AEPO-ARTIS (Association of European Performers’ Organisations) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ibán García del Blanco as its new General Secretary. He will assume his role on 24 August 2026.
A lawyer and former Member of the European Parliament (2019–2024), García del Blanco has played a prominent role in shaping European legislation on artificial intelligence, intellectual property and culture. As S&D Coordinator in the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), he was part of the negotiating team for the AI Act and worked on several key legislative files related to digital policy and copyright. His European policy experience builds on extensive professional experience in the cultural sector in Spain, where he has worked across both the public and private spheres, contributing to the development and promotion of culture and creative industries.
At a time when technological developments, particularly artificial intelligence, are transforming the creative sector, García del Blanco’s experience will strengthen AEPO-ARTIS’ advocacy for performers’ rights and fair remuneration across Europe. Working closely with the organisation’s members and European policymakers, he will lead the Secretariat in promoting a legal and policy framework that protects performers while fostering innovation and support the organisation’s mission to secure fair remuneration, strengthen performers’ rights, and address the opportunities and challenges arising from AI and other technological developments.
Christophe Van Vaerenbergh, President of AEPO-ARTIS, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Ibán García del Blanco as our new General Secretary. His legal expertise, political experience and in-depth knowledge of European digital and copyright policy make him exceptionally well placed to lead AEPO-ARTIS at a time of profound change for the creative sector. We look forward to working with him to ensure that performers’ rights remain at the heart of Europe’s legislative agenda.”
Ibán García del Blanco, incoming General Secretary of AEPO-ARTIS, said:
“It is a great honour to join AEPO-ARTIS and to represent the interests of performers across Europe. Performers are essential to Europe’s cultural richness, and their rights must be protected, especially in an increasingly digital environment. As artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape the creative landscape, we must ensure that innovation goes hand in hand with transparency, respect for intellectual property, and fair remuneration for performers. I look forward to working with the AEPO-ARTIS team, members and European institutions to help build a future in which creativity and technology can thrive together.”
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About Ibán García del Blanco
Ibán García del Blanco is a lawyer and former Member of the European Parliament (2019–2024), where he played a leading role in shaping EU legislation on artificial intelligence, digital policy, intellectual property and culture. In his role as the EP coordinator of the Progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats (S&D) in the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), among other responsibilities, García del Blanco was part of the negotiating team for the Artificial Intelligence Act; rapporteur for the opinion on the Data Act, and for the legislative initiative report on An ethical framework for artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies, and co-rapporteur for the initiative report on virtual worlds. In the Culture and Education Committee, he was the rapporteur of the initiative file on Cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market.
