By Desmond Hinton-Beales - 27th January 2012
This agreement may have a major impact on the lives of our citizens, and yet everything is done so that the European parliament has no say
Kader Arif, MEP
French S&D deputy Kader Arif has resigned as rapporteur of the controversial anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA), saying the process lacked transparency and that the European parliament was denied its say in the negotiations.
Arif said that he wanted to "denounce in the strongest possible manner the process that led to the signature of this agreement", claiming that there was an "exclusion" of the parliament's demands on several occasions.
The French MEP also criticised the lack of inclusion for civil society organisations, and said that he had faced "never-before-seen manoeuvres from the right wing of this parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted".
"Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its impact on civil liberties, the way it makes internet access providers liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives to our geographical indications."
"This agreement may have a major impact on the lives of our citizens, and yet everything is done so that the European parliament has no say," Arif said. "I will not participate in this charade."
Comment came from Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström who told The Parliament Magazine, "I agree 100 per cent with Mr Arif's comments. The way this case is being handled by the council of ministers and the commission is unacceptable and undemocratic."
ACTA was yesterday signed by the EU and 22 member states in Tokyo, with Germany, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovakia and the Netherlands making commitments to sign at a later date.
Following the signing of the agreement, access to the European parliament's website was disrupted in what the commission's DG innovation and technical support claimed was an attack by the hacker group Anonymous.
Thousands of protestors also took to the streets in Poland over prime minster Donald Tusk's signing of the agreement, which they claim equals internet censorship and could restrict freedom of expression.
Tusk, who convened a special government meeting to discuss the issue, warned that he would not be blackmailed by ACTA's opponents, but said that there was time for a public discussion before the treaty moved through the Polish parliament.
André Rebentisch, general secretary of foundation for a free information infrastructure, said, "Our representatives in the European parliament still have to decide whether to consent. Without their consent the agreement is void.
"It's a delicate issue because the European commission failed to respect the European parliament's demands."
"The ECJ should review the legality of the agreement under European law. ACTA raises serious legal concerns. We need clarity," he said.
