Activities of Igor ŠOLTES related to 2017/2003(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European agenda for the collaborative economy - Online platforms and the Digital Single Market (debate) SL
Amendments (25)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas collaborative economy models can help to boost participation of women in the labour market and economy, by providing opportunities of flexible forms of entrepreneurship and employment;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas, while the recent Commission communication entitled 'European agenda for the collaborative economy' represents a good starting point for promoting and regulating this sector effectively, there is a need to incorporate the gender equality perspective and reflect the provisions of the relevant anti- discrimination legislation in further analysis and recommendations in this field;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Agrees that the collaborative economy could also generate new entrepreneurial opportunities, jobs and growth, and could play an important role inincluding for the participation of women in the economy, and for citizens who would otherwise be unable to participate in the workforce, and could thereby makinge the economic system not only more efficient, but also socially and environmentally sustainablemore socially sustainable; consequently highlights the potential collaborative economy contribution to EU economic sustainability in achieving overarching objectives in resource efficiency, sustainable agriculture, combatting climate change or building a circular economy;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges, at the same time, that the collaborative economy is having a profound influence and impact on long- established business models; underlines the risk of having different legal standards for similar economic actors; is concerned about the risk of reducing consumer protection, workers’ rights and tax compliance; acknowledges the effects that collaborative businesses are having on the urban environment;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points to the risks of increasing regulatory grey areas, the consequent disregard of existing regulations and the fragmentation of the Single Market; is aware that, if not properly governed, these changes could result in legal uncertainty about applicable rules and constraints in exercising individual rights;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers the development of a dynamic and clear legal environment to be of paramount importance for the collaborative economy to flourish in the EU; underlines that solidarity, equality, community and trust are fundamentals of this economy and that collaboration rules, including on safety, service quality and data protection are essential for a fair and safe collaborative economy ;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Emphasises the need to consider the collaborative economy not only as a business model but also as a new form of integration between the economyraditional economic models and society which is able to embed economic relations within social ones and to create new forms of community and new business models;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the importance of preventing any form of discrimination, so as to grant effective and equal access to collaborative services, especially for women, disadvantaged people and communities;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Considers that those services offered within the collaborative economy which are publicly advertised and offered for profit fall within the remit of the Council Directive 2004/113/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services and should, therefore, be consistent with the principle of equal treatment of women and men;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Considers that depending on the legal nature of the relationship between individual service providers with the platform provider, if the relationship presents labour relationship or self- employment, directives 2006/54/EU or 2010/41/EU alternatively should be applied.
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is concerned that, while a large part of the nascent collaborative economy remains unregulatedfalls into regulatory grey areas, significant differences are emerging among Member States due to national, regional and local regulations, as well as case-law, posing a risk of fragmentation of the Single Market;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission’s intent to tackle the current fragmentation, but regrets that its communication did not bring sufficient clarity about the applicability of existing EU legislation to different collaborative economy models; moreover emphasises existing applicable rules such as the Services Directive (Directive 2006/123/EC) and the need for member states to step up law enforcement; specifically encourages the Commission to make use of all means at its disposal to ensure the full and correct implementation of existing rules, and bring infringement procedures whenever incorrect or insufficient implementation of the legislation is identified;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission’s intent to tackle the current fragmentation, but regrets that its communication did not bring sufficient clarity about the applicability of existing EU legislation to different collaborative economy models; in particular highlights the issue of data protection and calls all actors to comply with and enforce the General Data Protection Regulation in the collaborative economy;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Agrees that market access requirements for collaborative platforms and service providers must be necessary, justified and proportionate, and that this assessment should be dependent inter alia on whether services are provided by professional or private individuals, making peer providers subject to lighter legal requirements and taking into account sectoral differences; however stresses that incumbents and new operators and services linked to digital platforms and the collaborative economy need to be able to develop in a business-friendly environment, including greater transparency with regard to legislative changes and can coexist among healthy competition, as opposed to abusing exceptions from EU law with the aim of blocking new market entrants;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Believes that consumers should enjoy a high and effective level of protection, regardless of whether services are provided by professionals or peers; highlights, in particular, the importance of protecting consumers in peer-to-peer transactions; welcomes the Commission’s initiative to ensure the adequacy of consumer law and preventing abuse of the collaborative economy; stresses the importance of looking for solutions which improve security for consumers and minimise risks of gender based violence while providing or accepting services within the collaborative economy;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Notes that harassment poses a particular challenge for gender equality in the area of collaborative economy services; highlights that whilst the "zero- tolerance" policy towards harassment adopted by many platforms constitutes a good practice to be further strengthened in the sector, there is a need for the platforms concerned to prioritise prevention of harassment as well as to consider creating clear procedures for reporting abuse cases for users;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls onWelcomes the Commission to clarify the's announcement to maintain the existing intermediary liability regime enshrined in the e-commerce directive, which is vital for the development of collaborative economy platforms liability regime; calls on the Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal to clarify the procedures for notice-and-action applicable to, inter alia, collaborative platforms, which could enhance responsible behaviour and increase user confidence;.
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Stresses the need for clarification of the provisions on liability for providers of goods and services and connecting online platforms on the basis of the Directive 2004/113/EC implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services, in particular in cases of third-party harassment which predominantly concerns women; calls on the Commission to perform legal analysis and issue guidelines in in this regard;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Believes that any new regulation should leverage platforms’ self-governing capacities; is convinced that collaborative platforms themselves could take an active role in such a new regulatory environment by correcting many asymmetric information and other market failures which have been traditionally addressed through regulation, especially by digital trust-building mechanisms, yet considers self-regulation quality labels per se as inappropriate to achieve safety and service quality standards;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Strongly believes, at the same time, that this self-regulating capacity does not undercut the need for regulation, especially for market failures that platforms cannot address and for other normative goals (e.g. reversing inequalities, boosting fairness, inclusiveness, and openness, etc.); points to the positive experiences in regulation made on local level guided by the principles of information transparency, participation, inclusion and good governance in general;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Encourages the Commission to foster a level playing field for competition among collaborative platforms; stresses the importance of identifying and addressing barriers to the emergence and scaling-up of collaborative businesses, especially start- ups; underlines in this context the need for, while protecting user information and personal data, for the free flow of data, data portability and interoperability, which facilitate switching between platforms and prevent lock-in, and which are key factors for open and fair competition and empowering users of collaborative platforms;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Underlines the paramount importance of safeguarding workers’ rights in collaborative services, of avoiding social dumping, and of guaranteeing fair working conditions and adequate social protection; special attention should be paid to prevent precarious employment models, while women are more likely than men to be employed precariously;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33 a. While acknowledging the risks associated with self-employment and reduced job security, notes the positive effects of collaborative economy operators in creating new, flexible jobs for people entering the labour market, self-employed workers and marginalised groups such as migrants, part-time workers and the long- term unemployed;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Notes that first movers have been cities, where urban conditions such as population density and physical proximity favour the adoption of collaborative practices; is also convinced that the collaborative economy can offer significant opportunities to inner peripheries and rural areas, tooas well as to regions and the tourism sector more generally; believes that travel and tourism can benefit from digitisation opening up a number of opportunities for SMEs; stresses that the collaborative economy has a positive socio-economic impact helping marginalised communities such as migrants, part-time workers and the long- term unemployed to be active;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Points out the importance of adequate competences and skills, in order to enable as many individuals as possible to play an active role in the collaborative economy; is of the opinion that the potential of the collaborative economy will be fully unleashed only through effective policies of social inclusion at EU level, starting with confident and critical use of ICT as a key competence for lifelong learning strategies; stresses the importance of encouraging women and girls to acquire ICT related competences and provide them with opportunities of doing so, in order for them to be able to fully enjoy the benefits of collaborative economy;