[Chapter-delegates] PES on ACTA - wow!

[Veni Markovski]

Hi.

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!

Now, all other chapters, please, reach out to your governments as well!

veni


http://www.pes.org/en/news/acta-wrong-both-content-and-process-says-pes-strongly-worded-declaration


  ACTA is "wrong in both content and process", says PES in strongly
  worded declaration

09/02/2012
Protests against ACTA

Protests against ACTA

*PES President calls on European Parliament to vote against agreement*

The Party of European Socialists (PES) has today *adopted a text* 
<http://www.pes.org/sites/www.pes.org/files/presidency-acta-february-2012_en.pdf> 
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".

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.

PES President *Sergei Stanishev *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".

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".

PES Secretary General *Philip Cordery* 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".

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 
online petition <http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_acta/> calling for the 
rejection of ACTA has been endorsed by almost two million signatures. 
Over 200 events 
<https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=212120558776447282985.0004b7b33e16f13c710c7> 
are planned for Saturday.

*Read the PES declaration on ACTA* 
<http://www.pes.org/sites/www.pes.org/files/presidency-acta-february-2012_en.pdf>

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