On 9 June, there will be another day of action which will give protesters the opportunity to gather across Europe to voice their opposition to the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
The European Commission has now published an update on its process of referring ACTA to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In a press release, Commissioner De Gucht urged the Parliamentarians to delay their vote. The question which will be asked is: “Is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) compatible with the European Treaties, in particular with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union?"
The referral will not be the answer to all concerns regarding ACTA, since it can legally only address compatibility with the EU Treaties and neither the wisdom and value of such policies nor the compatibility of ACTA with the full body of EU law.
Worse still, the referral to the Court is being used by the European Commission as a way of bullying the Parliament into postponing its vote – an approach which is being facilitated by the pro-ACTA faction within the Parliament. Stand by for numerous delays due to translations, printing, avalanches...
In this context, it is therefore crucial that the European Parliament shows courage to stand up for its democratic role in the decision-making process and does not give in to the Commission's schemes to prevent the Parliament from rejecting the Agreement. Not just for ACTA but for every upcoming piece of legislation of importance for fundamental rights and democracy, European citizens must support the Parliament in standing up for both the rights of citizens and its own institutional role.
