Brussels, 12/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - The main focus of discussions at the meeting on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) participants in Geneva on 3-4 June was border measures, and in particular, how to deal with large-scale intellectual property infringements, which frequently can involve criminal elements and pose a threat to public health and safety. Taking part in the meeting were Australia, Canada, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the EU. Participants expect to continue their discussions on border enforcement. They discussed future engagement with stakeholders and agreed to proceed with this at domestic level and to identify opportunities for further engagement in the future. On 4 December 2007, the ACTA participating countries agreed that it would be appropriate to negotiate such an agreement. The ACTA will be a powerful instrument to better tackle piracy and counterfeiting. It will be based on increased international cooperation through harmonised standards and improved communication between countries taking part in the agreement. There will also be provision made for transitional measures and technical assistance to make it easier for well-advanced developing countries to sign up to the agreement. The ACTA will also allow stronger common coercive practices and will provide a modern legal framework reflecting the changing nature of intellectual property violations in the global economy and tailored to meet new threats such as counterfeit medicines. (E.H./transl.rt)