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ACTA Rejected By European Parliament
Grumbleduke writes "Today the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to reject the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Despite attempts by the EPP Group to delay the vote until after the Courts have ruled on its legality, the Parliament voted against the Treaty by 478 to 39; apparently the biggest ever defeat the Commission has suffered. However, despite this apparent victory for the Internet, transparency and democracy, the Commission indicated that it will press ahead with the court reference, and if the Court doesn't reject ACTA as well, will consider bringing it back before the Parliament."
ACTA is like a sleezy guy trying to pick you up in a bar.
You can tell him no six hundred times and he'll keep coming back, because all it takes is one yes and he's fucked you.
Check out my sci-fi book "Lacuna" at http://goo.gl/MVxX8
Won't work. If there's one thing that the EU Parliament have shown is that when people try and bypass their authority they're willing to turn up in huge numbers to vote it down on principle.
The European Parliament has to give its consent. The vote was that it denied its consent.
The EC also invoked the European Court of Justice. The ECJ will simply say, we cannot rule on ACTA anymore because the process is terminated.
FFII for analysis.
No, it cannot be bypassed. What he can do is have it subject to judicial review and try to resubmit the ratification proposal. However, I would assume that parliament will not take kindly to this. Maybe they should move for a no confidence vote on Karel.
"Civis Europaeus sum!"
... but they began to hate it too : image
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
This is true, except that the Commission cannot easily change ACTA as is as the treaty is signed. They could ask to have a protocol added which would require the approvals of all the original signing parties which include the US, Canada, the EU, the individual EU member states et.c. This in turn would mean that most governments need to acquire new negotiating mandates from their respective parliaments and so on. This is not a trivial operation.
"Civis Europaeus sum!"
The US Constitution requires any treaty to be ratified by the US Senate. As of now no Senate vote on ACTA has occurred so it's not law even in the USA. But the Justice Department is also insisting they will enforce it.
Europe is once again reborn as a democracy, of the people, for the people.
That's our line, you damned socialist hippies.
Signed,
'Merika, Fuck Yeah!
The difference in this case is that ACTA isn't a piece of legislation written up by the EU that can be changed willy-nilly in order to secure the votes for passage.
ACTA is an international treaty that has been signed (but not ratified) by (most?) of the signatories' legislative bodies.
To change ACTA (to re-package, whatever) requires all the signatory nations to get back together & start re-negotiating the points of it. SImply put, the EU cannot alter ACTA for ratification independently.
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