New EU tools in fight against piracy submitted to UN

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Presidents Barroso and Van Rompuy met with the highest authorities from the United Nations to discuss the possible remedies to the incessant attacks by Somali pirates on European ships.

Following a three-hour meeting in the United Nations Headquarter building in New York, an obviously satisfied Barroso stated at an improvised press conference (the official press conference having been scheduled three floors below but no journalist having shown up as they thought Van Rompuy was the new Dutch Prime Minister and that the subject of the press briefing was a new breed of genetically-modified tulips) that “yet again, the European way of doing things was being looked at as a beacon of innovation in international practices. Inspired by the graduated response being applied by countries such as France to repeat offenders on the Internet, Europe had decided the pirates are pirates and that file-sharing or attacking ships should be adressed in a similar fashion, namely through a “Three strikes, you’re out” approach. Europe and its partners have thus decided that from now on, any Somali fisherman suspected from piracy (for example because a neighbour or the postman has seen him or her access a ship that could be linked to acts of piracy) will receive a written warning. Once three such warning have been sent, the said fisherman or any other repeat offender will see his or her right to access the sea removed, until he or she has been able to prove to a judge that he or she is innocent”.

This approach is similar to the one put in place against piracy on the Internet in France, and is being considered according to some NGOs in the framework of the ACTA secret negotiations, according to the leaked documents indicating the items up for negotiation. When asked about this aspect, President Barrosos merely replied that the Commission did not comment on leaked documents.