Pirate parties draw up united front for 2014 European polls

(PRAGUE) - Members of pirate parties from over 20 countries met Saturday in Prague to draw up a united campaign so as to win more seats in the European parliament during the 2014 elections.

"The Prague conference is the first step in the joint campaign for the 2014 elections to the European Parliament," deputy head of the Czech Pirate Party Mikulas Ferjencik told AFP.

"Key issues for the pirate parties are transparency, an open state and better communication with the citizens," he said, adding the pirate movement would have a common programme.

During the two-day meeting, 200 representatives of Pirate Parties International (PPI) would look at ways to increase their representation in the European parliament from the two seats held currently by Amelia Andersdotter and Christian Engstroem from Sweden.

Founded in 2010, the PPI is a non-governmental organisation uniting pirate parties worldwide including the first one established in Sweden in 2006.

The movement seeks free and equal access for all to culture, education and information, and is pushing for a reform of copyright rules.

"The aim of this discussion is to find out how to approach the European campaign together," said Pierre Magnin, who heads the Pirate Party of the French Reunion Island.

"There are many important integration issues that we need to discuss on the member state level. Not only in the European elections campaign but in general," Andersdotter added.

The weekend conference will also discuss measures to take against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a controversial global pact aimed at battling online piracy but which critics say curtails cyber freedom.

"We are not here to tell the people what to do but to tell them -- beware, ACTA poses a threat to the freedom of information and the freedom of speech," Magnin said.

Twenty-two of the 27 European Union member states as well as other countries including the United States and Japan signed ACTA in January but the treaty has yet to be ratified anywhere.

ACTA's aim is to beef up international standards for intellectual property protection, for example by doing more to fight counterfeit medicine and other goods.

However, its potential role in cyberspace has caused an outcry and sparked several major protests in cities across Europe.