ACTA: Commissioner De Gucht lies to European Parliament

A communication from La Quadrature du net that I allow myself to share with you. Unfortunately it was to be expected, I'm afraid that after having been your national gravedigger, Europe in agreement with the USA will also outline your global digital rights.... Again, via Quadrature or elsewhere, Mobilize ! ...

Paris, February 2, 2012 - The European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade is currently lobbying the European Parliament, presenting a biased and false view of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in order to quell growing opposition from citizens. The European executive, which negotiated ACTA behind the citizens' backs, is now shamelessly relaying the discourse of entertainment industry lobbies, providing a new example of culpable collusion with industrial interests.

The European Commissioner for International Trade, Karel De Gucht, sent a letter to MEPs ¹, in which he again plays down the legitimate concerns expressed against ACTA. A “Questions and Answers” document is attached, intended to help MEPs “reassure” their constituents. ².

In response, La Quadrature du Net created a participatory document on its wiki ³ in order to help citizens dismantle one after another the lies of the European Commission, which continues to deny the evidence that ACTA is a dangerous and illegitimate agreement.

The opposition to ACTA is not just a media bubble, as Commissioner De Gucht seems to believe. For months, its dangers have been denounced by recognized European jurists. ⁴, a study commissioned by the European Parliament itself ⁵, Sakharov Prize winners ⁶, the Mexican Senate ⁷, telecom and media professional associations⁸, global NGOs like OXFAM ⁹, Doctors Without Borders ¹⁰ or Section 19 ¹¹, but also by the EU's main trading partners and others (see our wiki page listing the criticisms against ACTA ¹²).

“By claiming that ACTA is harmless, Commissioner De Gucht tries to hide the immense responsibility of the European Commission in setting up a negotiation process that bypasses democratic forums. THE document attached to the European Commission's inter-service consultation dated 18 July 2007 and relating to its negotiating mandate ¹³ mentions the criminalization of non-profit sharing between individuals. Here is the truth behind ACTA and European citizens are taking to the streets because they have understood it. », says Philippe Aigrain, co-founder of the citizens' initiative La Quadrature du Net.

“European Commissioner Karel De Gucht is so close to the copyright industry lobbies that he remains deaf to the legitimate concerns that have been expressed against ACTA for years. In order to get ACTA ratified, he is willing to lie to the European Parliament, brushing aside any evidence that ACTA is a real threat to freedom of expression online, access to medicines, but also to innovation and free competition. Such obscurantism clearly calls into question its ability to work for the general interest of the EU and sounds like a call to Parliament to reject ACTA. », concludes Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder and spokesperson of La Quadrature du Net.