Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-03-09-Speech-2-473"
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"en.20100309.26.2-473"2
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"Mr President, when preparing for this debate about copyright, intellectual property rights and how we want to protect the creative and intellectual efforts of our fellow citizens, I had to think back to the theft a couple of years ago of a truck containing the new Harry Potter books, just days before their release. But today the thief would not bother stealing a truck; he would simply illegally download it on to his laptop or MP3 player and carry it across the border.
I welcome the Commission’s commitment to transparency but, according to the briefing note kindly provided by your services, the assertion that negotiators were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement is incorrect. You have just said that you signed, or the previous Commission signed, such an agreement and that you are therefore bound by it. I would like to understand which of the two statements is true. If there is no such non-disclosure clause, all relevant documents must be made immediately and publicly available.
If, on the other hand, there is such a clause, we need to hear from the Commissioner what he will do to ensure full transparency and information of the public, not just of this House, because restricted access for Members of Parliament only, subject to confidentiality, is not enough. European citizens have a right to know about decisions that deeply affect their rights and freedoms. In any case, such non-disclosure agreements must become a thing of the past. The EU should, in future, insist that European standards of transparency apply.
The democratic legitimacy of these negotiations is weak. There has not been any debate to establish the aims and principles of the EU. The mandate has not received any parliamentary approval. You may argue that there is no legal requirement but that is beside the point because, if 27 individuals – national ministers – consider that they can give themselves a mandate to negotiate in secret on the fundamental rights and freedoms of European citizens, I can only conclude that their understanding of democracy differs fundamentally from mine.
Parliament means business. No ‘three strikes out’; no warrantless searches and confiscation of laptops or mobile phones. Parliament needs to have watertight guarantees that such clauses will not be introduced via the back door of an international agreement.
Finally, I wish you an excellent trip to New Zealand next month, and please make sure that your iPod does not contain any illegally downloaded material!"@en1
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