European Parliament expected to vote against ACTA

David Martin MEP believes the vote will be two-to-one against

The European Parliament is set to debate the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in June and July, with David Martin MEP predicting that members will vote by as much as two-to-one against the agreement.

The debate follows the referral of the treaty to the European Union's highest court at the beginning of May to see whether it conflicted with existing EU law. The court, which will not finish deliberating until after the vote, has been asked: "Is the envisaged Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement compatible with the Treaties and in particular with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union?".

European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes has spoken out against the treaty, suggesting that it was already politically "dead". At a recent conference, she said: "We have recently seen how many thousands of people are willing to protest against rules which they see as constraining the openness and innovation of the internet.

She added: "This is a strong new political voice. And as a force for openness, I welcome it, even if I do not always agree with everything it says on every subject. We are now likely to be in a world without SOPA [the Stop Online Piracy Act in the US] and without ACTA."

ACTA was signed by the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia last year. This year, 22 of 27 EU nations signed ACTA, which will need the approval of the European Parliament in addition to the approval of all 27 EU nations, to be effective. However, globally the treaty will come into effect if just six of its signatories ratify the treaty.

The treaty has been met with growing opposition from critics who say that it will inhibit online freedom of expression and may violate people's rights to privacy. Furthermore the treaty, they say, was created in secrecy and then presented as a fait accompli.

Other international treaties touching on intellectual property currently in negotiation include the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a wide-ranging agreement between the US and various Asia/Pacific nations which is being negotiated in secret, but which is believed to include intellectual property-related clauses similar to ACTA.