[A2k] Google Translation of a Swedish article about transparency and ACTA

[James Love]

This is a Google Translation of a Swedish article about transparency and
ACTA.  jamie


http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/artikel_2574249.svd

V requires information about Acta
Published: March 10, 2009, 16.13. Last modified: March 11, 2009, 14.38

EU Commission must put the cards on the table and tell me what you want
in the negotiations on Trade Acta. It now requires the Swedish MEP
Eva-Britt Svensson (V). Tomorrow, she can get Parliament to themselves
in their requirements.

This is Acta

Acta stands for Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement.

The initiative for negotiations was taken by the USA and Japan. The
negotiations are currently participating EU and its Member States,
Australia, Japan, Canada, USA, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand,
Switzerland, Singapore and South Korea.

The next meeting would actually have been held in Rabat in Morocco in
March, but has been on the U.S. initiative deferred. The reason is that
the Obama administration must look at the questions.

EU member countries gave in April 2008 a negotiating mandate to the
Commission. This takes care of that part of the negotiations that fall
within Community law.

At the same time, Member States have decided that the Presidency - that
Sweden in the autumn - manages the part of the negotiations that fall
outside the Community.

According to the Justice Ministry, an agreement is in place before the
end of this year or next year.

The agreement will strengthen their efforts against piracy and
counterfeiting - whether it is a Louis Vuitton-bag or a Hollywood film.
Read more

     * Secret agreements worries hunt pirates
     * The proposal for ACTA have consulted on,
     * Our rights and freedoms should not be limited

As previously reported SvD.se growing criticism of the Trade Acta.
Secrecy is high and few know today as the negotiations on the agreement,
which will complicate piracy and counterfeiting, really is.

The Swedish Parliament has only nutrition committee briefed on the
negotiations. Members had read the classified documents, but rejected
today a request from one individual to publish the classified documents
that currently are locked in a safe belonging to the Committee.

But despite the offers are not critics. And now, the support from the
Left Party's MEP Eva-Britt Svensson. She has written an amendment to a
report on the publicity within the EU to be put to the vote in
Parliament tomorrow.

The proposal calls for her to EU Commissioners, who together with
President of the country handle negotiations on the EU side, will tell
you the requirements and positions they have been in talks on Acta.

- It is an important issue that people need to know. I also understand
that there are things you can not publish, but you should at least be
able to tell what their line is, "says Svensson SvD.se.

She does not know what negotiations are all about, but has just as many
others heard rumors that the customs and police should be allowed to
search through personal laptops, mobile phones and MP3 players in the
hunt for such as pirated CDs and movies.

Her proposal comes in the context of the EU Parliament vote tomorrow on
the so-called Cashman report. It is written by the British MEP Michael
Cashman and Parliament's response to a Commission proposal to the public
within the EU.

In Sweden, including Justice Minister Beatrice Ask expressed concern
that the Commission's proposal in some parts of the public sphere in
Europe is deteriorating. The Swedish government follows the issue
closely, but several other members who were formerly of greater
transparency seems to Beatrice Ask to go on the line.

- There is a lot of it is very labor intensive with transparency and
that it is administratively difficult, and so on. It is certainly quite
correct, but the problem will not solve by changing the fundamental
rights of access to information, "said Ash in parliament EU council in
February.

Also Eva-Britt Svensson is concerned about the Commission proposal,
which contains proposals for increased transparency and restrictions in
public.

- Unfortunately, they made a proposal to narrow the definition of what
constitutes a "document", and then of course excludes a great many
cases. But Cashman report some improvements, so I hope the House votes
on both it and my amendment, "said Eva-Britt Svensson and takes Acta as
examples.

- I have linked the issue of democracy and the low turnout and argue
that it does not help to urge people to vote if we do not show them that
they can inform themselves about the legislation in the EU, "says
Svensson.
--
James Love, Director, Knowledge Ecology International
http://www.keionline.org | mailto:james.love at keionline.org
Wk: +1.202.332.2671 | US Mobile +1.202.361.3040 | Geneva Mobile +41.76.413.6584