Bulgaria Refuses to Withdraw ACTA Signature
- Tweet
Send to Kindle
Bulgarian Socialist Party MP Petar Kurumbashev. File photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Parliament rejected a proposal that would have obliged the government to withdraw its signature from the controversial ACTA agreement.
The proposal was made by the oppositional far-right Ataka (Attack) and was supported by left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party and right-wing Blue Coalition, both in opposition.
However, the MPs with the ruling centrist-right GERB decided to abstain from voting.
Bulgarian Socialist Party lawmaker Petar Korumbashev reminded that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov promised to deliberately present the agreement to the Parliament in order to see it scrapped by the MPs.
GERB already suspended the ratification of ACTA in the national Parliament and instructed all its MEPs to vote against the international agreement.
On January 26, 2012, the Bulgarian government signed in Tokyo the international ACTA agreement that would make downloading content similar to forgery of brands.
The agreement was sealed by Bulgarian ambassador to Japan Lyubomir Todorov, based on a decision by the Bulgarian cabinet taken hastily on January 11. Bulgarians were kept in the dark about the decision.
After protests took place in 16 Bulgarian cities in mid-February, the government announced that it is halting the ratification.
Boyko Borissov: “I Insisted on This Resignation so that GERB would not be Erased”
GERB leader Boyko Borissov reacted to the fall of the Zhelyazkov government during a live broadcast on his official Facebook page, following the mass protests across the country.
WCC-DB: “The Government’s Second Attempt at a State Budget Is Even Worse — This Draft Belongs in the Trash”
The government is making a second clumsy attempt to introduce the state budget.
Eurostat: People with Disabilities in Bulgaria Face the Harshest Living Conditions in the EU
People with disabilities in Bulgaria face the most severe difficulties in the entire European Union, alongside Greece
Doctors’ Union: The BGN 2.90 Fee for a Medical Consultation is like for a Street Musician
The current patient fee for a medical consultation has lost its purpose and no longer serves its intended functions, according to Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) chairman Dr.
Brussels Issues Unofficial Warning: Euro Adoption May Be Halted if Referendum Proceeds
Brussels has unofficially warned Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova that the country’s euro adoption process could be suspended, according to BGNES, citing Nova TV.
Borissov Loses Patience: Political Bargaining Over Key Positions and Budget 2025
"Everyone wants positions – in regulatory bodies and ministries," he emphasized.
