Activities of Renato SORU related to 2015/2147(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Towards a Digital Single Market Act (debate) IT
Towards a Digital Single Market Act (A8-0371/2015 - Kaja Kallas, Evelyne Gebhardt) IT
Amendments (48)
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Highlights the importance of the Digital Single Market for the European economy; recalls that according to estimates from the EC the development of the DSM could contribute € 415billion a year to the European economy and create 3.8 million new jobs. Underlines that not only is the digital sector growing at sustained rates, but that digital technologies offer new possibilities also in traditional sectors of the European economy;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Invites the EC to promote the "Digital first" approach in the functioning of public Institutions and in designing legislative acts; considers that the digital first strategy could bring benefits in terms of cost savings, environmental sustainability and better services, thus reducing the gap between citizens and European Institutions;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out that in spite of the high unemployment rates in the EU, many jobs remain vacant owing to the shortage of matching skills; notes that if the economic opportunities offered by the DSM are to be exploited, it is essential to pursue employment and education policies designed to improve Europeans’ digital skills; calls on the Commission to draw up programmes to help achieve those aims;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that cybersecurity is central to the establishment of the digital single market, especially in the banking and financial sector, payment systems, and e- commerce, and therefore calls on the Commission to monitor threats, first and foremost computerised fraud and cyber- attacks, strengthen prevention measures, lay down a framework making for a Europe-wide coordinated response to cybercrime, and devise Europe-wide awareness campaigns to alert EU citizens to the threats to cybersecurity;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Stresses that it is essential to have simple, efficient, and safe payment systems to enable the digital single market to develop and grow; welcomes the advances in terms of EU legislation on payment systems; and calls on the Commission to take these developments into account when implementing its DSM strategy;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Considers that digital technologies will open up access to credit to many who have traditionally been excluded from the banking and financial system, thus promoting social and economic development; calls on the Commission to devise an inclusion strategy enabling weaker population groups to gain access to the digital single market and hence to new financial and banking services;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Invites the EC to bring forward a legislative proposal to adjust the definition of "permanent establishment" so that companies cannot artificially avoid having a taxable presence in Member States in which they have economic activity. In particular, this definition should address situations in which companies engaging in fully dematerialised digital activities, are considered to have a permanent establishment in a Member State if they maintain a significant digital presence in the economy of that Country;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses that education and training curricula must aim at the development of a critical thinking, approach, usage and thorough understanding of new media, digital and information devices and interfaces, whereby people can be active users of these new technologies and not simply end users;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Believes that European citizens should be offered an education in line with the needs of a modern, globalised society, therefore enjoying the opportunity to learn and to develop new skills, including digital ones, which will allow them to compete in today's labour market; stresses the need to ensure that teachers are enabled to improve their skills, especially digital ones, and are supported in facing the challenges this entails; therefore believes that an overall re-design of educational systems, training curricula and work methods in a holistic and ambitious way is necessary, with the aim of properly addressing the challenges of the digital revolution;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a clear connection is present between internet usage and coverage and in 2014 the 18,1% of Europeans never used the internet;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas in 2013 the market size of sharing economy was around 3.5 billion worldwide and today the European Commission is forecasting a growth potential that goes over 100 billion;
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points out that the economic principles which have defined the development and spread of the Internet, namely network neutrality, openness, and non-discrimination, are being undermined by the spread of closed ecosystems within the Web; maintains that the emergence and growth of such ecosystems, and the oligopoly-based structure that they have created on the market in digital services and goods, are adversely affecting consumer interests and innovation and in the long term, therefore, might even jeopardise the development of the DSM;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas in 2014 only 15,8 computers per 100 students were available in Europe in 2014;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Considers that the distinguishing characteristics of the digital economy, resulting in particular from the fact that marginal costs tend to diminish, falling down to zero, and network effects are strong, are conducive to economies of scale and hence to concentration; calls on the Commission to devise a competition policy taking into account the specific features of the digital economy and the related challenges;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas a growing number of services are migrating towards the internet and digital technologies are becoming increasingly pervasive in everyday lives;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Points to the importance of the data economy for the development of the DSM; notes that the only way to surmount the challenges and threats to the establishment of a digital single market which have arisen out of the Court of Justice’s ‘Safe Harbour’ ruling is to adopt a common legislative approach at European level, and therefore calls on the Commission to work towards a regulatory framework serving both to ensure respect for user rights as regards data processing and to develop this sector of the digital economy;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that in order to allow for a fair competition in the data driven economy, internet companies with a relevant market position, as defined by the EC competition standards should make available their user generated data set as open data in an anonymized and aggregated form, while respecting all privacy requirements;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Maintains that all data related to users and user-generated content constitute a historic, social, and economic heritage of intrinsic value to the reference communities and should therefore be considered a common good for the use of those communities;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6e. Welcomes the opportunities offered by the collaborative economy model, which makes for more efficient use of resources and environmentally and economically sustainable economic growth; points out that this model is particularly well suited to the management of public assets; calls on the Commission, therefore, to encourage public authorities to develop and use models of this type;
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6f. Points out that overlapping collaborative and market economy models could distort free competition on some markets; calls on the Commission to work towards a regulatory framework which, while promoting the development of the collaborative economy, will keep the ‘playing field’ level and ensure compliance with EU legislation, in particular on tax and labour law matters;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 g (new)
Paragraph 6 g (new)
6g. Notes that the development of the DSM could be helped if there were innovation clusters within the EU, that is to say, geographical areas with a high concentration of digital enterprise and skills; calls on the Commission to encourage the further development of such areas and the dissemination of best practice and knowledge;
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 h (new)
Paragraph 6 h (new)
6h. Points to the importance of business incubators, business angels, and a variety of stakeholders and agencies, both public and private, working to develop businesses in the digital sector; calls on the Commission to establish a strategy enabling these stakeholders to become involved in the development of the DSM and laying the foundations for a European network of business incubators;
Amendment 152 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Considers it necessary for the Commission to adopt a bidirectional approach to the subject of digital skills and abilities, investing in digital education programmes (starting with the training of teachers) and in digital infrastructure which serves educational purposes, inter alia including digital content and methods in existing school curricula;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Believes that, in order to ensure the quality of European Legislation, the European Institutions should adopt and disseminate a "digital first" principle, re- designing all activities around the opportunities and challenges posed by digital technologies;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the urgent need for the Commission and Member States to promote a more dynamic economy for innovation to flourish and for companies to scale up, through the development of e- government, a modernised regulatory framework fit for the emergence and scale- up, scale-up and access to market in a level playing field of innovative businesses, and a long term investment strategy in infrastructure, skills, research and innovation; underlines that the development of e-commerce represents a new frontier for businesses, especially SMEs;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Believes that improving connectivity has beneficial effects on employment and economic growth; therefore calls on the Commission to support investments in ultra-broadband in order to promote the European social and industrial fabric and new-generation electronic communication services that place citizens and consumers at the centre of the stage;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to further develop initiatives to boost entrepreneurship that range from changing the mind-set on how success is defined to promoting an entrepreneurial and innovation culture; believes, in addition, that the diversity and specific attributes of the different national innovation hubs, areas where pre-existing concentrations of businesses and skills is present and can be increased, could be turned into a real competitive advantage for the EU if they are effectively interconnected;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to increase the availability and an efficient use of radio spectrum across the Union, with the aim to achieve a EU harmonised radio spectrum policy;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that it is important that the creation of the Digital Single Market should not aggravate the digital divide but rather enhance and create infrastructure and training courses to enable all European citizens to benefit from the new opportunities made available, irrespective of age, gender, income or provenance from remote or peripheral regions;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Asks the Commission to address the different tax challenges raised by the digital economy and to closely monitor its continuous evolution to assess the impact on tax systems; in particular, urges the Commission to guarantee an effective level playing field and a fair fiscal treatment among all actors present in the digital market, aligning taxation with the economic activities and guaranteeing that taxes are paid where profits are generated;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Believes that Member States and the Commission should actively promote a broad process of reform of the global governance of Internet in order to reach a new, transparent and inclusive model of multi-stakeholder governance, based on the principle of Internet as a unique, open and free network;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls for measures to promote and encourage, by means of the creation of the Digital Single Market, the development of new models of work which will make it possible to reconcile the requirements of private and working life more effectively;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Calls on the Commission to secure that proposed regulatory actions minimise the barriers of entry for SMEs operating in the digital markets, leave enough room for innovation in the targeted sectors and respect the principles of technological, business model and content neutrality;
Amendment 513 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that accessible, affordable, efficient and high-quality delivery services are an essential prerequisite for thriving cross-border e-commerce; supports the proposed measures to improve price transparency, interoperability and regulatory oversight that should target both the smooth functioning of cross-border parcel delivery markets and compliance with relevant social and labour rights, allowing enough flexibility for the delivery market to evolve and adapt to technological innovations; underlines that the new measures should ensure that any variation in the prices between domestic and cross-border delivery should be permitted only if duly justified and if it reflects the variation in actual costs incurred by the providers for delivering the service;
Amendment 574 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that ambitious actions are needed to improve access to legal digital content, in particular by ending without delay geo- blocking practices and, unfair price discrimination based on geographical location and any practices that undermine country neutrality with regard to means of payments between Member States;
Amendment 658 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Emphasises that incentivising private investments in fast and ultra-fast communication networks is a requirement forto any digital progress and must be part of the European integration effort, with competition remaining the main driver of infrastructure investments, innovation, affordable prices and choices for consumers; considers that little evidence exists, in the still fragmented European telecommunications market, of a link between consolidation of operators and increased investment in networks;
Amendment 718 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that since the development of over-the-top services has increased demand and competition to the benefit of consumers, modernisation of the telecommunication framework should not lead to more regulatory burdens, but should drive innovation and fair competition, support pluralism and access to the market and strengthen the Fundamental rights in the digital environment;
Amendment 731 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Asks the Commission to guarantee equal treatment, also in fiscal terms, and the same level playing field between telecom operators and over-the-top services in order to assure non- discriminatory access to networks and contents;
Amendment 758 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Believes that, in order to achieve a real Digital Single Market, it is necessary to ensure access for all citizens in Europe, calls therefore to improve the efforts towards the networks development for those areas where sufficient connectivity it is not yet available;
Amendment 806 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Urges the Commission to develop an innovation-friendly policy that fosters competition between, and innovation in,between online platforms; considers that the priorities should be transparency and to support the freedom, openness and accessibility of the internet; considers that transparency, interoperability, unbundling, common standards, facilitation of switching between platforms or online services, access to platforms, and identifying and addressing barriers to the emergence and scale- up of platforms should be priorities; Underlines the fact that, in order to allow new businesses to emerge and thrive in existing digital sector, an assessment of the role network effects play in the openness of the digital economy will be key;
Amendment 819 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Urges the Commission to develop an innovation-friendly policy that fosters competition between, and innovation in, online platforms; considers that the priorities should be transparency, facilitation of switching between platforms or online services, access to platforms, the prevention of monopolies, and identifying and addressing barriers to the emergence and scale-up of platforms;
Amendment 843 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls the Commission to ensure the presence of minimum quality standards for services that emulate, on the web, other traditional services; Furthermore calls the Commission to support and incentivize interoperability for internet services and to combat the enclosing of the internet in silos;
Amendment 844 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Asks the Commission to safeguard the openness of the internet, ensuring the application of the principle of Net Neutrality at all levels of the web, ensuring equal access to fixed networks for all service providers and ensuring service neutrality for all services within internet platforms;
Amendment 884 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Encourages the Commission to analyse the need to protect consumers in the sharing economy and, where appropriate and if necessary, to come forward with proposalsStresses that Sharing Economy is reshaping old services and markets in ways not even thinkable just a few years ago; encourages the Commission to analyse the issues related to the sharing economy, to take action to enable citizens and business to take advantage of its opportunities and to protect consumers coming forward with proposals to ensure that Europe will play a role in the future of this sector; furthermore encourages the Commission to ensure the adequacy of the consumer-related legislation framework in the digital sphere, including possible abuses;
Amendment 893 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Encourages the Commission to analyse the need to protect consumers in the sharing economy and, where appropriate and if necessary, to come forward with proposals to ensure the adequacy of the consumer-related legislation framework in the digital sphere, including possible abuses; stresses the need to put forward a common approach to taxation in relation to sharing economy, in order to ensure a real level playing field and a well- functioning single market and that taxes are paid where profits are generated;
Amendment 907 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Underlines that the sharing economy brings clear opportunities towards a more circular EU economy;
Amendment 928 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers, in order to ensure trust in digital services, that increased resources from the public and private sector are required to strengthen the security of IT systems and online networks and the encryption of communication, to improve cyber-attack prevention and to increase knowledge of basic security processes among users of digital services; believes in this regard that particular efforts should be put in place in order to ensure full security for consumers in the use of electronic means of payment, through the achievement of a fully integrated and user-friendly EU market for payment services;
Amendment 959 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Urges the Commission to strengthen the competitiveness and security of the European big data infrastructure, including super computers, through Horizon 2020 and other public and private support mechanisms;