26 Amendments of Roberts ZĪLE related to 2018/2102(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission Notice of 19 July 2016 on the notion of State aid as referred to in Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the treaty-based competition rules must be interpreted in the light of the wider European values underpinning the Union’s social market economy, notably environmental and social protection, equality considerapplied in consistency with the other policies and activities of the European Union, as enshrined in article 7 TFEU; notes furthermore that article 9 TFEU states that ‘in defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union shall take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of educations, consumer protection and public health, as mandated by Article 7 TFEU; takes the view,training and protection of human health’; draws attention to article 36 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, demanding the refore, 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 bringspect for access to services of general economic interest as provided for in national laws and practices, in order to promote the social and territorial cohesion of the Union; takes the view, therefore, that social orand environmental benefits should be explicitly taken into account when assessing treaty- basedinterpreting the EU competition provisionrules;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that even when products or services are supplied for free, most notably in the digital economy, consumers may still have to endure unjust behaviour, such as a degradation in quality or extortive practices; calltakes therefore, for the purposes of the cases under consideration, for the formulation of a 'theory of harm', which view that EU competition rules should transcend price- centric approaches and account for broader considerations such as the impaquality of products onr services also in view of citizens’ privacy;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. UCalls on the Commission to take ambitious steps to eliminate illegitimate obstacles to online competition; underlines the urgent need for an effective framework tailored to the challenges of the data-driven economy; notes in particular that digital platforms, in controlling ever-increasing data flows, generate considerable network externalities and economies of scale, and ultimately, by dint of excessive concentration, rent extraction and abusive market power, bring about market failures;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the urgent need for an effective framework tailored to the challenges of the data-driven economy; notes in particular that digital platforms, in controlling ever-increasing data flows, generate considerable network externalities and economies of scale, and ultimately, by dint ofcertain types of digital platforms with an ability of controlling ever-increasing data flows can generate economies of scale which may result in excessive concentration, leading to rent extraction and abusive market power, bring about market failures;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission, in this regard, to adjudge the control of data necessary for the creation and provision of services as a proxy for the existence of market power, including when issuing its guidance on Article 102 TFEU, and to require interoperability between online platforms and social network providers; requests that the Commission provide a dedicated chapter on these issues in its next annual report on competition policy, including case studies onand monitor price caps in sectors such as online platforms for accommodation and tourism;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that the jurisdictional thresholds setting the starting point for an EU merger review, which are based on the turnovers of the target and acquiring entities, aremay not always be appropriate for the digital economy, in which value is often, for advertising purposes, represented by the number of visitors to a website; suggests that these thresholds be revised and adapted to the number of consumers impacted by mergers and the value of the related transactions;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the fact thatexistence of 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, where appropriate, make effective yet proportional use of interim measures, while ensuring due process and the right of defence of undertakings under investigation;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Considers that it is a priority to ensure that State aid rules are strictly and impartially adhered to when dealing with future banking crises, so that taxpayers are protected against the burden of bank rescues;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points to thCalls on Commission to examine possible discrepancies between the rules on state aid in the area of liquidation aid and the resolution regime under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD); points out that in two recent cases, in spite of the Single Resolution Board’s (SRB) concluurges the Commissions that resolution could not be justified on the grounds of public interest, the Commission approved state aid on the basis that it would mitigate economic disturbance at a regional level, thereby demonstrating two distinct interpreo come forward with a transparent presentations of public interest; urges the Commission, therefore, to reconsider its interpretation of the relevant state aid rules in a manner consistent with the BRRD and to revise its 2013 Banking Communication accordingly, including the area of liquidation aidits interpretation of the relevant state aid rules in relation to the BRRD;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Underlines that the application of competition rules to mergers must be evaluated from the perspective of the entire internal market;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is deeply alarmed at the far- reachingTakes note of the concentration of the food supply chain, whereby four companies, all with close financial ties, own and sell up to 60 % of the global seed market and 75 % of global pesticides, to the detriment of consumers, farmers, the environment and biodiversity alike; points out that such an oligopoly will make farmers even more technologically and economically dependent on a few globally integrated one-stop-shop platforms, produce limited seed diversity, re-direct trends in innovation away from the adoption of a production model which is respectful of the environment and biodiversity and ultimately, as a result of reduced competition, generate less; stresses in this regard the need for fair competition and more innovation;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is deeply alarmed at the far- reachingNotes the concentration of the food supply chain, whereby four companies, all with close financial ties, own and sell up to 60 % of the global seed market and 75 % of global pesticides, to the potential detriment of consumers, farmers, the environment and biodiversity alike; points out that such an oligopoly will make farmers even murges the Commission to remain vigilant and strictly enforce technologically and economically dependent on a few globally integrated one-stop-shop platforms, produce limited seed diversity, re-direct trends in innovation away from the adoption of a production model which is respectful of the envirarticle 102 prohibiting the abuse of a dominant position as well as its merger control procedures, enshrined in Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of conmcent and biodiversity and ultimately, as a result of reduced competition, generate less innovationrations between undertakings;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Asks the Commission to come forward with a revision of the EU Merger Regulation, so that it may be vested with the powers, much as a numbexamine the viability in the digital era of Member States are at present, to adopt measures to protect the European public order and the rights and principlesexisting competition law instruments and concepts, particularly in the field of mergers, and to come forward with a revision of the TFEU and EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, including environmental protecMerger Regulation;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Asks the Commission to come forward with a revisionew of the EU Merger Regulation, so that it may and analyse whether it should 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;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recognises that the legally binding commitments undertaken by the Member States as part of the Paris Climate Agreement will not be realised without concrete state measures to promote and finance, enable and create incentives for the production and use of renewable energy; takes note of the forthcoming revision of the guidelines on state aid and energy, which will no longer exclude two of the sectors that benefit the most from state subsidies, nuclear energy and fossil fuel extraction, and which provide for greater flexibility for consumer-generated renewable energy;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Is of the view that diversified and thus competitive natural gas markets are key for contributing towards sustained economic growth at the national and the EU level; notes that the strategy of partitioning EU gas market and by extension potentially breaking of the EU antitrust rules by certain energy companies needs to be properly addressed;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Underlines the importance of boosting investments in new technologies and increase the competitiveness of the European energy markets;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Highlights the importance of completing the Energy Union through integration of markets, notably by investing in interconnectors where needed and based on market conditions and commercial potential, and by increasing the tradable capacity in existing interconnections, as well as measures at European level aimed at removing obstacles to free price formation;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Stresses the importance of a competitive transport sector; notes that single market in transport remains to be complemented with rail sector being the most fragmented; welcomes the steps taken by the Commission in fostering completion and improved operation in internal market for the road passenger transport;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Highlights the commonly agreed aims and targets of the Energy Union and points specifically to the dimension Security, solidarity and trust;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Underlines the importance of securing that the European energy markets are built on rule of law, competition, diversity of energy sources and suppliers, predictability and transparency and to prevent any market operator, established in the union or in a third country, from levering a dominant position to the detriment for competitors and consumers; in this regard, calls for increased scrutiny of, and, where necessary, measures and imposed obligations against such market operators;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13e. Reaffirms that new infrastructure projects, including those connecting a Member State to a third country, shall be the subject of European legislation, notably rules on unbundling and market price formation;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Stresses the need to deepen the internal market, to open up for new competition and freedom of establishment in all sectors;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Reiterates its support for international trade and investment agreements to include strong competition sections;