Activities of Lucy ANDERSON related to 2018/2056(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Combating late payment in commercial transactions (A8-0456/2018 - Lara Comi)
Amendments (8)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of providing entrepreneurs, in particular SMEs, with more information and education on credit and invoice management; recalls that effective credit management shortens the average collection period and maintains an optimal cash flow, thus reducing the risk of default and increasing the potential for growth; believes that training and support may also make SMEs more likely to take advantage of Late Payment Directive remedies; notes that SMEs unfortunately often lack the capacity to invest in training and that there are currently no programmes at EU or national level focusing on enhancing businesses’ knowledge of credit and invoice management; believes that more EU funds should possibly be directed towards the financial education of SMEs;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States to enforce their national legislation and to encourage and improve stricter controls, in particular among large companies, and the use of administrative sanctions (reinforced through a ‘name and shame’ provision that generates peer pressure), thus contributing to the improvement of payment behavior; maintains that direct intervention from the public authorities, since it is they who enforce administrative sanctions, could help to overcome the ‘fear factor’ and relieve creditors of the responsibility to take action against debtors, as the authorities would directly enforce the law and take discretionary action against enterprises engaged in bad payment practices; believes that the value of sanctions and their cumulative nature could deter companies from paying late, while public access to information (publication of sanctions) could directly harm the company’s image; supports the importance of a sanctioning regime that not only imposes economic sanctions, but also administrative ones, such as, for example, disabling the presentation of public tenders for a specific period of time. This regime should be progressive depending on the company's compliance;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with great concern the situation in some Member States, where public authorities have greatly delayed payments for goods and/or services supplied to them by undertakings, leading those businesses into extreme financial difficulties; believes that in order to support businesses whose financial management is complicated by delayed payments from public authorities, the Member States should put in place faster and more efficient VAT refund procedures, especially for SMEs; notes also that prompt payments for services provided to public authorities by contractors and sub- contractors in the context of sustainable social and environmental policies for the benefit of Union citizens should be prioritised;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Stresses the importance of public procurement as a means of improving the functioning of the single market, combatting social and environmental dumping, and for growing jobs and enterprises throughout the Union;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Believes that public procurement rules should include public procurement systems being easily accessible and understandable to citizens and businesses, full transparency of payments to contractors and sub-contractors by public authorities; calls also for the adoption of a European Code of Ethics for Public Procurement in order to ensure social and environmental standards;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Member States to improve their legislation and, to promote the implementation of the Late Payment Directive in all its parts, being transparent and assuming responsibility in the exercise of payment on the part of the public administration;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to foster ‘a decisive shift towards a culture of prompt payment’12 by taking the most appropriate measures, including, where necessary, legislative initiatives, taking into account the abovementioned proposals; _________________ 12, creating a reliable business environment for companies and a punctual payment culture; _________________ 12 Recital 12 of Directive 2011/7/EU. Recital 12 of Directive 2011/7/EU.