Activities of Heide RÜHLE related to 2010/2277(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Towards a Single Market Act for a highly competitive social market economy - 50 proposals for improving our work, business and exchanges with one another
Amendments (55)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
- having regard to the Communication of the Commission on a Green Paper on Public Procurement [COM(2011)0015]
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 b (new)
Citation 24 b (new)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Deplores the fact that the Commission proposal gives no consideration to the reorientation of cohesion policy and that no package of measures relates to the increased significance of cohesion policy attributable to the Lisbon Treaty;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas it is important to restore confidence in the Single Market at all levels and to eliminate, to reconcile the EU economy with the concerns expressed by citizens and not only to eliminate, where appropriate, existing barriers to enterprises entering business; whereas unjustified high administrative burdens discourage new entrepreneurs, whereas adhesion of citizens to a well-functioning and integrated internal market is only possible in so far as it contributes to secure access to basic services for all
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas a Single Market Act can have a sense only if its connected with the purpose of shifting the EU economy towards more sustainable and solidarity- based patterns
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas it is important that the Single Market Act does not consist of a series of measures isolated from each other, and that all proposals must participate together in the achievement of a coherent objective
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that single market accessibility for all EU regions is a prerequisite for the free movement of people, goods, capital and services, and thus for a strong and dynamic single market; points out, in this connection, the essential role played by the Union's regional policy in terms of developing infrastructure, particularly in the less developed and outermost regions; calls for the development of innovative sources of funding (such as public-private partnerships, project bonds and user charges)with regard to economically and socially coherent development of the regions; calls for the development of innovative sources of funding; calls on the Commission and the Member States jointly to address the complexity of the rules governing revenue- generating projects;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas lack of innovation in the EU is a key factor for the low growth rates in recent years; whereas enterprises should be actively encouraged in the direction of green technology innovation, which provides an opportunity to reconcile long-term growth and environmental protectionspeed up the shift towards a more sustainable economy and to reconcile long-term growth and environmental protection ; whereas, for this purpose, social, environmental and consumer protection standards must be fully respected,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas venture capital is an important source of finance for new innovative businesses; whe, but requireas there are barriers for venture capital funds wanting to invea strong regulation in order to protect investors and orientate the funds towards sust ain different EU Member Stateable projects,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the postal sector andit is essential to guarantee universal access to high-quality postal services ; whereas the promotion of interoperability and cooperation among postal systems and services can have a significant impact on the development of cross-border e- commerce,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas sub-optimal electronic management of copyrights leads to a high level of fragmentation in the market for audiovisual products which is detrimental to EU businesses; whereas both businesses and consumers would benefit from the creation of a genuine Single Market for audiovisual products as long as the fundamental rights of internet users are fully respected,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas counterfeiting and piracy reduces business confidence in e-commerce and fuel the fragmentation of intellectual property protection rules, which stifles innovation in the Single Market,
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines that regcohesional policy implementation is crucial for the success of the Europe 2020 strategy and theeconomic and social deepening of the single market; points out that EU structural funding should be allocated in a dynamic, forward-looking manner, i.e. so as to cushion further the possible adverse effects on regions of international trade agreementsglobal developments such as the economic crisis or climate change and to prepare EU regions for socioeconomic and climate change; calls for a more user-friendly regional policy, but also for stricter rules against ‘fund-shopping’, by means of which some enterprises may misuse the Union's financial instruments;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas differences in fiscal provisions, such as corporate taxation and reporting obligations for VAT, result in significant obstacles to cross-border transactions; whereas these barriers can be removed without harmonizing tax rate coordination of national tax policies as proposed by Mario Monti in his report would bring a valuable added- value to enterprises and citizens,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas cross-border procurement accounts for a low share of the whole public procurement market, despite being an opportunity for EU firms; whereas SMEs still have limited access to public procurement markets ; whereas the inclusion of environmental, social and innovative criteria in public authorities' calls for tender should be encouraged,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas services are accountable for a significant part of our economic growth; whereas the Single Market for services is still underdeveloped due to gaps and late implementation of the Services Directivere should be a thorough assessment of the impact of the Services Directive on the quality of services and on the possibility for public authorities to impose public interest requirements to services providers,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission Communication ‘Towards a Single Market Act’ and especially its first; considers that the three chapters on ‘Strong, sustainable and equitable growth for business’f the Communication are equally important and interconnected, and should be dealt with in a consistent approach without isolating the different issues at stake from each other ;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises in particular the Commission's commitment, in this Communication, to promote new approaches towards sustainable development,
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the Commission’s intention of reviewing public procurement rules with the aim of bringing them into line with EU objectives and policies, simplifying the procedures, particularly for small local and regional authorities, and facilitating better access to public contracts for SMEs;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Criticises the fact that, in advance of the consultation on modernising European public procurement policy, it is intended that new legislative rules on contracting out services should be adopted; in the light of the ‘better regulation’ initiative, considers this counterproductive, as it could result in further fragmentation of the rules on public procurement and will increase legal uncertainty;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the importance of the Single Market for the competitiveness of EU enterprises and for the growth of European economies, andand emphasises that it should be reconciled with citizens concerns ; welcomes the holistic approach used in the Communication;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
I. Priority Area 1: Anboosting innovative Single Marketon in the EU market to speed up the shift towards a more sustainable economy and thus creating new jobs in green technology areas
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Strongly supports the creation of an EU patent and of a unified patent litigation system in order to make the Single Market an innovation-friendly environment; stresses that the cost burden of multilingual patents would hinder innovation Welcomes the political will to create an SME friendly EU-wide patent system and recommends seizing this opportunity to tailor patents for innovation; recalls the issue of patent accessibility and scope which should be clearly defined in order to avoid expensive litigation; requests an economic impact study of the current patent system and the Unitary Patent system project on SMEs; recalls the social contract underlying the patent system which was established for the benefit of society, and that it should foster dissemination of innovation and not be misused to deter competition; deplores the behaviour of patent trolls which acquire patent portfolios with the sole aim of generating profit through enforcement and not as an incentive to promote innovation; recommends maximising the Single Market; advantages of the IPR system by encouraging the establishment of innovation clusters and patent pools or common patent platforms,
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls for the proposals in the chapter ‘Increasing solidarity in the single market’ to be expanded and bolstered, and particularly for account to be taken of the impact of the single market in the most disadvantaged regions in order to anticipate and support the adjustment efforts of those regions;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Supports an initiative on an ecologic footprint of products and calls on the Commission to propose the establishment of a real common assessment and labelling system;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Urges the Commission to come up as soon as possible with an energy efficiency plan to improve energy savings;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Considers that the White Paper on transport policy should focus on proposals to enhance sustainable transport modes, including intermodality;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Encourages the Commission to propose a new legal framework for standardisation
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Supports the creation of EU project bonds in order to support long-term innovation in the Single Market; , including services infrastructures projects in transports, energy and telecommunications, stresses that project bonds would also necessarily need to serve the purpose of the ecological transformation of our economies. and calls on the Commission to come up as soon as possible with concrete proposals in this regard
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the Commission’s greater efforts to involve the general public in the consultation processes; observes that, in these consultations, the new special role of local and regional authorities should be taken into account, as it is they that implement the EU rules; therefore considers inappropriate the list given in the Commission proposal, which mentions local and regional authorities last among the consultation partners (COM(2010) 608, Proposal 48); calls on the Commission to upgrade the role of local and regional authorities accordingly, pursuant to the Lisbon Treaty;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Considers it necessary to involve local and regional authorities in developing and expanding the Internal Market Information System in order to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and excessive burdens at local level;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to promote cross-border investment and to set up a legislative framework to allowregulate venture capital funds to be invested freely within the Single Market, irrespective of the Member State of originin order to protect investors and orientate these funds towards sustainable projects;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Acknowledges the importance of public procurement, especially pre-commercial procurement, and the role it plays in stimulating innovation in the Single Market; encourages Member States to make use of pre-commercial procurement to give a decisive initial push to new markets for innovative and green technologies while improving the quality and effectiveness of public services; calls on the Commission and Member States to better communicate the existing possibilities for pre-commercial procurement to public authorities; calls on the Commission to explore how cross- border joint procurement can be facilitated; deplores the lack of legal clarity on the inclusion of social considerations in public procurement
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission's proposed revision of the e-Signatures Directive; emphasizes the need for mutual recognition of e-identification and e-authentication across the EU and asks the Commission to tackle in this regard in particular the discrimination problems against recipients of services because their nationality or place of residence;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to take the appropriate measures to enhance the confidence of businesses and citizens in e- commerce, namely by harmonizing contract law where possible and by facilitating cross-border debt recoveryguaranteeing high- level consumer protection in this field and harmonizing contract law where possible;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Urges the Member States to guarantee universal access to high-quality postal services and to promote interoperability and cooperation among postal systems and services
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the need to create a Single Market for online audiovisual goods by improving the electronic management of copyrights by guaranteeing the fundamental rights of internet users while ensuring that rightholders receive adequate remuneration for their creative works;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Points out the need to strengthenconduct the fight against online piracy in a proportionate manner and with public support by making full use of the available technology while respecting fundamental rights;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
III. Priority Area 3: A business-friendly Single MarketMobilising financial means and fiscal tools to support the transition towards a more sustainable economy
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the importance of removing fiscal barriers to cross-border activities; considers that a clearer VAT framework and reporting obligations for businesses are needed to encourage sustainable production and consumption patterns, limit adaptation costs, combat VAT fraud and enhance the competitiveness of EU firms;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Welcomes the intention to revise the energy tax directive ; considers that the revision should be aimed at introducing a minimum EU level of CO2 taxation consistent with the EU ambitions regarding the fight against climate change and the need to encourage more efficient energy use;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. SWelcomes the proposals aimed at introducing a common consolidated tax base to make economic activity and taxation match; stresses that a common consolidated corporate tax base founded on the minimum harmonisation principle would increase the transparency and comparability of corporate tax rates, thus reducing the obstacles to cross-border activities; stresses the need for a better coordination of national tax policies in order to put an end to unhealthy tax competition between Member States having damaging impact on employment and public finances;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to make public procurement procedures more effective to encourage EU firms to participate in cross-border public procurement; stresses that the participation of SMEs in contract award procedures should be further facilitated; considers that reciprocity is needed in this field between the EU and the industrialised countries and major emerging partners, without hindering the capability of the public authorities, especially in the developing countries, to use public procurement for purposes of general interest ; expects therefore the Commission to provide figures and facts regarding the level of openness of public procurement both in the EU and in other industrialised countries, and to come up with a balanced legislative proposal to enhance symmetry in access to public procurement;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Welcomes the Commission's intention to review the public procurement rules in order to bring them into agreement with goals and policies of the EU to simplify the procedure, especially for small local and regional authorities and to allow SMEs greater access to public procurement
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Criticises the proposal, made prior to this consultation, that new legal rules should be adopted for service concessions ; considers this proposal to be counterproductive in view of the "better regulation" initiative, as this can lead to a further fragmentation of the rules regarding public contracts, and increase the legal uncertainty
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses the need for proper implementation of the Services Directive and foran in-depth evaluation of the impact of the Services Directive on the quality of services and on the possibility for public authorities to impose public interest requirements to services providers ; emphasises the need to improve the possibility to complete procedures online which could considerably reduce operational costs for enterprises; urges the Commission to put a special emphasis on the development of the Single Market for online services;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recommends the creation of intermediary agencies in order to assemble the financial needs of innovative and sustainable projects (in particular for SGEI) and hence to facilitate their access to financial markets in better conditions
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Invites the Commission toRecalls the Report of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (A7-0151/2010) on New Developments on Public Procurement ; accordingly, insists that any proposeal for a legal framework foract dealing with services concessions that would ensure transparency, effective judicial protection for bidders and legal certaintybe justified only with a view to remedying distortions in the functioning of the internal market, and points out that such distortions have not hitherto been identified, and that a legal act on service concessions is therefore unnecessary as long as it is not geared to an identifiable improvement in the functioning of the internal market;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21