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Three out of four EU committees vote against ACTA

Three out of four EU committees vote against ACTA

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Three of the four committees in charge of making a recommendation to the ITC have decided not to approve the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

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EU parliament (official image, no credit needed)
EU parliament (official image, no credit needed)

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has met with more disapproval in Europe. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will make a final decision on the agreement based on an International Trade Commission (ITC) recommendation. The ITC's decision will be influenced by four EU committees that focus on legal affairs, civil liberties, industry, and development respectively. Today the official EU website is reporting that the legal affairs, civil liberties, and development committees have all declined to approve the agreement.

Today's news is the latest in a string of failures for ACTA. After passing silently behind closed doors, the bill has been slammed by privacy advocates, which lead to the European Court of Justice launching a formal investigation in to the agreement. Recently, Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, said that it was time to accept that ACTA was unlikely to pass in its current state. The ITC will vote on its recommendation through June 20th to the 21st before the European Parliament makes its decision between July 3rd and the 5th.