Ref. Ares(2020)854385 - 10/02/2020 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, CONTENT AND TECHNOLOGY The Director-General Brussels CNECT.I.2/AA Mr Balázs Dénes Executive Director Civil Liberties Union for Europe By email: [email protected] Dear Mr Dénes, Thank you for your letter dated 14 January 2020, sent on behalf of users’ and fundamental rights organisations concerning the stakeholder dialogue organised by the Commission pursuant to Article 17 of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. I am replying on behalf of Executive Vice-President Vestager, Vice-President Jourová, Commissioner Gabriel and Commissioner Breton. Thank you for underlining the Commission’s efforts to include a wide range of stakeholders, including users’ representatives, in the discussions on Article 17. In your letter, you ask that the Commission be equally transparent on issuing guidance taking into account the stakeholder dialogue. In this regard, you suggest opening the draft guidance to stakeholders’ consultation. You can have my assurance that you will be further consulted before adoption of the guidance. The details and timing of such consultation, as well as the process leading to the adoption of the guidance, will be decided shortly and shared with you. Yours sincerely, e-signed Roberto Viola Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111 Office: BU25 01/083 - Tel. direct line +32 229-67119 [email protected] c.c.: C. Bury, M. Giorello, G. Abbamonte (DG CONNECT), J-H Jeppesen, Center for Democracy and… P. Gonella, Italian Coalition for JEPPESEN Jens-Henrik (CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY, Patrizio GONELLA (Italian Coalition for Civil Rights and Freedoms), Eduardo SANTOS, Diego NARANJO, Stephen WYBER Stephen (IFLA), Jesper LUND (EUROPEAN DIGITAL RIGHTS AISBL*EDRI), Thierry BRETON (VDL-CA-16), Margrethe VESTAGER (VDL- CA-03), Vera JOUROVA (VDL-CA-07), Mariya GABRIEL (VDL- CA-12) 2 Electronically signed on 10/02/2020 11:11 (UTC+01) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563.