ACTA anti-counterfeiting agreement
EP raises questions over Commission's legal handling of ACTA
The chair of the European Parliament's legal affairs committee has written to EU trade commissioner De Gucht outlining the committee's dissatisfaction with how the Commission has handled the controversial ACTA anti-counterfeiting agreement from a legal standpoint. The letter came after pressure from the Greens.
The committee questions why it took the Commission so long to refer ACTA to the European Court of Justice despite years of negotiations. When the referral was announced earlier this year, the Greens already criticised the decision as a political move aimed at stalling the democratic process that had already been launched in the European Parliament. The legal affairs committee also questions why the Commission did not properly cooperate with the EP.
The letter also asks the Commission to respond to the concerns with ACTA recently raised by the European Data Protection Supervisor. The Greens have pointed out that this adds more weight to the arguments for rejecting ACTA.
The European Parliament's lead trade committee is set to deliver its verdict on whether the EP should give its consent to the ratification of ACTA at the end of May. The momentum now seems to have swung in favour of rejection and the Greens will continue to push to ensure this is the case.
