11 Amendments of Alfred SANT related to 2023/2077(INI)
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Highlights the urgent need for European authorities to look into alternative methods to control inflations; calls in this regard on the Commission to evaluate and provide guidance on the application of price controls with pre- established sunset timeframes for targeted market areas where the competitive situation is opaque and is fuelling inflation in consumer prices;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to assess how EU competition principles have affected the supply of services of general economic interest (SGEI), also in light of the Covid crisis and increased costs of living; calls for a SGEI exemption for affordable housing; calls on the Commission to assess the position of social services of general interest;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Welcomes the Commission ‘Guidelines on the application of EU competition law to collective agreements’, clarifying that EU competition law does not prevent solo self-employed workers from engaging in collective bargaining; recalls that precarious working conditions of self-employed workers often stems from limited or no access to collective bargaining;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to modernise public the procurement rules to help foster green and digital industry; calls on the Commission to take into account the sustainability and sovereignty criteria for public procurement rules in order to foster the produc; underlines that enforcing competition policy to the benefit of consumers should not only include considerations of goods ‘made in Europe’n price levels, but also sustainability considerations;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Notes that the three largest credit rating agencies hold a market share of over 90%; regrets the continued high degree of market concentration for credit rating agencies; concludes that existing measures to enhance competition in this market are insufficient; calls for the creation of a European public credit rating agency as an impartial and trusted alternative to existing agencies;
Amendment 83 #
8c. Points out that the audit market is one of the most concentrated markets in the Union, where the Big Four firms have a market share of over 90%; recalls that the high degree of market concentration in the audit market is a long acknowledged threat to financial market stability; recalls Commissioner McGuinness' commitment to reform the rules for auditors and the intention to present a legislative proposal at the end of 2022; notes that such legislative proposal is not presented; calls upon the Commission to present a legislative proposal on audit market reform which strengthens the supervision regime, addresses loopholes and Member State exceptions and introduces rules to avoid conflicts of interests; urges the Commission to take measures to avoid closeness between public institutions and audit firms, including its own operations;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Regrets the decision by Ernst & Young to stop its audit and advisory businesses separation process; notes that the combination of audit and advisory business can lead to conflicts of interest and can enhance the market dominance of each of the Big Four firms; calls upon the Commission to investigate the audit and advisory business combination and possibly present measures to prevent conflicts of interest and market dominance;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Welcomes the Court of Justice of the European Union decision in the Meta vs Bundeskartellamt case that affirms the competence of national competition authorities to enforce data protection rules under antitrust laws; points out that the court affirms that the protection of personal data is an important consideration when examining an abuse of a dominant position and that it imposes requirements on the use of individuals’ personal data for targeted advertising; encourages competition authorities to investigate and sanction infringements of the GDPR;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Welcomes the conclusions of the proceedings of the Bundeskartellamt and Alphabet Inc. that gives Google users better choices as to how Google processes their data; asserts that EU consumers must have the choice whether they allow agglomeration and cross-service data processing of their personal data. Encourages the European Commission to pursue the coordination of enforcement activities and cooperate with national competition authorities in order to facilitate an effective interplay between competition law and the DMA; especially in the context of the DMA’s “further obligations”;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Welcomes the European Commission to block Booking Holdings acquisition of eTraveli; notes that Booking is a dominant online travel platform in Europe, which affects the daily operations of tens of thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the hotel sector; stresses that with this acquisition, Booking could cross-sell its different services and further strengthen its dominance in the hotel market; underlines that given Booking.com’s market power, hoteliers are under pressure to accept the platforms terms and conditions (e.g., regarding cancellation policy, special discounts) that hotels would otherwise voluntarily not offer; Reminds that's in July 2023, Booking declared that it did not yet qualify as a gatekeeper under the DMA thresholds mainly because of the various Covid19 lockdowns; calls on the European Commission to be vigilant and carefully assess if any future remedies offered safeguard fair competition and stop abuse of powers by such platform;