selling books at a price other than the fixed one is a minor offense (fines from €1,000 to €10,000) or a serious one if several copies are involved or the book is used as a sales gimmick (fines from €10,001 to €100,000).

Who it affects

  • Publishers, importers and booksellers: They must set and respect the fixed retail price, with some exceptions.
  • Readers and families: Textbooks are excluded from the fixed price, which can make them cheaper.
  • Libraries and their staff: They must offer free basic services, be accessible and cooperate within the Spanish Library System.
  • People with disabilities: Libraries must be accessible and reading plans must include formats such as braille or easy reading.
  • Authors: They receive promotion campaigns, national awards and compensation when libraries lend their works.

Words worth knowing

Precio fijo (fixed book price)
A system where all sellers charge the same price for a book, set by the publisher.
ISBN
International number that uniquely identifies each book.
Depósito legal (legal deposit)
Duty to submit copies of every publication to preserve the bibliographic heritage.
Publicación seriada (serial publication)
A work published in successive numbered parts, with no planned end date.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.

  1. Introduced13 November 2006Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted21 November 2006The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendments24 November 2006Groups propose changes.
  4. Committee21 February 2007A committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenary21 March 2007All 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senate29 March 2007The Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOE14 June 2007It is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 12 official steps on a timeline
Nov 2006Dec 2006Jan 2007Feb 2007Mar 2007Apr 2007May 200711. 13 November 2006: Presentación22. 21 November 2006: Comisión de Cultura Publicación desde 21/11/2006 hasta 24/11/200633. 21 November 2006: Calificación44. 24 November 2006: Comisión de Cultura Enmiendas desde 24/11/2006 hasta 28/02/200755. 14 February 2007: Comisión de Cultura Mesa - Calificación desde 14/02/2007 hasta 21/02/200766. 21 February 2007: Comisión de Cultura Debate de totalidad desde 21/02/2007 hasta 21/02/200777. 28 February 2007: Comisión de Cultura Informe desde 28/02/2007 hasta 14/03/200788. 14 March 2007: Comisión de Cultura Dictamen desde 14/03/2007 hasta 21/03/200799. 21 March 2007: Pleno Aprobación desde 21/03/2007 hasta 29/03/20071010. 29 March 2007: Senado desde 29/03/2007 hasta 06/06/20071111. 6 June 2007: Pleno Enmiendas o veto del Senado desde 06/06/2007 hasta 14/06/20071212. 14 June 2007: Concluido - (Aprobado con modificaciones) desde 14/06/2007 hasta 03/07/2007

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.

The same initiative in the other chamber:

Published in the BOE: Law 10/2007, of June 22, on reading, books, and libraries.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

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