The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly against ACTA, with 478 votes against and only 39 in favour of it. There were 146 abstentions.

This result confirms the decisions taken by the European Parliament committees, among them the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), when they all voted against the implementation of this agreement.

This agreement caused mass protests across Europe. International organisations, such as Oxfam also campaigned against this agreement, as this threatens developing countries in accessing low-priced generic medicines.

This vote confirms that the Maltese Government’s decision to sign this agreement was ill-founded.

Richard Mifsud

PRO, Żminijietna – Voice of the Left