MEPs get ready to act on ACTA

http://www.euronews.com/ The European Parliament is gearing up for a crunch vote on ACTA, the controversial global anti-piracy deal.

Many MEPs are expected to reject the treaty on civil liberty grounds.

But, supporters say ACTA will protect copyright laws and jobs and have called for a postponement of the vote.

''My view is that there are hundreds of thousands of jobs dependant on ACTA. It's not solely about the Internet. We therefore have to amend ACTA, because in these times we are living we can't just throw thousands of jobs out of the window,'' the parliament's Conservative group leader Joseph Daul said.

Critics of the treaty, brokered between the EU, the US and countries like Japan and Canada, fear ACTA could put an end to the free use of the Internet.

Liberal MEP Niccolò Rinaldi said: ''When we discuss the worldwide web we need to engage citizens as it is an extremely sensitive issue. Any changes, either have to be made with society, or they will go nowhere.''

MEPs are scheduled to make a decision on the
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement on Wednesday.