29 Amendments of Andreas SCHWAB related to 2015/2147(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that sustainable economic growth in Europe can only be achieved through productivity gains and developing sectors characterised by high added value; encourages in this sense all the efforts made by the Commission in supporting the transition towards a digital economy; considers it essential to remedy the current fragmentation of national rules on digital services and to build a more innovative and transparent Digital Single Market based on fair competition and providing a high level of consumer protection; calls on the Commission to comply with the planned schedule aimed at achieving a true Digital Single Market, in order to contribute to the EU's economic growth and improve its competitiveness;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Sees the digitisation of the economy as an ineluctable and beneficial development – spurring progress, growth and innovation among European companies, not least SMES – and believes it should be supported;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, in order to achieve economic convergence through European regions, the digital divide must to be reduced substantially and fair, open and non-discriminatory access to the internet guaranteed to all European citizens and companies; encouragesstresses that further public and private investment in infrastructure is needed, and calls on the Commission in this context to reconsider the current application of State aid rules; welcomes the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI)’s intended efforts in this area;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that, a cross-border taxation system is neededs such fields of policy as the digital internal market are regulated supranationally, there is also a need for greater cooperation among Member States and coordination of tax policies to create a true European Single Market and to prevent the tax avoidance practices used by several digital platforms, as highlighted by recent inquiries; calls on the Commission to support extending, after a careful ex-ante assessment, to consider whether the public country-by- country reporting regime on taxes for multinational companies to all sectorshould be extended to all sectors, without imposing additional notification requirements on SMEs and mid-cap undertakings;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to establish appropriate reference points for taxation of digital content and services; calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for amending the VAT Directive in order to ensure that goods are treated equally, irrespective of whether they are in physical or digital form;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Reiterates the need for renewed efforts to combat fraud and tax avoidance and evasion, and therefore calls for more emphasis to be placed on good tax governance in the Single market; reminds that savings of EUR 9 billion per year could be generated through measures such as the standardisation of electronic invoices and coordination of cross-border tax systems; stresses therefore the need to strengthen and improve tax coordination, with due respect for national competences, so as to prevent unfair competition and market distortions and ensure equal opportunities in the Digital Single Market;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas all Union policies and legislations in the area of the Digital Single Market should allow new opportunities for users and businesses to emerge, especially within today’s service society, while taking a holistic approach that considers their social dimension as they inevitably involve structural changeoffer EU citizens a larger variety of cross-border services, stimulate the creation of innovative online services at competitive prices and facilitate easier access for businesses, and in particular SMEs, to cross-border markets;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Stresses that dismantling barriers to the cross-border development of e- commerce is of the utmost importance due to the fact that cross-border parcel delivery and VAT rules applicable to the sale of goods and services – which, due to their fragmentation and a lack of transparency, hamper cross-border e- commerce; believes that the interoperability of systems, and the use of common standards are needed to ensure in order to build a truly inclusive Digital Single Market;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Supports the Commission’s decision to review internet platforms; encourages the Commission to create a legislative framework ensuring the development of innovative ideas, protection of work standards and compliance with existing fiscal rulesWelcomes the consultation initiated by the Commission on the role of platforms in the digital economy; encourages the Commission first to assess thoroughly whether further regulation is needed in order to ensure fair competitive conditions for all market operators, the development of innovative ideas, protection of work standards and compliance with existing fiscal rules; stresses that a definition of the platform concept is needed in order to have a clear point of departure for a review under competition law;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the Commission's intention to put an end to unjustified geo-blocking practices that reduce consumer choice; finds it essential to ensure the appropriate implementation of Article 20.2 of the Services Directive, which forbids discrimination in the provision of services on the basis of nationality and/or place of residence, and Article 8 (3) of the Consumer Rights Directive, which requires trading websites to indicate at the latest at the beginning of the ordering process whether any deliver restrictions apply and which means of payment are accepted.;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the development of a European digital economy requires a sufficient level of competition and plurality of service providers, and underlines that the presence of; observes that certain features of the digital economy, such as network effects, can allows for the creation of semi-monopolistic, and consolidate, dominant positions; supports the Commission’s efforts in preventing and punishing abuses; encourages the Commission to remove barriers to entry in the field of digital economy in sectors where few players, according to the Commission’s competition standards, are dominant; supports actions for stronger interoperability and portability across all digital sectors as a further way of opening the market to competition.
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Encourages the Commission to remove barriers to entry to the field of the digital economy in sectors where a few players, according to the Commission’s competition standards, are dominant; welcomes in this connection the sectoral investigation of e-commerce launched as part of the strategy for a digital internal market; calls on the Commission to take measures to combat discriminatory practices in all sectors of on-line shopping and on-line payments;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas rules that have been crucial in the classical (offline) business world must be appropriately translated into rules for the digital world;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas a high level of consumer protection and satisfaction entails necessarily entails choice, flexibility, information, responsibility of all operators along the value chain and trust in a secure online environment;
Amendment 149 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the importance of standardisation for the development of the digital single market in Europe; points out that standard-essential patents represent a significant source of income for European undertakings and research bodies, and that they create incentives to participate in standardisation with patented-protected technologies; is concerned at the increasing infringement of these patents and the lack of willingness to pay licence fees for standard-essential patents on FRAND terms; calls on the Commission, in this context, to work towards a legal framework – in line with the balanced approach taken by the European Court of Justice (see Huawei-ZTE (C-170/13)), which is proposing a licence agreement between standard users and standard- essential patent holders in order to prevent future patent infringements;
Amendment 164 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s aim to withdraw thcounteract a fragmentation of digital markets as part of a future proposal on a Common European Sales Law and the intention to propose rules for digital content; notes the proposal to introduce the ‘home option’ in order to bring down barriers to cross- border traderecalls, in this context, Parliament’s position at first reading, which was adopted on 26 February 2014 and should provide the starting point for a future proposal; welcomes the proposal for a harmonisation of key contractual rights for the sale of goods and the introduction of EU-wide contract law rules for online businesses in favour of consumer protection; considers it important to avoid any risk of creating a legal divide between online and offline contracts and different distribution channels, also bearing in mind the consumer acquis REFIT; insists on the need for comprehensive evidence and consultation with stakeholders before this approach is pursued, in particular as regards the impact it would have on the current protection provided to consumers under national law, especially in tremedies currently provided under national law to protect consumerms of remedies forin the event of failures to comply with the terms of contracts for online sales. .
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that better regulation should help to examine policy through a digital lens and facilitate the adaptation of legislation and enforcement frameworks in the light ofin the digital age requires principle-based legislation coupled with complementary non-regulatory actions to effectively adapt to new technologies and new business models to prevent fragmentation of the single market;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Emphasises that the lack of a European digital framework has fostered developments which have highlighted the failure to reconcile the interests of large and small providers and, more recently in particular, the need to establish a level playing field;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the urgent need for the Commission and Member States to promote a more dynamic economy for innovation to flourish and for companies to scale up, through the development of e- government, a modernised regulatory frameworkand non-regulatory framework for the digital economy that is fit for investments in enhanced digital infrastructures fit for the emergence and scale- up of innovative businesses, and a long term investment strategy into boost digital infrastructure, skills, research and innovation;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that there is a risk that the Commission’s proposals entail a growing disparity between the applicable legal standards for offline and online purchases and for movable goods and digital content; points out that the Commission is planning a REFIT of the whole consumer acquis for 2016; calls on the Commission in this context once against to consider whether the Commission’s planned proposals ought not to be launched at the same time as the REFIT;
Amendment 492 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for an ambitious enforcement framework forof the consumers' acquis and of the Services Directive; encourages the Commission to make use of all means at its disposal to ensure the full and correct implementation of existing rules, including fast-track infringement procedures whenever incorrect or insufficient implementation of the directive isare identified;
Amendment 548 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2.3
Subheading 2.3
2.3. Preventing unjustified geo-blocking
Amendment 552 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that ambitious actions are needed to improve access to legal digital content, in particular by ending unjustified geo- blocking practices and unfair price discrimination based on geographical locationjustified price differences; points out in this connection that the correct and complete application of Article 20(2) of the Services Directive and Article 8(3) of the Consumers’ Rights Directive is essential; considers, at the same time, that certain practices may be justified on account of the fragmentation of the law which persists in the Member States;
Amendment 616 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Further points out the importance of the ongoing cCompetition sSector iInquiry into the e- commerce sector in order to investigate, inter alia, whether unjustified geo-blocking restrictions infringe the rules of EU competition law; stresses the importance of increasing consumer and business confidence by introducingased on this sector enquiry results, changes to the Block Exemption Regulation, most importantly Article 4a and Article 4bay be needed, in order to limit undesirable re-routing and territorial restrictions;
Amendment 711 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that since the development of over-the-top services has increased demand and competition to the benefit of consumers, modernisation of the telecommunication framework should not lead to more regulatory burdens, but should drive innovation and fair competition; emphasises the importance of regulatory simplicity and predictability to boost infrastructure investments and to ensure similar rules for similar services;
Amendment 715 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that sincwhile the development of over- the- top services has increased demand and competition to the benefit of consumers, consumers are faced with new risks related to fragmented consumer protection standards; considers therefore that modernisation of the telecommunication framework should not lead to moreunnecessary regulatory burdens, but should ensure a high level of consumer protection, drive innovation and fair competition for all actors across the EU;
Amendment 808 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Urges the Commission to developfirst of all to examine in detail whether there is any need for further regulation in the field of online platforms or whether many issues could not already be resolved by properly and fully implementing the existing legislation; takes the view that on this basis an innovation-friendly policy should be developed that fosters competition between, and innovation in, online platforms; considers that the priorities should be transparency, and where appropriate facilitation of switching between platforms or online services, access to platforms, and identifying and addressing barriers to the emergence and scale-up of platforms;
Amendment 975 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Believes that a thriving European Digital Economy is a cornerstone for boosting job creation and growth in the EU and that it is fundamental also to the modernisation of traditional industry; notes the important role of SMEs as enablers of job creation and welcomes the development of new business models and services;
Amendment 976 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Stresses that the digitalisation of other industries including manufacturing, the energy and transport sectors, the retail sector and SMEs, public services and education needs to be actively strengthened;