Argentina government cancels plans to debate Book Law in Congress

The Argentine government has confirmed that the 'Ley del Libro' (Book Law) will not be brought before Congress. President Javier Milei announced the decision, stating that the legislative agenda is determined by the political table to ensure the best implementation strategy.

The proposed reform, originating from the Ministry of Deregulation led by Federico Sturzenegger, aimed to eliminate the 'Ley de Defensa de la Actividad Librera'. This existing law mandates a fixed price set by publishers, preventing price competition among retailers.

While the government argued that removing price restrictions would increase competition and make books more accessible, the proposal faced significant opposition from the publishing and bookstore sectors. Critics argued that the fixed-price system prevents large players from engaging in 'dumping'—subsidizing popular titles to undercut smaller businesses—and warned that deregulation could threaten the diversity of available titles and the survival of small bookstores.