European Union News - 05 January 2011

With this formal ratification, the European Union becomes for the first time in history a party to an international human rights treaty: the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which aims to ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy their rights on an equal basis with all other citizens. This text is the first comprehensive human rights treaty to be ratified by the Union as a whole.

In its recent report about the application of 2004 Directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, the European Commission highlights the important progress which has been achieved since it was adopted and implemented in the Member States. However, Commission also points out the important increase in the economic value of IPR infringements and the need to pay attention to certain issues such as the observance of procedures, legal proceedings and protective measures, as well as taking into account the changes introduced by the Internet and digital technologies.