Levi elected president of the Federation of European Publishers, with Draga as vice-president

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) has elected Ricardo Franco Levi, president of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), as its new president. 

Levi was appointed during the FEP’s general assembly in Brussels on Friday 4th November. During the meeting, FEP members also voted for the new board for the 2022-2024 mandate. Sonia Draga, the current president of the Polish Chamber of Books (PIK) and president of the eponymous publishing house, has been elected as vice-president, the first woman elected to that position. She will be the future president in 2024.  

Phaedon Kidoniatis, representative of the Co-operation of Greek Publishers’ Associations and founder of Eurasia Publications, was elected as treasurer, and Catherine Blache (Syndicat National de l’Édition, France), Sakari Laiho (Suomen Kustannusyhdistys, Finland) and Jessica Sänger (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, Germany) were also elected as board members.  

Outgoing president, Peter Kraus vom Cleff, said: “Working with European colleagues on all these important files has been extremely fulfilling these past four years, first as vice-president and then as president. Having one voice for European publishers is key to being heard and together, we can present the case for European publishers in Europe and in the world. I wish all the best to my successor, Ricardo Franco Levi and the newly elected board.” 

Levi said: “Following Peter Kraus vom Cleff’s and previous presidents’ steps, I will commit to strengthen the representation of publishers at European level. I will bring my European experience and I look forward to continue having the voice of my fellow publishers heard and listened to by politicians and the commission’s officials. Books and reading are absolutely indispensable to our European democracy, and we must make sure that the EU and our national governments recognise the importance of our sector and support us through positive policies. During my presidency, I will also pursue Peter’s endeavour to help our Ukrainian colleagues to remain a viable sector in a more than challenging and dramatic situation.”