Activities of Tibor SZANYI related to 2016/2100(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Believes that the unique nature of the olive oil sector calls for measures to strengthen the bargaining power of producers so as it results in a fairer distribution of the added value along the supply chain.

2016/10/20
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Underlines the opportunities deriving from the provisions of the CMO Regulation concerning the contractual negotiations in the olive oil sector;

2016/10/20
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6 c. Calls on the Commission to identify new means aimed at increasing the dimension of producer organisations and encouraging the creation of APOs in the olive oil sector, as preconditions to strengthen their bargaining power;

2016/10/20
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)

6 d. Believes that the market of olive oil for consumers should be considered as a single market, and that a relevant- market categorisation based on the geographical origin, commercial use and type of the product, does not suit the current situation of the sector.

2016/10/20
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)

6 e. Believes that, given the variations in the olive oil production due mostly to weather conditions, and in order to guarantee the objectives of the PO or APO's members, cases where POs are forced to purchase olive oil from non- members should be taken into consideration, while guaranteeing the ancillary nature of this activity to the marketing of the products of their own members.

2016/10/20
Committee: AGRI

Tibor SZANYI, Pervenche BERÈS, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Jonás FERNÁNDEZ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Underlines that since the Lux Leaks scandal, the EU has acknowledged that it is necessary to put an end to irresponsible tax competition by Member States, which places an intolerable tax burden on honest taxpayers and prevents the development of SMEs. The Commission and the EP have made serious efforts to combat tax evasion and tax fraud. Stresses the need to investigate thoroughly all the cases where suspected that the aim is tax optimisation by multinationals, like for example in the legislation on tax credits for growth in Hungary;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Emphasises that corruption in public procurement has serious market distorting effects on European competitiveness; reiterates that public procurement is one of the government activities most vulnerable to corruption; highlights that in certain Member States, EU funded procurement carries higher corruption risks than nationally funded procurement; reminds that tailor-made tender invitations are widely used to limit market competition; calls on the Commission to continue its effort to prevent the misuse of EU funds and stimulate accountability in public procurement; urges the establishment of the European Public Prosecutors' Office with the necessary rights in order to better investigate alleged crimes against EU money;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Jonás FERNÁNDEZ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Recognises the actions of the Commission against international companies distorting fair competition on the European Single Market; reminds that unfair competition is still one of the main challenges identified by European SMEs; highlights that illegal tax benefits granted by Member State governments to multinational companies generate a highly anti-competitive environment and further degrade the capacity of SMEs for job creation; calls on the Member States to forthwith cease such activities and asks the Commission to actively support the improvement of SMEs' access to markets, the reduction of administrative burdens on SMEs and the promotion of entrepreneurship and skills within the EU;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Pervenche BERÈS, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Calls on the Member States and the EU institutions to prioritise the strengthening of the post-Brexit Single Market by ensuring full compliance with European competition laws and by further increasing cooperation between Member States on tax issues;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3e. Stresses the need for single market rules to be enforced also at the Member States level and for infringements to be dealt to tackle fragmentation of the single market;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Sorin MOISĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 f (new)

3f. Calls for improving the one-stop shop based on the current experience of the Mini One Stop Shops for digital products; notes that even with the Mini One Stop Shop, small and micro- businesses can face a significant administrative burden;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Insists on the need to fight against fiscal dumping, abusive tax planning and tax evasion to ensure fair competition across the single market;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Welcomes the Commission's commitment towards a European digital single market and its proposal on geo- blocking and other forms of discrimination based on customers' nationality and place of residence; notes that the proposal only covers online purchases of goods and services therefore calls on the Commission to also address the geo-blocking of audiovisual services;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Sorin MOISĂ, Tibor SZANYI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps towards establishing an EU-wide VAT system for cross-border transactions;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Sorin MOISĂ, Tibor SZANYI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Considers that enhancing the participation of SMEs should play an essential role in the efforts to promote an unified digital single market and stresses the need to assess the potential impact of every initiative, notably those aiming to promote e-commerce and clarify the permanent establishment status for digital sector, on the ability of SMEs to benefit from the digital single market;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Underlines that collaborative economy platforms have brought into play the idea of challenging existing incumbent, dominant players to create a more competitive environment for consumers and businesses alike;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Highlights, the increasing presence of new digitally enabled businesses, in particular internet and mobile phone applications, alongside existing operators has opened up new channels for consumers to find, compare, and select goods and services across the single market. This results in an empowered consumer who seeks to make informed choices based on their personal needs and goals;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Sorin MOISĂ, Tibor SZANYI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Calls on the Commission to use its policy and financial instruments and promote exchanges of best practices between Member States to foster investments in various traditional sectors and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are lagging behind the digital industrial revolution;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Pervenche BERÈS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)

6d. Underlines that the European Union should encourage all businesses (like ones with dominant market share and also start-ups) to innovate;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Underlines that the Commission should also ensure that Member States have permissive and supportive regulatory frameworks on collaborative economy that do not lead to competitive distortions;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. There is clearly a need for further deregulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle market in Europe. The present rigid regulation of the number of taxis and private hire vehicles results in poor competition, detrimental to consumers and businesses alike. Therefore the present system should be reformed as quickly as possible across Europe;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. For decades, national authorities have conferred special rights to taxi operators by granting them exclusive rights, resulting in artificial and unnecessary barriers to competition in the provision of services. Conversely, Member State measures have prevented other sector participants, such as Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) drivers, from operating under equivalent conditions as taxi operators. They have created a dramatic imbalance between supply and demand as evidenced by the difficulties that consumers often face when trying to find an available taxi or PHV. These entry barriers have a negative economical and societal impacts as consumers are facing reduced choice and availability of taxis and PHVs, higher prices, lower quality of service, and longer waiting periods;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses that any consideration on the level of investments should nevertheless be made with a strong focus on affordability as investments per se do not benefit the consumers;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Underlines that effective competition in the telecommunication sector delivered by ex-ante regulation, therefore, ex-post rules should not be a substitute to ex-ante regulation but rather a complement to them; while ex-post rules are very important elements and safeguards, still considers that the best way to prevent abuse is through ex-ante regulation as big companies always try to undermine access regulation based on ex- ante assessments in exchange of promises they make on related topics;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Welcomes the Commission's investigation into airline distribution, in particular around 'redistribution restrictions,' and calls on the Commission to tackle anti-competitive practices that may undermine European consumers' ability to use a variety of online channels, including metasearch comparison services and online travel agents, for the purposes of finding and comparing available flight ticket options;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Welcomes the decision of the European Commission to endorse a negative decision with recovery on the Apple state aid case; calls on the Commission to sanction any infringement with the view of ensuring fair competition across the single market;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Calls on the Commission to show the same firmness in the conduct and result of the on-going inquiry against McDonald's;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the overhaul of the state aid rules; reminds the Member States, nonetheless, that the aim was to better target aid measures towards economic growth, quality job creation and social cohesion; reminds the Member States that they have increased responsibility to grant aid without prior notification to the Commission; also reminds the Commission of the need to prevent certain governments from acting in bad faith as they do when misspending EU funds;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Pervenche BERÈS, Louis-Joseph MANSCOUR, Tibor SZANYI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Welcomes the Commission Notice on the notion of State aid as part of the State Aid Modernization Initiative; acknowledges the benefits of the simplified rules that provides certainty to public authorities and companies as well; calls on the Commission at the same time to closer scrutinize prohibited state aids having great negative impact on the Single Market;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Asks the Commission, during the on-going revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation, to take fully account of the European Outermost Regions' (ORs) specificities as laid down in Article 349 TFUE, given that it is vital for local SMEs in the ORs and also the least likely to affect competition in the internal market;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor the renationalization of public utilities in EU Member States and prevent illegal state aid granted in form of public service compensation;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. In order to grant a properly functioning Energy Union and to avoid not respecting state aid rules and also to avoid misuse of EU funds, stresses to be strictly monitored and investigated in depth all state aid cases and public procurement irregularities connected to energy and environmental investments, such as the controversial enlargement project of Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Stresses that – as the Commission has stated for the sixth time in its annual competition report – the temporary state aid granted in the financial sector was necessary for the stabilisation of the global financial system, but must quickly be reduced, or totally removed and scrutinised, once the Banking Union is completed; stresses the importance of a restrictive approach to State aid;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Shares the European Commission's concerns over the current negotiations regarding the merger between Bayer AG and Monsanto Company Inc.; stresses that this merger would result in a monopoly situation in the seeds and pesticides markets which are important for the agricultural sector; asks therefore the Commission to deliver an ex-ante impact assessment of this merger on this sector;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Expresses its deep concerns over the merger project between of Deutsche Börse AG and the London Stock Exchange Group to merge; underlines that the consolidated group would be the biggest systemic exchange operator in Europe and the largest margin pool in the world; welcomes the in-depth investigation launched by the European Commission to assess whether such a deal is compatible with EU merger regulation; considers that this case should be dealt with in the perspective of the 'Brexit' to avoid any loophole in the application of EU financial regulation;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Jonás FERNÁNDEZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Welcomes the different antitrust investigations, in particular those into against Gazprom and Bulgargaz, aimed at ensuring market integration in the Energy Union; regrets, however, the practice on the part of certain Member States of buying gas through offshore companies, as being a typical example of tax avoidance and an act that is contrary to a properly functioning Energy Union; also stresses the importance to prevent the creation of market structures which could impede effective competition on the energy sector;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Highlights that European competition policy has a great potential to promote higher environmental and social standards; notes with regret that the Hungarian government distorts competition in the renewable energy sector by imposing high taxes and preventing the deployment of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies; calls on the Commission to continue to support the use of renewable energies in Europe in order to achieve the environmental goals set in the European Union's ten-year, Europe 2020 growth strategy; asks the Commission to continue to support the integration of environmental, social and labour requirements into public procurement procedures;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Tibor SZANYI, Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Notes that existing government monopolies, such as gambling monopolies, can lead to unfair and anticompetitive practices; Draws attention to the risk that by providing licences without, or through untransparent, questionable concession tenders, Member State governments have the possibility to favour certain companies over others, thus can create an highly anticompetitive environment; Calls on the Commission to strictly monitor existing government monopolies and the lawfulness of concession tenders in order to prevent any excessive distortion of competition;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Michel DANTIN, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO, Bas BELDER, José BOVÉ, Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Ulrike MÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Emphasizes that Article 42 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) accords a special status to the agricultural sector with regard to the application of competition law;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Michel DANTIN, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO, Bas BELDER, James NICHOLSON, José BOVÉ, Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Ulrike MÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Recalls that the most recent reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) sought to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain through a series of derogations and exemptions from the provisions of Article 101 TFEU;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20c. Calls on the Commission to propose changes in the Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 to ensure the same protection for air travellers on flights from third country, regardless the fact that the carrier is EU or non-EU carrier;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Michel DANTIN, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO, Bas BELDER, James NICHOLSON, José BOVÉ, Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Ulrike MÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20c. Believes that the current crisis situation in farming worsens the already weak position of farmers in the food supply chain and calls for fresh initiatives to ensure that competition policy takes better account of the specific nature of agriculture;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Michel DANTIN, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO, Bas BELDER, James NICHOLSON, José BOVÉ, Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Ulrike MÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 f (new)

20f. Considers that the collective activities of producer organisations and their associations, such as production planning and sales negotiation, are necessary for achieving the aims of the CAP and that they should benefit from a presumption of compatibility with Articles 39 and 101 TFEU;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Michel DANTIN, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO, Bas BELDER, James NICHOLSON, José BOVÉ, Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Ulrike MÜLLER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 h (new)

20h. Calls on the Commission and the national competition authorities to address the concerns raised by the cumulative impact – particularly at the upper end of the food supply chain – of, on the one hand, national-level concentration in the retail sector and, on the other, the development of European- level alliances of major distributors;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Asks the Commission to investigate the alleged cases of VAT fraud in the pork industry; regrets that the Commission has not yet launched an inquiry on this issue, despite the complaints it received from farmers associations;

2016/10/24
Committee: ECON