Over the past two weeks, we have seen coordinated attacks on democratic institutions such as the European
Parliament and national governments. As companies, associations and citizens, we stand against such attempts to silence democratic institutions. Instead, we call for a calm and reasoned assessment of facts instead of misinformation. This considerate reaction is more important than ever at times when many
outside of Europe doubt the ability of the European Union institutions and its Member State governments to act together.
The signatories of this letter represent hundreds of European companies and millions of workers in dozens of sectors crucial to the European economy, which are eager to get Europe out of the current economic crisis by promoting innovation and growth-enhancing measures. We are all dependent on intellectual property and come from fields as varied as publishing, agriculture, manufacturing. ACTA is good for Europe. Without changing EU law, it establishes common procedures for dealing with IPR infringements across countries accounting for 50% of world’s trade. This procedural framework set up by ACTA will have a positive impact on protecting Europe’s industries, jobs and people. ACTA will have no negative consequences as it does not depart from EU law – as confirmed by three opinions of the European Parliament’s Legal Service as well as the European Commission. It is important to show that Europe is united and has trust in its institutions and government processes. That is why ACTA is supported by all the organisations and companies below, as well as 22 European Member States who joined the EU in the first step towards ratification.