Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats
Socialists and Democrats are pushing the European Parliament to give a clear signal to the European Commission before the initialling of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
At the initiative of S&D a debate was held in the plenary meeting in Strasbourg last October and a resolution on ACTA will be voted next Wednesday by the European Parliament. The S&D Group calls on the Commission to fully take into consideration the opinion of the European Parliament before initialling the agreement.
Kader Arif, S&D spokesperson on international trade, said: “The Parliament will watch carefully all provisions that may affect fundamental freedoms and individual rights, as well as free access to the internet and the neutrality of the web. The definition of ‘commercial scale use’ and the respect of geographical indications are two shortcomings that the Commission needs to address.”
Mr Arif said that other concerns expressed by the group, such as the availability of generic medicines to developing countries, have been partly taken into consideration and reference to the Doha Declaration on Public Health and Access to Medicines has been included in the text.
The Euro MP also demands that the Commission guarantee the rights of Parliament in the implementation of ACTA: “The Commission should explain how future developments of ACTA will be made public to citizens and how the ACTA committee will be accountable to the European Parliament.”
Thanks to the EP resolution voted in March and led by the S&D Group, the Commission has been more transparent and the provisional negotiating texts were finally made public.
The Commission reached a general agreement with the other negotiating partners in October, and will hold the final technical meeting on 30 November.
Mr Arif said that no provisional implementation of the agreement will be accepted without the previous consent of the European Parliament.
Victoria Martín de la Torre
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Associated media
Commission must hear the Parliament before initialling the ACTA agreement. Kader Arif, S&D spokesperson on international trade, said: 'The Parliament will watch carefully all provisions that may affect fundamental freedoms and individual rights, as well as free access to the internet and the neutrality of the web. The definition of ‘commercial scale use’ and the respect of geographical indications are two shortcomings that the Commission needs to address'
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