<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000'>Hi veni <br><br>Very strong statement indeed. <br>I have a hunch Europe will be turning left and stay there for a very long time :) <br><br><div><span name="x"></span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Elena Zvarici<br>Communication manager<br>Internet Society Romania<br>+40726128728<br><a href="http://http:www.isoc.ro"></a><a href="http://http:www.isoc.ro"></a><a href="http://www.isoc.ro">http://www.isoc.ro</a><br></font><div><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#009900" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Consider the environment: don't print this email unless necessary. </font></i></div><span name="x"></span><br></div><hr id="zwchr"><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><b>From: </b>"Veni Markovski" <veni@veni.com><br><b>To: </b>Chapter-delegates@elists.isoc.org, "European Chapters" <european-chapters@elists.isoc.org><br><b>Sent: </b>Thursday, February 9, 2012 7:25:12 PM<br><b>Subject: </b>[Chapter-delegates] PES on ACTA - wow!<br><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Hi. <br>
<br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">I am not usually
saying nice words about any politicians, therefore this is even
more deserved. And, of course, I must admit that the fact Mr.
Stanishev, the chairman of PES, is a member of ISOC-Bulgaria since
2000 certainly helps conveying some messages, and he listened. I
am being told that some parties were not very supportive of the
declaration, but were persuaded that the issue at stake is more
important than usual. Good job! <br>
<br>
Now, all other chapters, please, reach out to your governments as
well! <br>
<br>
veni <br>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.pes.org/en/news/acta-wrong-both-content-and-process-says-pes-strongly-worded-declaration" target="_blank">http://www.pes.org/en/news/acta-wrong-both-content-and-process-says-pes-strongly-worded-declaration</a><br>
<br>
<br>
</font>
<h1 class="page-title">ACTA is “wrong in both content and process”,
says PES in strongly worded declaration </h1>
<div class="field field-date field-field-date"> <span class="date-display-single">09/02/2012</span> </div>
<div class="field field-image field-field-image"> <img src="cid:part2.05040408.08090408@veni.com" alt="Protests against
ACTA " title="Protests against ACTA " class="imagecache
imagecache-full imagecache-default imagecache-full_default" height="133" width="200">
<p style="width: 200px;" class="image-legend">Protests against
ACTA </p>
</div>
<div class="field field-summary field-field-summary">
<p class="align-justify"><strong>PES President calls on European
Parliament to vote against agreement</strong></p>
<p class="align-justify">The Party of European Socialists (PES)
has today <a class="link-pdf link-pdf-en" href="http://www.pes.org/sites/www.pes.org/files/presidency-acta-february-2012_en.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>adopted
a text</strong></a> which condemns the democratic
shortcomings of the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement)
and warns against its potential threat to the fundamental rights
of the citizens. The text calls the agreement; “wrong in both
content and process”.</p>
</div>
<p class="align-justify">The agreement is at risk of allowing
internet providers to violate Internet privacy and would restrict
open discourse. There are concerns that it would also limit the
access to generic medicine. This proposal has been negotiated
behind closed doors since 2007.</p>
<p class="align-justify">PES President <strong>Sergei Stanishev </strong>has
called on the European Parliament to vote against the proposal in
June. He noted that; “the ACTA proposal is wrong in both content
and process. It does not reflect the interest of citizens but the
interests of big corporations and profit margins: it confers on
them alarmingly broad powers to punish and restrict. We cannot
allow this legislation to privatize Internet governance and limit
fundamental freedoms. Intellectual property rights must be
guaranteed, but not at the expense of the rights of the citizens.
The statement adopted at the PES Presidency on Thursday 9 February
commits the PES to a long term campaign to remove the stated risks
from the draft”.</p>
<p class="align-justify">Mr. Stanishev added that; “the PES does not
support the type of extreme censorship as proposed by ACTA, and
regrets that the conservative majority in the European Parliament
have shut down any opportunity to conduct a clear and fair debate
at social and political level”.</p>
<p class="align-justify">PES Secretary General <strong>Philip
Cordery</strong> stated: “ACTA will have a huge impact on the
lives of the citizens and, yet the European Commission has
discussed the text in absolute secrecy. This is unacceptable. Any
debate related to ACTA must be transparent, publicly accountable
and faithful to our most democratic values”.</p>
<p class="align-justify">ACTA is set to be voted on by the European
Parliament in June and ratified at national level. In the
meantime, a multitudinous, EU-wide demonstration against the
agreement will take place this Saturday. The <a class="link-external" href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_acta/" title="Avaaz ACTA petition" target="_blank">online petition</a> calling for the
rejection of ACTA has been endorsed by almost two million
signatures. Over <a class="link-external" href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=212120558776447282985.0004b7b33e16f13c710c7" target="_blank">200
events</a> are planned for Saturday.<br>
</p>
<p class="align-justify"><a class="link-pdf link-pdf-en" href="http://www.pes.org/sites/www.pes.org/files/presidency-acta-february-2012_en.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Read
the PES declaration on ACTA</strong></a></p>
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