Brussels, 10/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of a day of action in several EU member states to demonstrate against the highly controversial international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), environmentalists and the far Left in the European Parliament (EP) have given their backing to the wave of protest.
“ACTA. Beware. Danger”, warned a press release signed on Friday 10 February by 15 French environmentalist MEPs (Europe-Ecologie/Greens), headed by Sandrine Bélier, in support of the international day of demonstration against the ACTA on Saturday 11 February. “This treaty, which was negotiated in the very greatest secrecy, is showing itself to be a redoubtable instrument for the control of the internet, to the benefit of a few multinationals. Its scope goes far beyond protecting copyright. It endangers civil liberties, blocks access to knowledge and generic medicines, and favours holders of 'patents on life'”, the 15 say.
The GUE/NGL Group has also stated its support for anti-ACTA demonstrators. “The Left in Europe strongly opposes the proposed ACTA agreement. We certainly want to protect consumers from counterfeited goods or medicine, and we also acknowledge the need to protect the rights of the creative sector, but we must find a way to do that without sacrificing privacy rights and data protection. ACTA is simply the wrong answer to this complex problem, and exposes citizens to the interests of large corporations in the software, film and music industry. We need a clear, transparent, inclusive and democratic procedure to protect fundamental rights for both consumers and producers”, said German MEP Helmut Scholz.
Negotiated outside the WTO and behind closed doors by Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United States and the EU, the ACTA seeks to protect intellectual property from counterfeiting, both traditional (clothing, medicines) and digital (illegal uploading), on the basis of harmonised international standards. The agreement, however, is problematical, particularly because of its effect on civil liberties. Under pressure from NGOs and internet users, Poland and the Czech Republic, which, like 20 other EU member states, signed the agreement on 26 January, have frozen the ratification process while awaiting legal advice. The wave of protest is growing in Europe, with demonstrations planned for 11 February in France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary. (EH/transl.rt)