The European Commission signed today, in the name of the European Union, the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement, ACTA.

I condemn the whole process which led to the signature of this agreement : no consultation of the civil society, lack of transparency since the beginning of negotiations, repeated delays of the signature of the text without any explanation given, reject of Parliament’s recommendations as given in several resolutions of our assembly.

As rapporteur on this text, I also experienced never-before-seen maneuvers from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey citizens’ legitimate demands.

Still, everyone knows that there are problematic aspects in the ACTA agreement, whether it on its impact on civil liberties, the responsibility put upon internet providers, the consequences on the production of generic medicines or the poor protection of geographical indicators.

This agreement can have major consequences on citizen’s lives, however everything is made to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this masquerade.”