The controversial Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement has received an almost final blow as the European Parliament committee dealing with its ratification rejected it and officially recommended throwing it out.
The vote comes a few weeks after three other EP committees also turned it down.
The next and final step is now expected to be taken in July, when the committee’s rejection recommendation will be put to a vote at the plenary session.
EP sources said that at this stage “only a miracle will save Acta”.
Almost all the political groups in the EP have already declared their objections to the deal on the basis it infringes freedom of expression and introduces undesirable controls on the internet.
Though it still has its reservations, the EPP group, the largest political party in the EP, prefers to wait for the opinion of the European Court of Justice before taking a final vote.
The International Trade Committee yesterday rejected an EPP amendment to hold the plenary vote after the ECJ opinion is delivered and, with 19 votes in favour and 12 against, agreed to recommend Acta’s outright rejection.
Socialist rapporteur David Martin insisted this was not an anti-intellectual property vote.
“This was a vote against the contents of Acta as we felt it was too vague a document,” he said.
“There was no definition of commercial usage in Acta and many of us felt the sanctions Acta contained for breaches of copyright were disproportionate.
“Not one person in the committee was able to put forward a position in favour of Acta.”
On the other hand, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, who is promoting the deal, said he would still ask the EP to reconsider its position once the ECJ issued its opinion in some two years’ time.
If the EP confirms the anti-Acta stand next month, the deal will be practically dead.
Initiated in October 2011 by members of the international community including the US, Australia, Canada, Japan and 22 members of the EU including Malta, aimed at establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement.
Due to the controversy that erupted across the EU, Malta and the other EU member states froze their individual ratification process to await the decisions of the EP and the ECJ.