Activities of Tibor SZANYI related to 2017/2191(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual Report on Competition Policy (debate)
Amendments (63)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
– having regard to its resolution of 19 Janthe report of the European Parliament (A8-0001/2017) on the 14 February 20167 on the Annual rReport on EU Competition Policy (2014)4 and its resolution of 10 March 2015 on the Annual Report on EU Competition Policy (2013)5 , _________________ 4 5and the reports of the previous years, Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0004. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0051.
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the EU farming sector is mainly composed of small family-run farms, which have a low resilience to shocks and market changes;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the agricultural markets are characterised by increased volatility of agricultural prices and are experiencing an unprecedented crisis, accentuated by the weak position of farmers within the food supply chain;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a clear, coherent and workable regulatory environment in terms of adaptation of competition policy to agricultural specificities can contribute to strengthening farmers’ position within the food supply chain by tackling power imbalances between operators, increasing market efficiency and ensuring legal certainty and a level playing field within the single market;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the competition policy can not resolve unfair trading practices (UTPs) alone in the food supply chain, the coherence with other policies is needed;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the agricultural production sector is vulnerable due to the imbalances in the food supply chain; the imbalances arise partly from the difference between the economic size of farms and the other players of the chain;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas the agricultural component of the Omnibus regulation is a significant step for the CAP, which is offering important improvements in competition policy;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas EU competition policy is an essential instrument for a properly functioning internal market in the Union. The competition policy helps us to prevent the over-concentration of economic and financial power and is also a key tool for lower prices, better-quality products and services and greater choice for consumers;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas the Agricultural Markets Task Force (“AMTF”) conclusions must be taken into account, where applicable, with regard to future discussions and measures to be taken, as it was established with a view to improving the position of farmers in the food supply chain; the AMTF urged the Commission to take concrete initiatives to end the current contradictions over the limits of operability posed by competition rules over the mission of producers’ organisations (POs), association of producers’ organisations (APOs), and other forms of cooperation between producers in the agricultural sector;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the collective activities of producer organisations and their associations (including production planning and the negotiation of sales and of the terms of contracts) are necessary to achieve the CAP objectives as defined in Article 39 TFEU and should therefore benefit, in principle, from a presumption of compatibility with Article 101 TFEU; notes that the current derogations are not used to their full extent and that the lack of clarity of those derogations, the difficulties in implementation and the lack of uniform application by national competition authorities do not give farmers and their organisations enough legal certainty;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of directiveslegislation linked to the completion of the single market, particularly in the taxation, energy and, transport and digital sectors, and to enhance the enforcement of EU competition rules in order to avoid uneven application thereof in the Member States;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to improve available tools by ensuring that competition policy takes better account of the specificities of the agricultural sector and by appropriately clarifying the scope of the general derogation for agriculture;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Recalls that Article 42 TFEU gives special status to the agricultural sector as regards competition law, affirmed during the last reform of the CAP by allowing a series of derogations and exemptions from the provisions of Article 101 TFEU; considers that the current crisis in the farming sector is worsening the already weak positions of farmers within the food supply chain;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Calls on the Commission to adopt a more extensive approach in defining a ‘dominant position’ and the abuse of such a position by an agricultural undertaking or a number of such undertakings linked by a horizontal agreement, taking into consideration the degree of concentration and the constraints resulting from the negotiating strength of the input, processing and retail sectors;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that, in general, competition policy only defends consumers’ interests, but does not take account of agricultural producers’ specific interests and difficulties; believes that the sectoral aspect is indispensable in competition policy when it comes to agriculture; notes that the CAP aims to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community in the face of constant economic- and climate related hazards;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Underlines again that corruption in public procurement has serious market-distorting effects on European competitiveness; reiterates that public procurement is one of the government activities most vulnerable to corruption; highlights that in certain Member States, EU-funded procurement carries higher corruption risks than nationally funded procurement; calls on the Commission to continue its effort to prevent the misuse of EU funds and stimulate accountability in public procurement; also welcomes the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that competition policy must attach the same importance to defending the interests of agricultural producers as it does to defending consumers’ interests, by ensuring that the conditions for competition and for access to the internal market are fair in order to foster investment, employment, innovation, viability of agricultural businesses and balanced development of rural areas in the EU;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Expects the Commission to take into account the primacy of CAP objectives over competition policy; notes the importance of the European Court of Justice’s statement on a more flexible, clear and predictable applications of competition rules to producers and producers' organisations;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Points out that if our agricultural sector is at risk, all citizens are affected the potential damage to essential food supplies; further points out that a market- oriented CAP needs to provide support to farmers and grant additional time-limited and general exemptions from competition rules;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Insists that the concept of ‘fair price’ should not be regarded as the lowest price possible for the consumer, but instead must be reasonable and allow fair remuneration of each party within the food supply chain;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Stresses that the disparity caused by the different economic size of farm businesses in terms of market power should be taken into account whenever competition rules are enforced by the Commission and by national competition authorities;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that farmers in all sectors of production should be guaranteed the right to collective bargaining, including the right to agree on minimum prices; believes that farmers should fully engage with and be equipped with the means to exploit the potential of producer organisations, including producer cooperatives, their associations and inter-branch bodies; calls on the Commission to encourage such collective self-help tools to grow in competencies and efficiencies by clarifying and simplifying the rules applicable to them in order to strengthen their negotiating capacity and their competitiveness, while safeguarding the principles set out in Article 39 TFEU;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Maintains that the Commission as guardian of EU competition rules, and national competition authorities should be more lenient in applying article 101 TFEU to the agreements, practices and coordination conducts carried out by POs, APOs, agricultural cooperatives and consortiums between producers, especially with regard to the fundamental objective of ensuring available and reasonably priced food supplies in line with Article 39 TFEU;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines that while the speed of investigations has to be balanced with the need to adequately preserve the rights of defence, clearindicative time frames would help the antitrust authorities to make more efficient use of their resources;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Encourages the EU institutions to grant agri-cooperatives and other types of POs clear derogations from competition law to improve farmers’ income and their share in the value chain;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Calls for more clarity for POs and APOs with regard to the application of competition rules by issuing appropriate guidelines specifically on the “safe harbour market shares” under which the exemptions or derogations from competition rules already exist; calls for the guidelines already published by the Commission for the olive oil, arable crops and beef and veal meat sectors to be extended also to other sectors, widened in scope and improved both in clarity and effectiveness;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to fully take into account the effect of possible market distortions resulting from trade agreements with third countries on agricultural producers in Europe, given their delicate financial situation and their fundamental role in our society;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Believes a substantial rebalancing of power within the EU food chain by extending the 2010 milk package to all agricultural sectors is a must; through this and other tools, farmers and producers’ organisations should have more freedom to plan production, the right to collective bargaining and the negotiation of sales and of the terms of contracts that set prices and volumes clearly;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Welcomes the Commission proposal for a “Directive to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market”; considers that effective tools to tackle distortions of competition are crucial for the functioning of the internal single market, and that it is imperative to ensure that consumers and businesses can rely on the consistent application of EU competition rules throughout the Union; underlines that EU legislation should be equally enforced in all Member States; considers that the proposal is an important step in the right direction as it addresses the most problematic and divergent areas in EU competition law across Member States, namely the independence of national competition authorities, powers of investigation, the setting of fines, and leniency;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Reiterates that the removal of obstacles present on national level significantly contributes to the effective and efficient enforcement of EU competition law; stresses that the independence of NCAs is especially important in maintaining the focus of competition law;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Underlines that there is “regulatory contradiction” regarding the respective scopes of application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets, on the one side, and competition rules, on the other side, especially with regard to the practices of producer organisations and association of producer organisations carry out in favour of their members;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates the need for the progressive development of the EU competition framework and to include in the monitoring of the European food supply chain, the evolutions in the position of primary producers and the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) indicators.Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) indicators of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), including indicators under the headings of Fair Pricing and Transparent Contracts (S.2.1.1) and Rights of Suppliers (S.2.2.1);
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that the Commission should verify that national competition authorities (NCAs) are sufficiently equipped in terms of financial and human resources as well as that the election or nomination of the leadership is transparent and not politically influenced in order to be able to guarantee their independence, and that it should submit an annual report to Parliament regarding this key point;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Acknowledges that, so far, competition law has not been applied to tackle unfair trading practices in the food chain either at the European, nor at the national level; notes that specific national rules have been implemented in this respect, but they have not proved fully effective in addressing the endemic problem of unfair trading practices and imbalance of power in the food supply chain; calls on the Commission to publish and approve without delay the announced EU legislative proposal on unfair trading practices provide a harmonized legal framework which will better protect producers and farmers from unfair trading practices, and ensure further consolidation of the internal market.
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the strong emphasis on the independence of national competition authorities as an essential tool and prerequisite in ensuring that such authorities become effective enforcers of EU law, reiterates that the removal of obstacles present on national level significantly contributes to the attainment of this objective, stresses that the independence of NCAs is especially important in maintaining the focus of competition law and its enforcement;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for the establishment of a European observatory for food and agricultural prices at origin and at destination; draws attention to the Spanish origin-destination price index IPOD as a possible model for monitoring potential abuses by retailers of farmers and consumers;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Considers that the emphasis on budgetary independence should be strengthened to ensure that NCAs have complete independence in the conduct of their activities, which would ensure more efficient and effective conduct of cases;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls for binding action in the food supply chain against retailers harming farmers and consumers.
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates that all market players should pay their fair share of tax in the country where profits are generated; welcomes the Commission’s in-depth investigations into anti-competitive practices such as selective tax advantages and, excess profit ruling systems and aggressive tax planning; stresses that the reduction of tax fraud and tax avoidance is fundamental in order to consolidate sound public budgets and to ensure fair competition across the single market;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Underlines that corporate tax base harmonisation is a key element in eliminating distortion of competition and will contribute to the fight against opaque tax agreements between some multinationals and Member States;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Calls for a European minimum corporate tax rate in order to stop tax competition and a race to the bottom between Member States leading to unfair competition and which often benefits transnational groups only;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Emphasises the crucial role of competition policy in the further development of the Digital Single Market;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Reiterates that traditional market models of competition policy may not always be suitable for the digital market, as platform-based business models, multi- sided markets; calls on greater attention to be focused on the new business models used by digital companies;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Supports the finding of the Commission’s “Sector inquiry into e- commerce” that cross-border e-commerce can contribute to the further integration of the single market, has competitive advantages for businesses and increase consumer choice, but geo-blocking measures constitute a significant impediment to this. Reiterates that this may be found to be contrary to Article 101 in certain circumstances, welcomes the Commission’s commitment to target enforcement of EU competition rules which emerged or became more widespread as a result of the emergence and growing significance of the digital economy, and its aim to broaden dialogue with national competition authorities in order to ensure consistent application of EU competition rules with regards to e- commerce practices;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Reiterates that competition in the internet search and telecommunications sectors is essential to driving innovation and investment in networks and the digital economy, and encourages affordable prices and choice of services for consumers;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)
Paragraph 17 e (new)
17e. Asks for enhanced vigilance regarding fair competition in the single market digital sector; underlines in particular issues of unfair competition conditions imposed by certain dominant on-line platforms on suppliers;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to ensure that Google implements this remedy effectively and promptly so as to prevent further abuse of a dominant position; believes that the greatest danger now would be if the Commission were to settle for a partially effective remedy, failing to truly restore the level playing field required for competition and innovation to thrive;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission again to intervene in the other sectors, such as travel search and local search, where Google is allegedly abusing its dominance;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor Google’s practices following the AdSense investigation; notes that Google is accused of reducing consumer choice by preventing third-party websites from sourcing search ads from Google’s competitors, and that these practices have allowed Google to protect its dominant position in online search advertising, at the expense of existing and potential competitors whom have been prevented from entering and growing in this area;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses the importance of granting the same rights to all air carriers when flying to or from the EU; acknowledges that this is not always the case for EU airlines operating outside the EU which are subject to unfair practices affecting competition; regards investment in EU airlines crucial to growth in a competitive environment;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Welcomes the Commission's continued efforts regarding investigations into the aviation industry and calls on the Commission to tackle anti-competitive practices undermining consumer protection legislation;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Asks the Commission to apply State aid rules strictly and uniformly to European airlines such as Alitalia and Air Berlin; believes that restructuring aid is one of the most distortive forms and that the same rules should be applied to national and low-cost carriers;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes the revision of Regulation (EC) No 868/2004 on safeguarding fair competition between EU air carriers and third country air carriers, aimed at ensuring reciprocity and eliminating unfair practices, including alleged State aid to airlines from certain third countries; believes that transparency in the fair competition clause is an essential element to guarantee a level playing field;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Reiterates that aviation makes a vital contribution to the connectivity of the EU both internally between Member States and with third countries; it plays a crucial role in EU integration and competitiveness and makes a vital contribution to economic growth and employment; Notes that the EU's overall connectivity relies to a great extent on air services performed by EU air carriers;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31b. Calls on the Commission to further address the long-term effects of the disrupted discussions on future legislation under the EU Aviation Strategy;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 c (new)
Paragraph 31 c (new)
31c. Welcomes the inception impact assessment and the public consultation on the food supply chain launched by the Commission;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 d (new)
Paragraph 31 d (new)
31d. Calls on the Commission to take further action against unfair trading practices by larger commercial partners, particularly those which hamper farmers and consumers, to increase transparency and to enhance legal certainty in the food supply chain; considers it essential to empower farmers in the food supply chain through transparency measures to enable them to make well informed decisions which will offer serious benefits both to farmers and consumers; calls on the Commission to ensure competition policy takes into account agricultural producers’ and producers’ organisations' interests, by ensuring that competition and access to the internal market are fair;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission to analyse how lack of competition in certain parts of the food supply chain could be affecting prices and the viability of many agricultural producers and producers’ organisations;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Maintains the importance of establishing a coherent and workable regulatory environment by allowing for the adaptation of competition policy to agricultural specificities; notes that this would contribute to strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain by targeting the root causes of imbalances of power, thereby increasing market efficiency and legal certainty;