9 Amendments of Andreas SCHWAB related to 2018/2102(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission’s activities and efforts to ensure the effective application of competition rules in the Union; welcomes again, in this context, the Commission's proposal for a Directive to empower the national competition authorities (ECN+ Directive) and the political agreement reached by European Parliament and Council; believes that the Directive will significantly improve the effective and consistent application of EU competition law across Union by ensuring that NCAs have the tools, adequate resources and safeguards for independence to impose dissuasive fines for competition infringements; appreciates the Commission's early assistance provided to the Member States in relation to implementation of this Directive;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the treaty-based competition rules mustshould be interpreted in the light of the wider European values underpinning the Union’s social market economy, notably environmental and social protection, equality considerations, consumer protection and public health, as mandated by Article 7 TFEU; takes the view, therefore, that activities which cause negative social and environmental externalities create market distortions that need to be addressed by means of competition law while, conversely, activities which bring social or environmental benefits should be explicitly taken into account when assessing treaty-basedthese values need to be taken into account in the application of EU competition provisionslaw;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that even when products or services are supplied for free, consumers may still have to endure unjust behaviour, such as a degradation in quality, choice and innovation or extortive practices; calls therefore, for the purposes of the cases undercompetition law enforcement to take into consideration, for the formulation of a 'theory of harm', which should transcend price-centric approaches and account for broader considerations such as the impact on citizens’ privacymore aspects going beyond price effects, which could negatively impact on the consumer;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. UnderlinesPoints out the enormous changes in markets resulting from continuing technological development, which brings both opportunities and challenges to competition; underlines, in particular, the urgent need for an effective framework tailored to the challenges of the data-driven and algorithm economy; notes in particular that digital platforms, in accessing and controlling ever-increasing data flows, generate considerable network externalities and economies of scale, and ultimately, by dint ofthrough excessive market concentration, acquiring a gatekeeper function, rent extraction and abusive market power, can bring about market failures;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes in this context the appointment of special advisers to the Commissioner focusing on future challenges of digitalisation for competition policy and awaits with interest their findings and recommendations for action; calls on the Commission to follow closely the discussions and recommendations of expert groups established at national level as regards possible revisions of EU competition policy in light of the digital economy; underlines that ultimately a common EU-wide approach on these questions will be necessary;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Points in this context to the evolution of self-learning algorithms and artificial intelligence, in particular when provided to companies by third parties, and its impact on the nature of cartel activity; calls on the Commission to examine in how far the current competition law tools are adequate to detect and deal with more effective cartel behaviour through algorithms and artificial intelligence;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the fact that barriers to entry in the digital economy are becoming increasingly insurmountable, as the more that unjust behaviour is perpetuated, the harder it gets to revert to anti-competitive effects; affirms, in this regard, that the Commission should make effective use of interim measures, while ensuring due process and the right of defence of undertakings under investigation; welcomes the commitment of the Commission to undertake an analysis of whether there are means to simplify the adoption of interim measures within the European Competition Network;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Asks the Commission to come forward withexamine in how far a revision of the EU Merger Regulation, so that it may be vested with the powers, much as a number of Member States are at present, to adopt measures to protect the European public order and the rights and principles of the TFEU and EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including environmental protection might be necessary in order to allow for public interest considerations beyond the economic aspects of competition law to be taken into account;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of endowing competition authorities with sufficient resources to carry out their work; supports, in this connection, the proposed competition strand of the single market programme under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF); underlines in this context the importance of IT and of digital expertise necessary to address the challenges posed by data- driven and algorithm-based economy;