Activities of Alfred SANT related to 2020/2223(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Competition policy – annual report 2020 (debate)
Amendments (31)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas EU competition policy is designed to maintain an open market economy with free, fair and effective competition favouring an efficient allocation of resources to the benefit of all EU citizens, especially those in a weak consumer position;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas given that recent data scandals, investigations and evidence have shown how personal data is being collected, used and sold to third parties by platforms and how dominant technology players and platforms have been tracking consumers online systematically;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that a competition policy aiming to ensure a level playing field in all sectors, drive innovation and give consumers morehigher quality choices, is crucial for guaranteeing the proper functioning of the single market;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that competition policy is not solely about ensuring “fair” or low prices for consumers but also about providing quality, innovation and sustainability; urges the Commission in that regard to strengthen the role of the European Consumers Centres Network (ECC-Net) in the spirit of the ECN+ Directive1a; _________________ 1a OJ L 11, 14.1.2019, p.3.
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that a strict and impartial enforcement of EU competition rules by independent competition authorities can make a significant contribution to key political priorities, such as social inequalities or the climate crisis; emphasises itshowever the importance alsoof flexibility in crisis conditions;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the adoption of a Temporary Framework for State aid measures established in response to the COVID-19 crisis and supports its application for as long as the recovery is ongoing;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines that the action of the European Commission aiming at eliminating the condition of monopoly and dominant positions and at limiting public funding to companies that could lead such conditions does not provide any solution to the issue of systemic and structural disadvantages that affect the competitiveness of businesses based and operating from European insular territories and outermost regions;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to launch a post COVID-19 roadmap for less and better targeted State aid; including a chapter on competition policy on, among others, how to tackle fragmentation, market distortions and an unlevel playing field in the single market caused by Member States’ asymmetric capacities to apply State Aid as well as clear guidance on how to best use competition policy tools to foster a recovery with sustainable jobs and sustainable transition of companies; calls furthermore for the roadmap to encompass a first assessment on the effect of the pandemic on, and thus the future of, EU competition policy;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Emphasises the critical moment for the Union’s hospitality industry which has been from an economic and financial perspective the hardest hit throughout the ongoing crisis; in this context applauds state assistance directed towards the sector and calls for an EU policy aimed at reinforcing these efforts;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls for a reflection on maintaining exceptional measures beyond the expiry date of the temporary framework for the sectors that have been mostly affected by the COVID-19 crisis (e.g. tourism, air and maritime transports);
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Given the Covid19 economic crisis and the realisation of the existential role of European farmers for our food supply and agriculture sovereignty; calls on the Commission to pay particular attention to any third country anti-competitive practices that risk penalising our agriculture sector and penalise our farmers; the same rules and standards should be requested from third countries when importing agriculture products;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the importance of a structured global dialogue and cooperation on competition policy enforcement;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls for the EU and the UK to find common ground to continuously cooperate and strive towards fair competition and a level playing field;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Expresses its concern about distortive state-funded competition from Chinese and other foreign undertakings acquiring European undertakings, especially those active in innovative technologies and the airline industry;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. InvitesHighlights the importance of Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI); calls on the Commission to identify strategic dependencies, particularly in sensitive industrial ecosystems, and to propose measures to reduce these, including by diversifying production and supply chains, fostmote major IPCEIs in these areas; underlines the need to simplify the relevant procedures so that smaller ing production and investment in Europe, dustrial research projects cand ensuring strategic stockpilingasily benefit from its support;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls for further EU action as regards the lack of interoperability of digital devises with the aim of avoiding the situation whereby consumers are locked with one provider;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
Paragraph 22 c (new)
22 c. Calls on the Commission to update its antitrust tools especially on merger control and adequate them to new realities of digital and technology markets and to change the assessment of market power, merger notification thresholds, measurement of merger effects on consumer privacy, industrial data and investigation of abuse of dominant position;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Recalls, with view to its report on competition policy 2019 (2019/2131 (INI))2a that abuse of market power can take place even when products or services are supplied for free or in exchange of private data; believes that the passing on of private data to third parties for marketing or commercial purposes is frequently done without the consumer’s proper consent, as alternatives to sharing data are often not provided; considers that in the digital economy, the concentration of data in a small number of companies leads to market failures, excessive rent extraction and a blocking of new entrants; _________________ 2a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/A-9-2020-0022_EN.html
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Repeats its calls that allowing state aid in the context of services of general economic interest (SGEI) remains essential for the survival of several communities across Europe especially in the context of state support dedicated to isolated, remote or peripheral regions in the Union;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26 b. Welcomes the Commission’s open consultation regarding government subsidies (small amounts) for essential public services and the eventual extension of rules to 2023;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26 c. Is concerned about the untimely revision proposals in the context of the new Regional Aid Guidelines 2022 -2027 whereby the Commission is aiming at reducing population coverage; notes that this proposal will especially impact in a negative manner European peripheral regions that have already been disproportionately affected by the ongoing economic downfall;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)
Paragraph 26 d (new)
26 d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to launch a territorial assessment on the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the context of the application of state aid rules and the relevant ongoing revision process; in this regard, special attention should be paid to analyse impacts on enterprises based in EU islands and outermost regions according to the provisions of Articles 174 and 349 TFEU;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31 a. Points out that while the level of fines imposed by the Commission is amongst the highest in the world, nearly two-thirds of the fines imposed by the Commission in cartel cases since 2006 stayed below 0.99% of global annual turnover, thus well below the ceiling of 10% of a company’s annual worldwide turnover allowed3a; notes that while the ECA rightly points out that the amount of fines alone does not allow conclusions on whether they are effective deterrents, the ECA also underlines that the ceiling itself of possible fines can limit the deterrent effect in “serious cases”; _________________ 3a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR20_24/SR_Competition_policy _EN.pdf
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32 a. Again reiterates its alarm at the concentration in the European food supply chain and emphasises that European consumers and small-scale farmers are those most negatively affected through a concentrated food market structure;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32 a. Welcomes Directive(EU) 2019/633 17 April 2019 on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain, recalls that is an important first step in ensuring fairness between operators, combating dual standards in agri-food practices and in addressing the imbalance of the bargaining power within the food supply chain; stresses the need for the Commission to monitor the progress of transposition closely and to promote the sharing of best practices between Member States; encourages Member States to list further unfair practices as prohibited and set higher standards;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32 b. Regrets the fact that selling at a loss is not prohibited at EU level; highlights the important contribution made by primary producers in supplying high-quality food and delivering public goods to society; calls on the Commission to guarantee fair competition and greater transparency in offline platforms’ commercial practices, including supermarket and hypermarkets, so as to ensure that EU producers receive fair conditions and prices for their products;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32 b. With regards the food sector; calls on the Commission to guarantee fair competition and greater transparency in supermarket and hypermarkets chains commercial practices; European farmers should receive a fair price for their products; stresses the need for the Commission to look at hypermarkets powers in the distribution chain and commercial practices in placing competing products, including their own, on the shelves;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 c (new)
Paragraph 32 c (new)
32 c. Calls on the Commission to devote special attention to supermarkets, hypermarkets and retail alliances’ bargaining powers with their clients and suppliers; notes that in some Member States supermarkets, hypermarkets and retail alliances’ sovereignty affects brand value and product choice, cuts corners on their own brands quality, limits innovation and price comparability, thus distorting price architectures;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 d (new)
Paragraph 32 d (new)
32 d. Calls on the Commission to make it compulsory for banks receiving State aid to retain their full retail banking/consumer banking services and to ensure that banks are not allowed to use the COVID-19 crisis as a pretext for permanently reducing such services; Calls the Commission to have a close look at cases in the banking sector in certain Member States where consumers currently face higher interest rates and a lack of transparency when it comes to loans, potentially due to concentration of ownership in the banking sector, which could lead to deceptive selling practices of mortgages; Calls the Commission to have a close look at the banking sector in Romania where consumers face high interest rates and lack of transparency when it comes to loans because of potential bank cartels tendencies when it comes to deceptive selling practices of credit;