21 Amendments of Erika MANN related to 2008/2204(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas electronic commerce may be conducted either in the form of business to business or business to consumer or consumer to consumer transactions; whereas trading on Internet platforms has profoundly changed the manner in which people trade goods and services, creating new opportunities in particular for SMEs to reach new customers across borders,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas preserving the openness of the Internet is a precondition for its continuous growth, as well as that of the wider economy and global trade, which increasingly ‘run’ on Internet technologies,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas electronic commerce is taking place in an environment which was primarily developed for educational reasons and thus was for many years an open and unsecured networkthe free flow of information is essential in order to facilitate electronic commerce and an open and secure network allowing dissemination of and access to Internet information is the foundation upon which the global economy of the 21st century is being built,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the Internet offers consumers the possibility to make better commercial decisions in terms of quality and choice compared to traditional means of purchase, and online advertising has become an important means to facilitate cross-border trade for businesses of all sizes, but in particular for small and medium sized- enterprises(SMEs) to be able to reach new customers,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas e-commerce generally has a relatively highrelies on intellectual property contentprotection, and whereas a secure and predictable legal environment for intellectual property rights (IPR) can fosterprotection, as well as exceptions and limitations its development andneeded to promote technological innovation and the transfer/dissemination of technology,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas companies delivering content services should be encouraged to engage in new and innovative business models embracing the opportunities offered by the Internet and e-commerce,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and young entrepreneurs who are partly or entirely engaged in online trading activities, have found a comparatively low administrative and commercial low cost platform from which to promote, through customised online advertising, and sell their goods and services to a universally expanding clientele, thus bypassing obsolete trade barriers and penetrating previously remote and closed markets, principally due to the application of strict control practices at the distribution stage;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the fact that consumers are benefiting from the access to a virtually unlimited range of goods and services due to the effective abolition of geographic, distance and space limitations as well as the possibility for transparent and unbiased information, the comparison of prices, the availability of customised online advertising, and the convenience of online "search and buy" twenty-four hours per day for anyone connected to the Internet at home, at work or elsewhere;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Suggests that illegal behaviour, such as counterfeiting, piracy, fraud, breach of transaction security and violation of citizens' private space should not be attribu, which pre-existed in the physical world, is both facilitated and exacerbated toby the nature of the medium but has to be considered as aspects of illegal commercial activities which pre-existed in the physical world and have found new channels for discriminationand technological possibilities of the medium, and stresses that enforcement measures against this illegal behaviour must be strengthened and adapted accordingly;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Supports the unconditional respect for public morals and ethics of states and peoples, but regrets the increasingly abusive recourse to censorship in respect of online services and products which operates as a disguised trade barrier; proposes therefore that trade agreements signed by the EU create a presumption in favour of open information flows over the Internet by requiring parties to refrain from imposing or maintaining unnecessary barriers to information flows across borders, and by applying the principles of non-discriminatory, transparent and least trade-restrictive regulation to Internet transactions;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Recognises the need for open standards and their importance for innovation, competition and effective consumer choice; proposes that trade agreements signed by the EU promote the broad and open use of the Internet for e- commerce, provided that consumers should be able to access and use services and digital products of their choice unless prohibited by national law;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the Commission to review the applicability of trade instruments so as to harmonise and open the use of spectrum in order to promote mobile access to Internet services spurring innovation, growth and competition;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers that the discussion for the current and future challenges of global Internet trade should take place in a mutually supportive and structured cooperative framework based on institutionalised rules systems amongst interdependent actors; notes that the current modes of Internet governance are characterised by their hybrid nature lacking functional and regulatory hierarchical steering instrumentsenabling a modern and inclusive multi- stakeholder governance process as exemplified by the Internet Governance Forum;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets the absence of any progress under the WTO negotiations on the important issue of the classification of so- called "digitised products", the fact that the Doha Development Agenda does not mandate specific negotiations on e- commerce and that no progress has been made on the establishment of a permanent WTO Customs Duty Moratorium on Electronic Transmissions; notes that there is still uncertainty as to the proper customs valuation of digital products and there is still lack of agreement as to what rules and obligations (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or General Agreement on Trade in Services or Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) should apply to digitally- delivered products;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission's proposal to the WTO to update and expand the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products, also known as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), setting a short time frame, in order to give an additional boost to trade in these products, to attract more participants, to address non-tariff barriers and to address the increasing challenges of technological development and convergence; supports the Commission's position that a change in ITA criteria can only be made on the basis of consensus amongst all ITA participants, as provided by the agreement itself, and not as a result of litigation by some members;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls upon the Commission to fully implement the letter and the spirit of the current ITA by reviewing its current classification practice and refraining from taking restrictive classification decisions on products such as LCD monitors, multifunctional printers, set top boxes with a hard drive and mobile phones;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Emphasises the fact that bilateral and regional free trade agreements cannot provide complete answers to far-reaching market access; nevertheless, calls on the EU to include systematically in its bilateral and regional trade agreements explicit provisions covering e-commerce of goods, services an, unfettered information flows and broad and open use of the Internet for electronic commerce;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recalls that the conclusion of the Anti- Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has to provide a balance between the effective enforcement of IPRs and the protection of the fundamental rights of Internet consumers, without impeding innovation, restricting the free flow of information, or unduly burdening legitimate e-commerce services;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Recalls that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has to strengthen rules on enforcement of IPRs, including in the online environment, and that Member States should take all relevant fundamental rights into account when implementing its provisions in national law;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive strategy and to offerpolicy recommendations including the offering of incentives to SMEs, for enhanced participation of SMEs in online trading products and services, while basing such a strategy on a comparative economic analysis of the benefits of e-commerce and online advertising for SMEs, as well as case studies of successful EU SMEs trading online;