The Ministry of Culture has conducted a public consultation with stakeholders on some proposed changes to the Law on Books in the Republic of Albania.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Culture, Elva Margariti, the director of the National Library of Albania, Piro Misha, the director of the National Center of the Book and Reading, Alda Bardhyli, the chairman of the Association of Albanian Publishers, Petrit Ymeri, publishers, authors, translators, etc.

The Minister emphasized that the proposed changes have come after extensive consultations and continuous requests to regulate certain aspects of the functioning of the National Center of the Book and Reading by specifying the rights and obligations of this institution.

The legal changes take into account the enrichment of public libraries, emphasizing that the annual funds dedicated to the purchase of new titles in the budgets of local government institutions should not be diversified but used solely for this purpose.

Another important point is the management of mandatory copies of new titles submitted to the National Library. Through this proposal, out of the five copies submitted by publishing entities, two will be distributed to public libraries.

Additionally, there will be a reflection on meeting the requirements of a category of readers with different abilities, which aligns with the approach to European Union standards.