INTA Committee advises against EP adoption of ACTA

The controversial Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has received another blow in Europe this morning.
The European Parliament's trade subcommittee INTA has voted against the controversial treaty. The negative advice of INTA follows rejection of the agreement by four other subcommittees of the EP that deal with different aspects of ACTA. Although the negative votes of INTA and four other subcommittees are not legally binding, they count as authoritative voting advice in the plenary voting session of the Europarliament, scheduled for next July.

According to INTA, the benefits of ACTA do not outweigh the disadvantages. Rapporteur David Martin expressed doubt whether the EP could guarantee that ACTA would be able to offer adequate protection of the rights of citizens. By voting against the agreement, INTA members demonstrate that the European Parliament is able to respond to the voice of European citizens. In several European cities, protest marches were held to urge national governments to reconsider their support for ACTA.

Interestingly, a proposal to postpone the plenary vote on ACTA until after the judgment of the European Court of Justice on the compatibility of ACTA with EU law, which is currently pending, has been rejected by INTA. This means little procedural leeway is left to delay a final decision on ACTA by the EP in July.

References: Blog Marietje Schaake, MEP, ALDE; European Parliament, Bits of Freedom