Last week I blogged about internal Canadian documents that indicate support for greater ACTA transparency. Now the pressure is building elsewhere, as the U.S. Trade Representative Office has promised to conduct a review of policies and Swedish politicians are voicing their support for greater openness.
Post Tagged with: "Counterfeit"
Canada Favours Early Release of ACTA Text
While the U.S. claims that ACTA documents are a matter of national security and the European Parliament demands greater transparency, it would appear that the Canadian delegation would favour an early release of the draft treaty. According to a confidential November 2008 memorandum that was prepared for Stockwell Day, the Minister of International Trade obtained under the Access to Information Act:
At the upcoming meeting in December 2008, given its commitment to transparency in international trade negotiations, the Canadian delegation plans to argue for a transparent approach. . . This approach would result in an earlier release of the text, which would serve to alleviate domestic concerns about the scope of the agreement and the perceived secrecy surrounding the process. The draft text could then serve as the basis for broad-based public consultations.
Should there be no consensus among the ACTA partners to make the ACTA text public, the Department will need to develop options to address Canadian stakeholders concerns about the lack of transparency in the ACTA process. Department officials will be working with other government departments as well as departmental experts on consultations and communications to develop options for public consultations that would address the issues raised by civil society groups and industry associations. These options would be submitted for your approval.
Notwithstanding the professed interest in transparency, Canada has secretly been a major contributor to the draft text.
U.S. Government Says ACTA a National Security Secret
The U.S. government has denied a freedom of information act request for several Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement documents, invoking a clause that says that the documents are protected as national security secrets. The provision applies in cases where there could be "damage to the national security and the original classification authority […]
European Parliament Votes For Greater ACTA Transparency
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 […]
March Round of ACTA Negotiations Delayed at U.S. Request
Inside U.S. Trade reports (sub required) that the next round of ACTA negotiations, which had been scheduled for next month in Morocco, has been delayed at the request of U.S. officials. While this does not signal a change in perspective on ACTA, the U.S. did want to provide incoming USTR […]
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