International Trade Committee recommends against ACTA treaty

The International Trade Committee has recommended that the European Parliament should say no to the Anti-Countefeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). In a vote late last week 19 MEPs voted against the controversial treaty, compared with 12 who voted in favour of it. There were no abstentions.

'I welcome the result of today's vote. I am pleased that the committee has acknowledged the problems I have identified in my report and has followed my recommendation to reject ACTA,' said David Martin (S and D, UK), after the vote results were announced.

Four European Parliament committees (Civil Liberties, Industry, Legal Affairs and Development) had already recommended that Parliament should reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), The Petitions Committee discussed five complaints calling on MEPs to reject ACTA, supported by over 2.8 million people from all over the world.

The parliament as a whole will debate ACTA on 3 July, with a vote scheduled for 4 July. If the House does not give its consent to ACTA, then the agreement will not be adopted in the EU.