Tuesday

5th Dec 2023

Czech Republic stops ratification of anti-counterfeit treaty

  • EU protests against Acta treaty on the rise (Photo: hdzimmermann)

The Czech Republic has stopped ratification of the controversial anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (Acta), becoming the second EU country to do so after Poland.

The decision came after Anonymous - a loose network of cyber activists campaigning against the so-called 'New World Order' - hacked into and released to media the private addresses and telephone numbers of senior Czech politicians.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"We cannot accept under any circumstances, that civil liberties and free access to information are threatened in any way," Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Monday (6 February) on the ratification decision.

Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also said there would have to be further discussion on the bill, which has prompted street protests in Warsaw. Opponents say the treaty threatens internet free speech, encourages intrusive surveillance and censorship.

Tusk spoke to and debated Acta with activists and bloggers on Monday but did not withdraw his signature from the treaty. Instead, he said Poland would suspend ratification for up to a year to further examine the bill.

Protests are heating up elsewhere in Europe. In Slovenia, the country’s ambassador to Japan, Helena Drnovsek Zorko, said she regrets having signed the treaty and urged people to demonstrate. Around 2,000 people took to the country’s capital against Acta on Saturday, reports the BBC.

The European Commission signed Acta in January along with 22 member states, the US, Australia and Canada. Five other member states - Cyprus, Estonia, The Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia - still plan to sign up pending technical matters. The international treaty also has to get European Parliament approval before it is adopted in the EU. The parliament has a single Yes or No vote to approve the text but cannot introduce amendments.

For its part, the European Commission says Acta does not restrict freedom of the internet and does not impact or affect existing EU laws. Instead, the commission argues that the bill protects jobs in a Europe that is losing €8 billion annually through counterfeit goods.

Some experts, however, argue that while the text in the final draft of the agreement has been watered down, Western governments could still use it to force poorer countries into adopting copyright policies.

The secrecy surrounding the negotiations has also damaged its credibility in the eyes of its opponents. Socialist MEP Kader Arif resigned as the European Parliament's rapporteur on Acta in late January. He criticised "never-before-seen manoeuvres" by officials preparing the treaty.

Last February, the French digital rights group La Quadrature du Net compiled a list of WikiLeaks cables on Acta. Several of the cables cite Swedish and Italian European negotiators concern over the high level of back-room dealing and lack of transparency during the talks.

Battle lines drawn up in EU row on Acta

The European Commission has stepped into the growing row over the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement, Acta, as leading MEPs refuse to fast-track parliamentary approval due to bad faith in talks.

New MEP appointed to head up Acta dossier

British Labour MEP David Martin was appointed on Tuesday as the European Parliament’s rapporteur for the European Parliament’s report on the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, an international treaty on copyright and intellectual property protection.

Orban's sovereignty bill seen as fresh attack on rule of law

Hungary's new sovereignty law has been criticised by the opposition as 'another dark milestone' for the country's democratic values and the rule of law — and it could bring yet another clash between Budapest and Brussels.

Analysis

How Wilders' Dutch extremism goes way beyond Islamophobia

Without losing sight of his pervasive Islamophobia, it is essential to note Geert Wilders' far-right extremism extends to other issues that could drastically alter the nature of Dutch politics — and end its often constructive role in advancing EU policies.

Latest News

  1. EU nears deal to fingerprint six year-old asylum seekers
  2. Orbán's Ukraine-veto threat escalates ahead of EU summit
  3. Can Green Deal survive the 2024 European election?
  4. Protecting workers' rights throughout the AI revolution
  5. Russia, the West, and the geopolitical 'touch-move rule'
  6. Afghanistan is a 'forever emergency,' says UN head
  7. EU public procurement reform 'ineffective', find auditors
  8. COP28 warned over-relying on carbon capture costs €27 trillion

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us