14 DAY TRIAL // The Petitions Committee from the European Parliament (EP) received a petition signed by close to 2.5 million Internet users from all across the globe which ask Europe to “stand for a free and open Internet and reject the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which would destroy it.”
The petition that can be found on Avaaz's site, an organization that promotes various issues online, was signed by 2,460,942 individuals, but the number is growing with each second, the ones that proposed it hoping to get 3 million signatures before the parliamentary debates.
“Receiving a petition supported by more than 2 million people places an even bigger responsibility on us to listen to the European people and offer them a place to express their views to the European institutions,” said Petitions Committee Chair Eminia Mazzoni.
In the upcoming weeks, the Petitions Committee will analyze the draft and determine if it will be taken into consideration during the European Parliament’s examination of ACTA.
It turns out that the EP didn’t receive only anti-ACTA letters, but also ones that support the controversial treaty.
“ACTA is good for Europe. Without changing EU law, it establishes common procedures for dealing with intellectual property rights infringements across countries accounting for 50% of world trade,” reads part of letter sent by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers.
The wheels are put in motion today as far as ACTA is concerned. Today, for the first time, the International Trade Committee will analyze the pact and make a formal recommendation to the full house.
While ACTA is being examined, European countries, one by one, take a step back and await the decision of the Parliament before ratifying the agreement. So far, countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Latvia have all decided to halt any procedures before the EP takes a decision.