While the Dutch Parliament’s rejection of the ACTA treaty may be treated as good news by some, according to the Dutch Pirate Party, the move can be viewed as grandstanding on the part of Dutch officials who are up for reelection.
In a statement to The Inquirer, Dutch Pirate Party spokesperson Dirk Poot indicated the move was too little, too late on the Parliament’s behalf because ACTA is still up for adoption by the European Union. Had the rejection been issued in November of last year, Europe would not be facing ACTA’s potential ratification. Poot is quoted as saying:
“On the one hand we are happy that parliament finally seems to recognise the threats that ratification of ACTA would pose to Dutch citizens as well as to the Dutch innovative industries. It can be considered a win in that respect. On the other hand it is too little too late, and must be seen in the light of the coming elections rather than as a sign that the old school politicians are finally seeing the light. The same parties that now proudly boast of ‘stopping ACTA in the Netherlands’ are the same parties that have worked tirelessly to get ACTA pushed beyond the control of the Dutch parliament.”
As pointed out in our previous article, it was the Dutch House of Representatives that spoke out against the treaty, urging their Cabinet to reject ACTA outright. Furthermore, Poot remains steadfast in his belief the rejection was just for show, and that ACTA still may be in the Dutch’s future:
“The Netherlands by itself would never be able to withstand the immense pressure to be one of the few non-ratifying countries,” he added. “This would then open the way for the main proponents of ACTA in the Netherlands, Verhagen en Teeven, to claim that ACTA is inevitable.”
All things considered, was this a move of defiance from the Dutch government or are they just trying to appease the voting public, one that has been outspoken against the concept of government-regulated Internet?