Council adopts software patents directive
A slap in the face for the
Parliament
Commenting on the adoption of the controversial software patents
directive today by EU research and industry ministers, Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the
Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, said:
"The Competitiveness Council's decision
today to adopt the software patents directive is a slap in the face for Europe's growing software industry and
for the European Parliament. The Council has apparently fallen on its knees before the likes of Microsoft, and
betrayed the interests of Europe's software developers."
"Ministers have ignored the will of
the Parliament, where the Conference of Presidents unanimously spoke out against the adoption of the directive.
This has created a serious institutional conflict between the Parliament, Commission and Council. For purely
formal reasons, EU ministers confirmed a common position dating from May 2004, even though the circumstances in
the meantime have dramatically changed. Council has also ignored growing opposition to this directive in many
national parliaments, which are justifiable worried about the future of their national software industries."
"The current text of the software patents directive must not become law. From this moment on,
the Greens will work to assemble as large a lobby as possible to ensure that the current proposal for the
directive doesn't get through Parliament's second reading in its present form."