12 Amendments of Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK related to 2018/0082(COD)
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The number and size of operators vary across the different stages of the agricultural and food supply chain. Differences in bargaining power relate to the different levels of concentration of operators and can enable the unfair exercise of bargaining power by using unfair trading practices. Unfair trading practices are in particulareven more harmful for small and medium-sized operators in the agricultural and food supply chain. Agricultural producers, who supply primary agricultural products, are largelyoften small and medium- sized. sized, but all suppliers irrespective of size are susceptible to unfair trading practices.
Amendment 83 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) A minimum Union standard of protection against certain manifestly unfair trading practices should be introduced to reduce the occurrence of such practices and to contribute to ensuring a fair standard of living for agricultural producers. It should benefit all agricultural producers or any natural or legal person that supplies agricultural and food products, including producer organisations and, associations of producer organisations, provided that all those persons meet the definition of micro, small and medium- sized enterprises set out in the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC12 . Those micro, small or medium suppliers are particularly vulnerable to unfair trading practices and least able to weather them without negative effects on their economic viability. As the financial pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives. The financial pressure caused by unfair trading practices often passes through the chain and reaches agricultural producers, and therefore rules on unfair trading practices should also protect small and medium- sized intermediary suppliers at the stages downstream of primary production. Protection of intermediary suppliers should also avoid unintended consequences (notably in terms of unduly raising prices) of trade diversion away from agricultural producers and their associations, who produce processed products, to non- protected suppliers. _________________ 12. OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36.
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 12 a (new)
Recital 12 a (new)
(12 a) The use of written contracts in the agricultural and food supply chain may help to reinforce the responsibility of operators and avoid certain unfair commercial practices, as well as to increase the awareness of the need to better take into account the signals of the market, to improve price transmission and to adapt supply to demand. In order to incentivise the use of such contracts suppliers, or their associations, should have the right to request a written contract. However, in order to guarantee a level playing field within the European Union, individual Member States may not decide the use of written contracts to be mandatory.
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) The enforcement authorities of the Member States should have the necessary powers that enable them to effectively gather any factual information by way of information requests. They should have the power to order the termination of a prohibited praFor the effective implementation of this Directicve, where applicable. The existence of a deterrent, such as the power to impose fines and the publication of investigation results, cenforcement authorities should have the power to outlaw a prohibited unfair trading practice, impose fines, sanctions and publish the results of investigations. These powers can act as a deterrent and encourage behavioural change and pre- litigation solutions between the parties and should therefore be part of the powers of the enforcement authorities. Enforcement authorities should take repeated infringements of this Directive into account. The Commission and the enforcement authorities of the Member States should cooperate closely so as to ensure a common approach with respect to the application of the rules set out in this Directive, particularly with regard to fines and sanctions. In particular, the enforcement authorities should provide each other mutual assistance, for example by sharing information and assisting in investigations which have a cross-border dimension.
Amendment 167 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) To facilitate effective enforcement, the Commission should helpcoordinate and organise meetings between the enforcement authorities of the Member States where best practices can be exchanged and relevant information can be shared. The Commission should establish and manage a website to facilitate those exchanges.
Amendment 198 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 2
2. This Directive applies to certain unfair trading practices which occur in relation to the sales of food products by a supplier that is a small and medium-sized enterprise to a buyer that is not a small and medium-sized enterprisepurchase of agricultural and food products by a buyer from a supplier and the subsequent sale of these products.
Amendment 246 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) “supplier” means any agricultural producer or any natural or legal person, irrespective of their place of establishment, who sells agricultural and food products. The term “supplier” may include a group of such agricultural producers or such natural and legal persons, including producer organisations and, associations of producer organisations and cooperatives;
Amendment 518 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 3 a (new)
Article 3 a (new)
Article 3a Contractual relations 1. A supplier may require that any delivery of its agricultural and food products to a buyer be the subject of a written contract between the parties and/or the subject of a written offer for a contract from the first purchaser. 2. Any contract or offer for a contract referred to in paragraph 1 shall: (a) be made in advance of the delivery; (b) be made in writing; and (c) include, in particular, the following elements: (i) the price payable for the delivery, which shall: — be static and be set out in the contract, and/or — be calculated by combining various factors set out in the contract, which may include market indicators reflecting changes in market conditions, the quantities delivered and the quality or composition of the agricultural products delivered, (ii) the quantity and quality of the products concerned which may or must be delivered and the timing of such deliveries, (iii) the duration of the contract, which may include either a definite duration or an indefinite duration with termination clauses, (iv) details regarding payment periods and procedures, (v) arrangements for collecting or delivering the agricultural products, and (vi) rules applicable in the event of force majeure. 3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be without prejudice to Articles 148 and 168 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. 4. Member States may identify, share and promote best practices concerning long- term contractualisation, aimed at strengthening the bargaining position of producers within the agricultural and food supply chain. 5. In order to guarantee a level playing field within the Union, individual Member States may not decide that the use of written contracts as referred to in paragraph 1 shall be mandatory.
Amendment 534 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
1. A supplierComplaints shall be address a complaint to theed to the enforcement authority of the Member State in which the supplier is located. The enforcement authority which receives the complaint shall forward it for investigation to the competent enforcement authority of the Member State in which the buyer suspected to haveof engageding in a prohibited trading practice is established. When the buyer is established outside the Union, the competent enforcement authority that receives the complaint must take action.
Amendment 591 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) to initiate and conduct investigations on its own initiative or based on a complaint, including anonymous complaints or complaints from whistleblowers;
Amendment 603 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) to impose a pecuniary fine on the author of the infringement. The fineand if necessary other dissuasive sanctions on the natural or legal person found to have made an infringement of this Directive, in accordance with national law. The fine and, if necessary, the sanction shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive taking into account the nature, duration and gravity of the infringement as well as any previous and repeated infringements of this Directive;
Amendment 667 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 1
Article 11 – paragraph 1
1. No soonlater than three years after the date of application of this Directive, the Commission shall carry out an evaluation of this Directive and present a report on the main findings to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.