Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats
Five months after the Socialists and Democrats led the European Parliament's rejection of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), the European Commission today announced that it will withdraw its appeal to the European Court of Justice.
The Commission intended the appeal to find legal backing for controversial articles that were potentially damaging to the fundamental rights of EU citizens.
The president of the S&D Group Hannes Swoboda said:
"It is about time that the Commission realised that ACTA was wrong. It was the best decision, because the European Parliament's vote last July had already made it a dead end for ACTA."
S&D Euro MP David Martin, the author of the parliamentary report on ACTA, said:
"I welcome this news from the Commission today. The EU cannot be party to an agreement without European Parliament ratification. MEPs overwhelmingly rejected ACTA in July and I am pleased that the Commission has acknowledged this is the end of the road for ACTA in the EU thanks to the Parliament."
S&D spokesperson on international trade, Euro MP Bernd Lange, said:
"The mills of the Commission grind slowly, too slowly. It seems to have been a very painful process for the Commission to realise that its ACTA project has failed. Otherwise it would not have taken until today for the Commission to take this decision. We are now awaiting a Commission proposal for modern copyright legislation on digital rights."
Victoria Martín de la Torre
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Contacts
SWOBODA Johannes (Hannes)
+ 33 3 88 17 57 16
+ 33 3 88 17 97 16
+ 32 2 284 57 16
+ 32 2 284 97 16
hannes.swoboda@europarl.europa.eu
+ 33 3 88 17 57 16
+ 33 3 88 17 97 16
+ 32 2 284 57 16
+ 32 2 284 97 16
hannes.swoboda@europarl.europa.eu
Associated media
The president of the S&D Group Hannes Swoboda said: 'It is about time that the Commission realised that ACTA was wrong. It was the best decision, because the European Parliament's vote last July had already made it a dead end for ACTA.'
S&D spokesperson on international trade, Euro MP Bernd Lange, said: 'The mills of the Commission grind slowly, too slowly. It seems to have been a very painful process for the Commission to realise that its ACTA project has failed. Otherwise it would not have taken until today for the Commission to take this decision. We are now awaiting a Commission proposal for modern copyright legislation on digital rights.'
S&D Euro MP David Martin, the author of the parliamentary report on ACTA, said: 'I welcome this news from the Commission today. The EU cannot be party to an agreement without European Parliament ratification. MEPs overwhelmingly rejected ACTA in July and I am pleased that the Commission has acknowledged this is the end of the road for ACTA in the EU thanks to the Parliament.'
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