Dear EU "when you consult - please listen to what we say"

On the eve of the scheduled December 9th release of and vote on the foundational policy for future European copyright reform laws, the Communication from the European Commission to the European Parliament on copyright reform, a broad coalition of more than twenty companies and organisations representing news publishers and other digital content and services providers, as well as consumers, and civil rights advocates have fired off new salvos in the battle between digital rights stakeholders and EU copyright reform proponents. The main complaint seems to be that there is no point consulting if the EU has already set its own agenda.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has now announced that it and other members of the coalition, including the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), have sent letters to First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and to Members of the European Parliament, raising concerns about lack of adequate consultation with stakeholders prior to the scheduled release on December 9th communique. The CCIA is a U.S. based organization with offices in Europe and includes Amazon, Facebook, Google and Yahoo. Another coalition organization titled their missive, “ Dear European Commission, could you at least pretend you’re listening to us? “.

The Communication will set the copyright agenda for years to come. It is a vital part of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market (DSM) Strategy announced in May of this year. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisabrownlee/2015/11/27/eu-copyright-reform-computer-comms-industry-major-stakeholders-coalition-raise-concerns/