23 Amendments of Nicola DANTI related to 2015/2065(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas UTPs have adverse effects on the weakest link in the chain, farmers and SMEs; whereas the economic impact of those adverse effects is thought to run into billions of euros;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas the various steps taken by the Member States may cause distortions in the internal market if there are no EU- level measures to prevent such problems;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the steps taken to date by the Commission to combat UTPs with a view to securing a more balanced market and to overcome the current fragmented situation stemming from different national legislations and voluntary codes addressing UTPs in the EU;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the steps taken to date by the CommissionPoints out that the action the Commission has taken thus far is not sufficient to combat UTPs with a view to securing a more balanced market;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that although there is already European legislation designed to prevent unfair business-to-consumer (B2C) commercial practices (Directive 2005/29/EC), that legislation is not sufficient to address unfair practices in the food supply chain; in that regard, calls on the Commission to draw up a directive that makes it possible to put an end to UTPs in business-to-business (B2B) relations;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WCautiously welcomes the setting up of the Supply Chain Initiative, which has resulted in the adoption of a set of principles of good practice in B2B relations in the food supply chain and a voluntary framework for the implementation of those principles; believes that efforts to promote fair trading practices in the food supply chain can make a real impactshould make an impact, although the serious shortcomings of the initiative – such as the fact that it is not possible to lodge confidential complaints, and the fact that there are no effective penalties – mean that it is utterly inadequate for the purpose of combating UTPs;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission to carefully consider the growing penetration of the agri-food chain by so-called ‘private labels’, which is liable to impede fair competition and adversely affect innovation and product quality as well as consumer choices when making purchases. Believes it necessary, therefore, to introduce specific measures to guarantee effective competition in this sector based on a balanced relationship between distributors and producers, which will also ensure that consumers receive correct information;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Points out that UTPs imposed by parties in a stronger bargaining position clearly have a negative impact; stresses that UTPs can hamper investment and product innovation, their quality and variety and could limit the choice for consumers;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that the Supply Chain Initiative and other national and EU voluntary systems (codes of good practice, voluntary dispute settlement mechanisms) should be further developed and promoted alongside relevant EU legislation ensuring that complaints can be lodged anonymously and establishing dissuasive penalties; encourages producers and traders to become involved in such initiatives; takes the view that they should play a leading role in efforts to combat UTPs;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Urges the Commission to submit specific proposals for EU legislationwithout delay specific legislative proposals to establish an unitary EU framework, defining general principles and respecting national realities and best practices, with the aim of banning UTPs in the entire food supply chain that will enable markets to operate as they should and fair and transparent relations to be maintained between food producers, suppliers and distributors;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Suggests that work should begin on EU rules on the establishment ormutual recognition of national public agencies with responsibility for enforcing laws to combat unfair practices in the food supply chain; takes the view that public agencies of this kind should be empowered to conduct investigations on their own initiativeex- oficio and/or on the basis of informal information and/or on the basis of complaints dealt with on a confidential basis (thus overcoming the fear factor), as well as to impose penalties;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WelcomAcknowledges the setting up of the Supply Chain Initiative, which has resulted in the adoption of a set of principles of good practice in B2B relations in the food supply chain and a voluntary framework for the implementation of those principles; believes that efforts to promote fair trading practices in the food supply chain can make a real impactn impact, but cannot be considered sufficient to tackle the problem of UTPs in the food supply chain; notes that the results emerged from the conclusions of the Commission's study on the SCI recently published "seem very modest if measured against the actual or perceived magnitude and seriousness of the issue of UTPs in the food supply chain, and even more so if measured against the expectations of the stakeholders which are most seriously impacted by UTPs, and of policy makers";
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the complaints issued in the framework of the voluntary codes, specifically within the SCI, are very limited, as it has been spotted by the Commission's study on the SCI; notes also that the Commission's study does not precisely indicate the number of disputes solved in the last years, rendering thus impossible to assess the effectiveness of the SCI in tackling the problem of UTPs in the food supply chain;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Is concerned about the Commission report which does not take into account many findings of the study, notably with regard to the assessment of voluntary approaches;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Emphasizes that, as it has been reported by the Commission's study, the SCI, at the moment, does not have robust enforcement mechanisms nor effective deterrent instruments and penalties, such as monetary and/or economic sanctions, which will be able to address the problem of the UTPs in the food supply chain; therefore, asks the Commission to undertake concrete actions to establish effective enforcement mechanisms capable to act cross-borders, such as the establishment of an independent EU enforcement authority or a network of national authorities, mutually recognized at the EU level; these independent authorities shall be empowered to conduct investigations ex-oficio and/or on the basis of informal information and/or on the basis of complaints dealt with on a confidential basis, thus overcoming the so-called "fear factor";
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3e. Rather than simply encouraging some improvements in the SCI, stresses that study evaluating the effectiveness of the SCI highlights a broad range of its shortcomings – lack of trust from external experts and organisations, weaknesses in governance, under-representation of SMEs, limitations in transparency and no enforcement measures and penalties;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 h (new)
Paragraph 3 h (new)
3h. Regrets that study assessed only 4 national voluntary initiatives; points out that only one of those is generally considered as effective and adequate; on the contrary, another one has been negatively affected by serious weaknesses and no disputes have been brought before the board to date;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Points out, following the recent Commission study main findings on the Supply chain initiative, that more than 20 Member States have introduced legislation to combat UTPs or are planning to do so in the near future; welcomes that Commission report identifies a number of specific areas to be improved in this regard; believes, that this set of best practices should serve as a basis for effective and transparent framework of legislative and enforcement measures in the EU;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Regrets that, despite the limits of voluntary codes and initiatives have been clearly highlighted by the conclusions of the Commission's study on the SCI, the Commission does not seem willing to proceed with the swift adoption of a specific EU legislative framework which could better protect consumers, ensure a level-playing field among the stakeholders of the food supply chain, limit the current fragmentation of the single market and effectively tackle the UTPs;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Underlines that the safeguard of confidentiality is an essential component of any dispute resolution process; stresses that the SCI does not provide for a mechanism ensuring confidential or anonymous complaints for potential victims of UTPs. Therefore, asks the Commission to establish a monitoring instrument to ensure and preserve the confidentiality between the parties involved in the dispute, thus reducing the so-called "fear factor";
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes results of the study, where survey respondents indicated as the most preferred approaches in tackling UTPs the combination of voluntary initiatives and public enforcement (33% of total answers) or a specific legislation at EU level (32%); on the other side, reliance on voluntary initiatives alone at national (4%) or EU level (9 %) resulted to be the less preferred approach;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Welcomes that the Commission finds it necessary to ensure that UTP legislation covers operators from non-EU countries; Believes that clear and transparent rules at the EU level would facilitate fair trading practices towards third countries traders;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Is convinced that functioning enforcement mechanisms should be accessible to all market operators in the food supply chain, regardless of geographical origin;