After massive online support for a petition against ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), on 11 February hundreds of thousands of Europeans took their dissatisfaction with the form and process of the agreement onto the squares and plazas of cities and towns across the continent.
PES President Sergei Stanishev said “I fully support last Saturday’s demonstrations against ACTA. I have made sure that my party, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) was present and vocal at the event that took place in Sofia. And I myself was at the same time conducting a live TV interview to highlight the need for public pressure on the issue”.
Mr. Stanishev added that, “ACTA is wrong both in content and in form. The way it was negotiated – behind closed doors and without any public discussion – cannot be endorsed in a democratic Europe. Intellectual property rights should exist, but not at the expense of the rights of the citizens. People mobilizing against ACTA are fighting for their fundamental right to freedom and I am proud that the PES has taken such a strong stance in support.”
*PES Declaration on ACTA, - SPÖ Austria, SD Denmark, SDP Finland, Labour Party (UK) have declared themselves not to be bound by the decision, adopted by the PES Presidency
