ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TRADE AGREEMENT : INDUSTRY EXHORTS EP TO APPROVE ACTA.

European industry is urging the Parliament to approve the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), signed by the EU and 22 member states on 26 January in Tokyo, Japan. The five remaining member states are set to sign shortly (Germany, Estonia, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Slovakia).

"Restoring Europe's competitiveness is largely based on raising the capacity of our businesses to innovate and be creative. We must therefore protect adequately this innovation capacity at global level and the adoption of ACTA is a step towards this objective," said Arnaldo Abruzzini, the secretary-general of Eurochambres, the European association of chambers of commerce and industry, which is calling on the EP to vote in favour of the treaty. The ACTA aims to establish a preliminary global framework to fight against intellectual property infringements (namely on the internet) and the counterfeiting of numerous products (from medicine and luxury products to car pieces). The EU, the US, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Mexico and Morocco are taking part; China, however, is still not participating in the agreement.

After the agreement has been signed by all the member states, the EP needs to give its green light. But nothing is certain, as the dossier is a controversial one. The EP rapporteur, French MEP Kader Arif (S&D), has already announced that he would no longer be in charge of the dossier.

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