The European Parliament has voted for a proposal to bring more transparency and public access to documents. The resolution includes specific language about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. In particular, it states:
Acting in accordance with Article 255(1) of the EC Treaty, the European Commission should immediately make all documents related to the ongoing international negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) publicly available.
The justification for the language is:
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will contain a new international benchmark for legal frameworks on what is termed intellectual property right enforcement. The content as known to the public is clearly legislative in character. Further, the Council confirms that ACTA includes civil enforcement and criminal law measures. Since there can not be secret objectives regarding legislation in a democracy, the principles established in the ECJ Turco case must be upheld.
The vote sends a strong signal on the need to open the ACTA process and heightens the pressure on the negotiating countries to remove the veil of secrecy.
Absolutely right.
No hiding this from the world. Or any nation’s citizens.
Great news
I wish it was the Canadian government pushing for transparency.
Closed Doors
Harper like things behind closed doors while he screws the pulic !!!
AND wait till you see the details its amazing and now we know why it was secret
yup here we go……
world wide big brother
im leaving the net in protest of thorttling and this issue.
SCREW THEM ALL
Who are the cleared US ‘advisors’ that have access to secret ACTA documents?
by James Love, on March 13th, 2009
The negotiating text of ACTA and many other documents, including even the lists of participants in the negotiations, are secret. The White House claims the secrecy is required as a matter of national security. But that does not mean the documents are off limits to everyone outside of the government. Hundreds of advisors, many of them corporate lobbyists, are considered “cleared advisors.†They have access to the ACTA documents.
Who are these cleared advisors? They are the members of these 27 USTR advisory boards: more here
http://www.keionline.org/blogs/2009/03/13/who-are-cleared-advisors/
http://www.keionline.org/blogs/2009/03/13/who-are-cleared-advisors/
Disclosure
They may as well disclose it now. In Europe it was recently held that people have to know what the laws are for them to be enforcible.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/10/hand_luggage_banned_list/
time
Is there anyone familiar enough with european politics to estimate how long it will take until this becomes effective for the documents of the ACTA?
In the article the new parliamentary term beginning in June is mentioned.