On June 10, on the occasion of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, the second meeting of the European Observatory for the fight against piracy was held at the Palacio de Congresos in Madrid, being the first meeting attended by both the public and private sector. It was also attended by 31 representatives of Member States, 33 Private Sector representatives, 3 Observers and 7 Representatives of the Commission, a total of 74 attendees.

Throughout the morning and after a few words at the opening by the Representative of the Directorate General for Internal Market and Services of the European Commission, various topics were discussed, including: the outcome of several studies and statistics in the various countries of the European Union, the sociological aspect of piracy, specifically consumer behavior, inter-administrative cooperation and good practices.

These interventions resulted in the following conclusions:

• The European Commission will assume the task of defining the functions of the Observatory so that it becomes the main institution for dialogue, the exchange of information and a coordinated fight against piracy.
  
  
• The need for convergence with regard to measures taken in this regard in various countries of the European Union to unify preventive measures as well as analysis and action, thus facilitating the joint fight against piracy. Discussions were held concerning the desirability of creating a common database to centralize information and facilitate measures to be taken.
  
  
• The importance of communication and awareness campaigns. Efforts must be strengthened within the group of people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old and through educational campaigns and creative initiatives such as the one promoted by the European Parliament. One point worth mentioning here is the campaign launched by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, 'I'm original; I don't buy fakes'.
  
  
• Further develop a horizontal approach to policy for combating piracy in line with multidisciplinary implications.
  
  
• Continue with the training efforts of all Agencies responsible for the implementation of measures and regulations in this area.
  
  
• Dual preventive-reactive approach, with emphasis on the former.
  
  
• The importance of constant innovation as a tool in the fight against piracy and the necessary support, especially SMEs, to promote it.
  
  
• Finally the mention of the Forum's vocation of international access, with a coming together at all levels - bilateral / multilateral - in order to confront a growing threat.
  

In light of the studies carried out and presented at the Meeting, piracy constitutes an enormous social and economic threat with devastating effects on society as a whole, which also has easy access through New Technologies. This threat is still not very visible to the general public, as it deals with intangible damages, and therefore needs awareness campaigns and coordinated efforts carried out by the international community.

The Observatory is making significant progress in this direction, but as noted in the meeting, this is only a beginning from which we have to make further process in the area of dialogue, cooperation, awareness and harmonization.

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