James Delahunty
13 Mar 2012 1:35
Finland decides to wait on European Union.
The Finnish government has said it is postponing the approval of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in the country until the European Union clearly backs the treaty.
Last month, the European Commission referred the controversial treaty to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to be examined. The court will probe whether provisions in ACTA infringe on freedom of speech, or any fundamental rights afforded to citizens of all states in the European Union.
The decision to send ACTA to the ECJ actually came after the European Council (consisting of the head of state/government of each of the 27 member states of the European Union) unanimously backed it at a summit in December.
The referral to the ECJ was in response to protests and opposition to ACTA in EU member states.