[x-pubpol] Kader Arif, EU rapporteur for ACTA, statement of resignation

[Joly MacFie]

Pretty strong statement from Kader Arif, the EU rapporteur for ACTA,
who just resigned subsequent to the treaty's European ratification.

https://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/ACTA_rapporteur_denounces_ACTA_mascarade

<quote>
I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process
that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil
society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the
negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without
an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament’s
demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.

As rapporteur of this text, I have faced never-before-seen manoeuvres
from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar
before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament
of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey
citizens’ legitimate demands.”

Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its
impact on civil liberties, the way it makes Internet access providers
liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little
protection it gives to our geographical indications.

This agreement might have major consequences on citizens’ lives, and
still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament
from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release
this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal
and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will
not take part in this masquerade.
</quote>

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