Today the  European Commission announced that it  will ask for a legal ruling of the European Court of Justice  (ECJ)  on whether the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is incompatible with EU's fundamental rights and freedoms.

 

S&D Euro MP David Martin, responsible for the ACTA report in the European Parliament, welcomed the decision and said:

 

"Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht today admitted that there are still many question marks about ACTA and what the implementation of the agreement, as it stands, would mean for citizens and for the freedom of the internet.

"The Parliament has been calling for more clarity for a long time, and we already requested legal opinions from several committees in the European Parliament. Now this ruling will be a good guarantee for the impact on fundamental rights.

"We will wait for the ECJ ruling before we draw conclusions, but an open political debate in the European Parliament is also necessary on the measures foreseen by ACTA.

 

"We must guarantee a good balance between intellectual property rights, which are fundamental for the European economy and job creation, and individual freedoms." 

 

The first exchange of views of the international trade parliamentary committee on ACTA will take place on 29 February and a public workshop will be held on 1 March.

 

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Associated media

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