Policy Observatory
The European Parliament is going to adopt a Resolution on TTIP. A resolution is a political statement which does not have binding effects. However, a strong resolution from the Parliament could be a step in the right direction.
The Committee on International Trade (INTA) is in charge of the dossier and it will be guided by Opinions from 14 other Committees before it submits its report to Plenary (vote scheduled 18-21 May).
On 28 May, the Czech National Convent on the European Union made several recommendations for the area of the European Digital Agenda. Among others, the National Convent recommended to dedicate Digital Agenda policy to only one agency, to remove obstacles to cross-border online trade as quickly as possible, to adhere to the principle of digital by default, and to have open-source software requirement as a standard component of tenders. The recommendations and background paper are available in English at the end of this page.
The World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property and trade this week will discuss a range of issues including a request by least-developed countries to extend the time before they are required to enforce rules on IP and pharmaceuticals. Other issues include a discussion of IP and innovation, and a moratorium on complaints about government actions that do not violate WTO rules but may harm trade.
The WTO Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is scheduled to meet on 9-10 June.
The recommendations are similar to those that EFF and other groups and experts delivered to the United States Trade Representative in January this year, which were in turn influenced by the previous year’s Brussels Declaration on Trade and the Internet.