Activities of Sander LOONES related to 2016/2100(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on EU competition policy (debate) NL
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the annual report on EU competition policy PDF (554 KB) DOC (121 KB)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the annual report on EU competition policy
Amendments (30)
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Encourages the Commission to conclude bilateral cooperation agreements with third countries on the enforcement of competition rules, along the lines of the second-generation cooperation agreement of 2013 between the EU and Switzerland;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the Commission’s active participation in multilateral competition organisations such as the International Competition Network, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the UN Conference for Trade and Development, and the World Trade Organization; stresses that global cooperation on the enforcement of competition rules helps resolve inconsistencies and improve the outcomes of enforcement, and helps businesses to reduce their compliance costs;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas a strong and effective EU competition policy has always been a cornerstone of the European projectinternal market, as it encourages economic efficiency and creates a favourable climate for growth, innovation and technological progress while pushing down prices;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas EU competition policy is an essential instrument for a properly functioning internal market in the Unionfighting fragmentation of the internal market and thus creating and maintaining a level playing field for businesses throughout the EU;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas global cooperation on competition enforcement helps to avoid inconsistencies in remedies and outcomes of enforcement actions, and helps businesses to reduce their costs of compliance;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the case law of the ECJ and the decision making practice of the Commission give a different interpretation to the notion of 'economic activity' depending on whether the internal market rules or the competition rules are involved; whereas this confusing practice troubles the already burdensome notion of 'economic activity' even further;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the annual report by the Commission on competition policy, which caand its focus on thelp to restore a sufficient level of investment and innovation by creating a fair competition environmen contribution of competition policy to eliminating barriers and distortive state aid measures for the benefit of the internal market; also reiterates that Europe’'s future should be based on innovation;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Considers that ensuring a level playing field for companies in the internal market also depends on decisively combating social dumping;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates that all market players should pay their fair share of tax; Welcomes the Commission’s in-depth investigations into anti-competitive practices such as selective tax advantages or excess profit ruling systemsconsiders that healthy tax competition is one of the constitutive elements of the internal market; emphasises therefore the need to eliminate distortive anti-competitive fiscal state aid measures; welcomes the Commission’s in-depth investigations in this regard;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy; reiterates thatemphasises that, according to the Commission's estimates, a unified digital single market could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and could contribute EUR 415 billion per year to the EU economy by breaking down regulatory barriers;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to take more ambitious steps to eliminate obstacles to online competition, in order to ensure barrier-free online shopping for EU consumers purchasing from sellers who are based in another Member State;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that the sharing economy is offerings EU consumers numerous innovative products and services; reiterates that beside the taxation and security aspects, the Commission should also examincontinue to scrutinize its competition aspects; underlines that national or EU rules must not impose the same conditions for different kinds of services;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the Commission’s investigations into certain anti-competitive practices by a number of companies, in particularly Google, Amazon, Qualcomm by internet and telecom giants and other media companies, film studios and TV distributors; calls on the Commission to speed up all procedures against anticompetitive behaviour which infringes EU antitrust rules;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that – as the Commission has stated for the sixth time in its annual competition report – the temporary state aid granted in the financial sector was necessary for the stabilisation of the global financial system, but must quickly be reduced, or totally removed and scrutinised, onceCalls for the sixth consecutive year in its annual competition report for a swift end to the temporary state aid crisis regime for the Bbanking Union is completedsector;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to clarify the rules and procedures that apply to state aid in the financial sector by taking account of the difference in timing between the recent rules in the banking sector on burden-sharing and those on the full bail-in; invites the Commission, together with the SRB and the SRM, to conduct a careful assessment of the transition period and to ensure that, in line with the requirements of the legislation, the new rules are implemented with the necessary proportionality and fairness; calls on the Commission and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to guarantee appropriate investor protectionState aid in the financial sector;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers that it is a priority to ensure that State aid rules are adhered to when dealing with future banking crises, so that taxpayers are protected against the burden of bank rescues;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Recalls that according to the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive, the use of deposit guarantee schemes to prevent the failure of a credit institution should be carried out within a clearly defined framework and should in any event comply with State aid rules;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Emphasises that the notion of selectivity in State aid is an essential criterion that needs to be investigated thoroughly; notes that this concept is not free from discussion, especially not in tax cases; believes that an exception from a tax system is not selective if it is a priori open to all tax payers;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to keep its cartel enforcement record strong and effective in all cases where it has sufficient evidence of infringement; welcomestakes note of last year’'s five decisions relating to a total of approximately EUR 365 million in fines;, also calls, however, for extra vigilance regarding airlines’ ‘anti-competitives documented in the Commission staff working document accompanying its report on coomperatition practices’olicy 2015;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Believes that the use of ever higher fines as the sole antitrust instrument may be too blunt; emphasises that a policy of high fines should not be used as an alternative budget financing mechanism; favours a 'carrot-and-stick' approach with penalties that serves as an effective deterrent, in particular for repeat offenders, while encouraging compliance;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Underlines that the application of competition rules to mergers must be evaluated from the perspective of the entire internal market;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Highlights the importance of global cooperation on competition enforcement; supports an active participation of the Commission and the national competition authorities in the International Competition Network;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Considers that international trade and investment agreements should have a strong competition section;
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Would like to see restraint exercised in the next Commission's overall budget; recognises moreover that resources for the Commission's Directorate General for Competition should be made adequate to its increased workload and range of tasks by shifting away resources from other Directorates with less European added value;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25d. Welcomes the Commission's more economic approach in competition law, also in the field of services of general economic interest (SGEI); shares the Commission's view that market failure is an inherent condition for the existence of a service of general economic interest; notes, however, the on-going debate in academic circles on what kind of market failure can justify a qualification as SGEI;
Amendment 417 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 e (new)
Paragraph 25 e (new)
25e. Observes that the Treaty rules on competition know different varieties of the notion of 'the common European interest', which are equally vague; calls on the Commission to work on a better understanding and, where appropriate, a better alignment of these concepts;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 f (new)
Paragraph 25 f (new)
25f. Notes the efforts of the European Commission to clarify the notions of 'undertaking' and 'economic activity'; observes nonetheless that it remains difficult, especially in the field of social affairs, to draw the line between economic and non-economic activities; believes, furthermore, that it is not clear to what extent the Poucet-case law applies to matters other than social security and what the relation is between the general Höfner-rule and the Poucet-line;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses that Parliament should also be granted codecision powers in the field of competition policy, and regrets that this area of Union policy has not been strengthened in its democratic dimension in recent treaty amendmentsfor fundamental legislative Regulations and Directives in the field of competition policy; calls for the treaties to be amended accordingly;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and, the Commission, the national and where applicable regional competition authorities.