Activities of Clara AGUILERA related to 2022/2060(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the competition policy - annual report 2022
Amendments (14)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that competition is key to a well-functioning single market and economy and creates incentives for variety in products, lower pricespolicy is a fundamental part of the single market, as set out in the Treaties, and that a common market that ensures and boosts sustainable growth and jobs is needed, and that it creates incentives to diversify products and improve their quality, higher standards, innovation and, research, better services for the consumer and better conditions for workers; calls on the Commission to introduce changes that create a more favourable environment for start-ups and entrepreneurs;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Considers it essential to ensure a consistent application of EU competition rules throughout the single market; stresses that EU legislation should be applied equally in all Member States and must observe the suitability and timeliness of national funding; and calls on the Commission to avoid creating monopolies or closed value chains through standardisation;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the removal of State aid limits due to the COVID-19 crisis and now Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have led to Member States providing different amounts of support to the same sectors; underlines that this has led to a playing field that is not level for the same industries within the single market; calls on the Commission to seek ways to counterbalance this problem; calls on the Commission to improve the transparency of the State aid assessment process and stresses the need for an ex-post monitoring of the effective implementation of adopted State aid;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Insists that the concept of “fair price” should not only be regarded as the lowest possible price for the consumer, but must be reasonable and allow fair remuneration for all parties;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Reiterates its call on the Commission to address the anti- competitive effect of territorial supply constraints with a view to ensuring a fully operational single market respectful of consumer rights; reiterates that these types of constraints can be presented in different ways, such as: refusal of supply, threat of interruption of supply to a particular distributor, limitation of quantities available for sale, unexplained differentiation of product ranges and prices between Member States or limitation of language options on product packaging;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission to assess the degree of implementation of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive1a in the Member States and to report on the results of its application; _________________ 1a Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to- consumer commercial practices in the internal market (Unfair Commercial Practices Directive) ((OJ L 149 11.6.2005, p. 22)
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission to assess, in relation to the recent Regulation (EU) 2022/612 on roaming on public mobile communications networks in the EU1a, whether the doubtful concept of ‘fair use policy’ applied by telecom companies respects the consumers’ right not to pay additional surcharges for using their mobile phone when travelling within the EU and to receive appropriate prior information to be able to take decisions according to their needs; _________________ 1a OJ L 115, 13.4.2022, p. 1.
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a Data Act (2022/0047(COD)) which aims at addressing market imbalances arising from the concentration of data and creating fair and competitive market conditions for the internal market in cloud, edge and related services;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that competition is global by nature; encourages the Commission, therefore, to use all tools provided for in the Union’s trade agreements and the Union’s Customs Code4 to counter unfair commercial trading practices and competition from non-EU companies which could affect the single market; askscalls on the Commission to look intoexamine the new international trade agreements and State aid rules in order to seekthose in the process of being revised, especially in respect to environmental and social suistable solutionsinability, in line with the objectives of the “Farm to Fork Strategy” and the European Green Deal; _________________ 4 Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code (recast) (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1).
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that consumers are facing rising energy prices in general, while the number of energy producers in some markets has collapsed; asks the Commission to help ensure the availability of a suitable and informed choice of providers for consumers;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Asks the Commission to further strengthen the role of the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net); reiterates its call on the Commission to conduct a study on whether an EU consumers authority is needed;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. Calls on the Commission to urge Member States to comply with "Regulation 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market";
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11 c. Considers that, in the framework of the single market, the concept of ‘reference market’ should develop and be understood first and foremost from an EU-wide perspective before taking into account lower levels, in order not to counteract efforts to concentrate supply;