Cyprus | National Insights | News Story | publishing rights

Cyprus Workshop Report: The Secondary Publication Right

24 March 2026

On Monday, 16 March 2026, KR21 organised a workshop, with the support of the Cyprus Association of Librarians – Information Scientists (CALIS, ΚΕΒΕΠ), titled “The Secondary Publication Right: Concept, Legal Framework, and the Bulgarian Experience”, which was held in Nicosia, at the University of Cyprus Library. The event was led by Ana Lazarova, KR21 national coordinator for Bulgaria.

Following a warm welcome from CALIS President Theodora Petrou, participants were introduced to KR21’s new campaign, “Let Libraries be Libraries,” by Giorgos Glossiotis, KR21 national coordinator for Greece and Cyprus.

Deep Dive: Secondary Publishing Rights & the Bulgarian Experience

Opening the session with library colleagues, Ana Lazarova addressed access to the results of publicly funded research and how copyright can hinder this. She explained in detail the concept of Secondary Publishing Rights (SPR) and their legal nature, and presented the relevant regulations in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Slovenia. Finally, she shared her national experience with the adoption of SPR in Bulgaria and its implementation at the state and institutional levels.

The workshop was well attended, with over 40 librarians from various libraries across Cyprus participating and engaging in a lively discussion. The audience expressed particular interest in how academic staff engage with such regulations. Furthermore, approaches to introduce such a right into Cypriot legislation were discussed.

Stakeholders Meeting

Later that same day, the KR21 and CALIS representatives joined members of parliament, political party representatives, scientific associations, and academic libraries for a stakeholder meeting.

A broad range of issues was discussed, including the need to reform the Cyprus Intellectual Property Law, as well as specific matters related to the operation of libraries, academic institutions, and research organisations in the new digital environment. A strong emphasis was placed on establishing SPR in Cyprus. Finally, issues such as the upcoming European Research Area (ERA) Act were also addressed, with a view to ensuring their incorporation into discussions under the Cypriot Presidency of the European Council.

Looking Ahead

In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing a KR21-supported study on intellectual property issues and access to knowledge and information in Cyprus, following a first presentation of this work during the stakeholders’ meeting. This work has been prepared by Professor Philippe Jougleux of the European University of Cyprus.

Throughout the Cypriot Presidency of the European Council, KR21 is committed to raising the voice of libraries and the researchers, educators and learners who rely on them. Stay tuned for further developments!