After three weeks of anti-austerity protests and ACTA opposition in Romania, Prime Minister Emil Boc has resigned.
According to Reuters, Romania (the second poorest country in the EU) is undergoing cuts to jobs and pay cuts, as well as tax hikes. Like Greece, Romania had appealed to the IMF to avoid economic collapse. In light of these events, Boc’s resignation nine months before parliamentary elections is not surprising. However, his signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), then swift departure from office is adolescent, as if he didn’t want to answer for his actions.
That said, his departure is a vitory not only for the Romanian people but for all those countries who would be subject to ACTA (to say nothing of TPP). Victor Ponta, leader of Romania’s biggest opposition party PSD, is a vocal opponent of ACTA and perhaps he’ll lead a charge to have Romania withdrawn from the treaty, ringing the death knell for a treaty that even President Obama signed.
February 07, 2012 at 6:10 pm, Zeeshan Tariq said:
Romanian PM resigned as ACTA is boiling up every moment. E-petition has been signed by 18,12733 people so far and it is still counting. Slovenian ambassador to Japan, Helena Drnovsek Zorko, apologized for signing ACTA. Follow this story on http://etechmag.com/2012/02/07/slovenian-ambassador-apologizes-for-signing-acta.html.
February 07, 2012 at 11:40 pm, Gargamel Ted said:
Keep giving these so called leaders of our countries hell. Keep the pressure on. Keep bringing attention to ACTA. Keep Making Noise! Fight for your freedom or lose it forever..
February 07, 2012 at 11:49 pm, Romanian Prime Minister who signed ACTA resigns – Death and Taxes - End Of Internet » End Of Internet said:
[...] Romanian Prime Minister who signed ACTA resignsDeath and TaxesBy DJ Pangburn 7 hours ago After three weeks of anti-austerity protests and ACTA opposition in Romania, Prime Minister Emil Boc has resigned. According to Reuters, Romania (the second poorest country in the EU) is undergoing cuts to jobs and pay cuts, …and more » [...]
February 08, 2012 at 10:49 pm, Jerzy Czyżyński said:
Jej !
February 09, 2012 at 12:38 am, Anthony Thompson said:
why sign it if your going to run away? the signiture should be null and void.
February 09, 2012 at 2:56 am, Kommandantroll Lawl said:
idiots, that morons didn't resign bcuz of ACTA, he doesn't even know what acta is, he resigned bcuz he is just a scapegoat for the president to clear his image after protests against him.
February 09, 2012 at 11:44 am, Ady Price said:
Actually, he resigned because he was pressured by a few staged protests and by the opposition into it, and he cracked so the protests would stop.
September 28, 2012 at 11:57 am, CCIA | SOPA Activism Spreads To Protests Against ACTA said:
[...] There is growing anti-ACTA backlash by citizens concerned with civil liberties online, which appears to be having a significant impact on changing the minds of European leaders. Opposition has led Poland and the Czech Republic to delay ratification of the treaty despite having signed it. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated: “I consider that the arguments for a halt to the ratification process are justified. The issue of signing of the ACTA accord did not involve sufficient consultation with everyone who is part of the process. . . . The ACTA ratification process will be frozen as long as we haven’t overcome all the doubts. . . . We can’t rule out that, at the end of the day, this accord will not be approved.” This came after people were marching in the streets of Poland in protest. Slovakia also appears to be having second thoughts after an ambassador’s public apology for having signed it: “I signed ACTA out of civic carelessness, because I did not pay enough attention. Quite simply, I did not clearly connect the agreement I had been instructed to sign with the agreement that, according to my own civic conviction, limits and withholds the freedom of engagement on the largest and most significant network in human history, and thus limits particularly the future of our children.” In addition, the Romanian Prime Minister recently resigned, which some have connected to protests and opposition to his support of ACTA. [...]