With an impressive vote of 633 votes in favour and 13 votes against, the European Parliament today rejected the backroom manner by which the Commission has been negotiating the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) "without legal base and without any parliamentary approval...for a mandate".

MEPs also regretted "the calculated choice not to negotiate through well-established international bodies, such as the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and the WTO, which have established frameworks for public information and consultation".

GUE/NGL MEP Helmut Scholz said that "any agreement must be negotiated with public and parliamentary scrutiny in the appropriate international body, such as WIPO for issues of intellectual property, and with the due participation of the emerging and developing countries". He stressed the necessity to adhere to articles 7 and 8 of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights as binding legal basis for all further negotiations. 

"It was very important that with this resolution the European Parliament obliges the Commission 'to limit the ACTA negotiations to the existing European IPR enforcement system against counterfeiting' " Scholz added.

Eva-Britt Svensson also from the GUE/NGL welcomed the fact that the European Parliament adopted the amendment she tabled stating that: "any agreement must include the right to examination by a court before closing someone off from accessing the internet" an amendment tabled by the GUE/NGL group and adopted by wide majority.

GUE/NGL PRESS:

Gianfranco Battistini + 32 475 64 66 28

Sonja Giese + 32 486 94 50 21

David Lundy + 32 485 50 58 12

www.guengl.eu

Gauche Unitaire Européenne / Gauche Verte Nordique

European United Left / Nordic Green Left