“This weekend millions will celebrate ‘Newroz’ – New Year, celebrated today, March 21st – in Turkey and around the world.

“And yet it is reported today that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has banned the use of the ‘Twitter’ website – which is expected to carry reports of many of these Newroz events, and even simple good-will messages.”

She made her comments ahead of a celebration to mark Newroz taking place in Finsbury Park this Sunday.

Ms Lambert added: “This latest move – which comes hot on the heels of recent concerns about the state of democratic institutions in the country – is an absurd attack on fundamental freedoms in Turkey, and must be reversed.

“If Turkey won’t reverse this ban, the European Commission must act to condemn the move. Freedom on the Internet is an essential component of free speech, and it is simply unacceptable to limit it for political ends.”

For more information on London’s Newroz commemoration click here .

The post Turkey ‘must reverse Twitter-ban’ Euro-MP appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

Jean, alongside her Green/EFA colleagues in the European Parliament, has long argued that ACTA is in conflict with EU legislation and has welcomed the announcement as an important step to ensuring ACTA does not come into force in Europe.

Jean said: “The decision to refer ACTA to the ECJ is hopefully a nail in the coffin of this far-reaching and unnecessary agreement.  The Greens have long called for this referral, and as such, welcome this overdue decision as an important step to ensuring ACTA does not come into force in Europe. The agreement should have never been concluded in the first place, given the serious concerns about its provisions and the shadowy negotiation process, but the Commission has at least done the right thing in referring ACTA to the Court of Justice.

“ACTA would block the much-needed reform of EU copyright law and instead lead to a heavy handed and repressive enforcement of copyright with no regards to the basic rights of citizens.  EU legislation on copyright needs to be urgently reformed to take account of the changed environment of the information society but this will require a broad and inclusive consultation.  The Greens will push to ensure the Commission engages in an inclusive and fundamental reform.”

The post Referral to ECJ hopefully a nail in the ACTA coffin, says Green MEP appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement was created with the aim of establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement, yet will deal with tools targeting internet distribution and information technology, meaning people could be prosecuted for merely sharing a link to a newspaper article or posting a video on YouTube.

The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament have criticised the decision to proceed with the signing, highlighting persistent concerns about the legality of the deal and its compatibility with EU provisions on fundamental rights [1].  The agreement will now be handed down for ratification by Member States and the European Parliament.

Commenting on the agreement, Jean, a member of the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee, said: “The Greens in the European Parliament remain absolutely committed to ensuring that this so-called ‘agreement’ is not adopted at the expense of the rights of citizens – ACTA is a threat to our civil liberties and must be rejected.  As the European Parliament and national parliaments now have their say as part of the ratification process, the Greens will push to ensure that ACTA is consigned to history.”

Notes to Editor

1. Critics have raised serious doubts about the compatibility of ACTA with EU law, particularly provisions on fundamental rights.  For example, ACTA encourages its signatory states to step up co-operation with private actors, such as internet providers, for intellectual property enforcement in the absence of any minimum standards for legal procedures.  This opens the door to undermining the basic rights of individuals with no protection for those affected.

Experts have also pointed out that ACTA could undermine access to medicines, particularly in developing countries, which are more independent on generics but were not even part of the negotiations.

The post Controversial anti-counterfeiting agreement must be dropped, Green MEP demands appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, has welcomed the outcome of the votes in the Civil Liberties, Legal Affairs, Development and Industry Committees, which recommend that Members of the European Parliament reject ACTA when it comes before plenary.

ACTA is a secretly negotiated trade agreement, created to combat the proliferation of counterfeiting and piracy.  Although it may have been negotiated like other trade agreements, it is not simply an agreement on tariffs. Instead, it broadens the scope of criminal sanctions for internet distribution and information technology, meaning that people could be prosecuted for merely sharing a link to a newspaper article or sharing a video on YouTube.

Jean is against ACTA both for its content and the process by which it has been drawn up.  ACTA also paves the wave for extra-judicial measures similar to those of SOPA and PIPA, meaning that internet service providers can take action against alleged infringements, bypassing due process and the right to a fair trial.

Jean, a member of the Civil Liberties Committee, said:

“The European Parliament has now delivered further blows to ACTA, with a number of committees voting to recommend rejection.  The lead Trade Committee is set to deliver its verdict in June.  Given the weight of public and political opposition to this problematic agreement, we hope that the Parliament will be able to finish off ACTA before the summer, with a final plenary vote against granting consent to ratification.

“In addition to concerns about data protection and internet freedom, there are also deep concerns about the potentially far-reaching implications of ACTA on fundamental rights, freedom of establishment and access to vital medicines.

“Intellectual property enforcement cannot entail a sweeping approach which puts at risk access to lower cost generic medicines. ACTA is the wrong instrument and will create more problems than it solves. The EP as a whole must reject it.”

Notes to Editor

1. The Civil Liberties, Industry and Legal Affairs Committees of the European Parliament all adopted their opinion reports on ACTA, recommending that the European Parliament withholds its consent.  The lead European Parliament Trade Committee will vote on its report on 21st June.  This will then be referred to the plenary of the European Parliament for a final vote on whether or not go give consent to the agreement.

The post Green MEP welcomes further blows to ACTA as Parliament committees reject controversial treaty appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.