I think I did! Yes, I wrote 'order' where 'urge' is used.
But that's not the essence of what I was saying. The essence is, there is a lot of fuss about the Parliament changing a vote that the minister already did, and that has not happened. So, the vote stays as it is, unless another vote occurs. In the explanation you quoted they even specifically state that they are not asking to ask for another vote. Typical Dutch compromise.
To be 100% correct on the homework: The motion asks, not urges, the government, not the minister, to communicate the opinion to the other memebers of the EU, and asks, not urges, the government, not the minister, to act from this opinion and starting from this moment to abstain from voting on the current proposal.
I don't know enough about the proceedings to know what the effect will be, but it looks to me that if nothing triggers another vote there will be no effect of this.
I went on and read the transcript available from the Dutch Parliament website and it appears there have been TWO motions, the first one (motie-Gerkens/Vendrik, 21501-30, nr. 51, ordering the minister to change his vote) was not accepted, the second one (motie-Van Dam c.s. 21501-30, nr. 52, ordering the minister to communicate the parliament's concern and to not support the patent law proposal in the future) was accepted.
Sorry to disappoint everyone (including myself), but that's what the transcript says.
Slashdot Mirror
But that's not the essence of what I was saying. The essence is, there is a lot of fuss about the Parliament changing a vote that the minister already did, and that has not happened. So, the vote stays as it is, unless another vote occurs. In the explanation you quoted they even specifically state that they are not asking to ask for another vote. Typical Dutch compromise.
To be 100% correct on the homework: The motion asks, not urges, the government, not the minister, to communicate the opinion to the other memebers of the EU, and asks, not urges, the government, not the minister, to act from this opinion and starting from this moment to abstain from voting on the current proposal.
I don't know enough about the proceedings to know what the effect will be, but it looks to me that if nothing triggers another vote there will be no effect of this.
I went on and read the transcript available from the Dutch Parliament website and it appears there have been TWO motions, the first one (motie-Gerkens/Vendrik, 21501-30, nr. 51, ordering the minister to change his vote) was not accepted, the second one (motie-Van Dam c.s. 21501-30, nr. 52, ordering the minister to communicate the parliament's concern and to not support the patent law proposal in the future) was accepted. Sorry to disappoint everyone (including myself), but that's what the transcript says.