Poland withdraws from ACTA ratification





Donald Tusk

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday that although Poland signed the international copyright treaty ACTA last month it will not move to ratify it, and admitted he was earlier wrong to support the controversial agreement.Tusk also said on Friday he appealed to the memebers of the European Parliament’s European People's Party (EPP) fraction, to which his party Civic Platform (PO) belongs, to drop their support for ACTA in its present form in favor of a fresh approach to intellectual property rights."Today I sent a letter to all the leaders of national parties represented within the EPP, suggesting that they reject the ACTA in its current form, as negotiated by the European Commission," Tusk told the press conference. "The ACTA is an attempt to protect copyright, but the freedom sacrificed is too high a price to pay," he also said and added that the agreement does not match "the realities of the 21st century".The Polish government signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, a treaty aimed at fighting international property theft, including online priacy, on 26 January, along other 21 EU countries. This led to strong protests from Polish internet users across the country, who feared the new regulations could lead to censorship of the web.Apart from Poland, three other EU countries so far have backed away from ACTA ratification - Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.