17 Amendments of Christa KLASS related to 2008/2175(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 9 December 2008 entitled 'Food prices in Europe' (COM(2008)0821) and the Commission communication of 20 May 2008 entitled 'Tackling the challenge of rising food prices – Directions for EU action' (COM(2008)0321),
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the market share of various large manufacturers has increased in recent years,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas over the last years, large retailers have come to dominate the European food markets; whereas the degree of concentration has grown from an average 21.7% in 1993 to more than 70% at present in the EU 15responded to concentration in the food industry and have also increased their market share; whereas the degree of concentration has grown in the EU 15 as a result of increased competition,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas evidence from across the EU suggests big supermarkets abthat large undertakings in the food sector and in other sectors of the economy use their buying power to force downnegotiate competitive prices paid to suppliers to unsustainable levels and impose unfair conditions upon them; whereas large retailers across Europe are fast-becoming ‘gatekeepers’, controlling farmers’ and other suppliers’ access to EU consume; whereas exercising buying power is the hallmark of a market economy, and this applies to all sectors of the economy; whereas small and large retailers across Europe are the last link to the consumer in a complex supply chain that involves a large number of actors,
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Is concerned by marketing practices such as below the cost selling of goods, in order to generate higher numbers of supermarket visits; is in support of banning below the cost selling of food and supports Member States that have already introduced such measures; wishes to see more European action taken against such aggressive pricing measures, as well as other anti-competitive practices in the EUWishes to see European action taken against anti-competitive practices such as product tying or any other abuse of market dominance;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is worriedNotes that in light of the CAP reform and in particular decoupling, farmer decisions on what to produce will be influenced more by signals coming from the retail sector in terms of prices and demandmarket; believes that the increase of Community food imports is likely to reduce prices at the farmstrengthen competition;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Acknowledges that in the short term, the effects of market concentration can lead to lower price levels of food, butand can have negative effects on the medium and long term, by damaging free competition and driving small producers out of the marketby damaging free competition;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Draws attention to the fact that many SMEs in the food sector are extremely vulnerable, especially if they are largely dependent on one large retail storefirm; notes that retailerfirms often employ race -to -the -bottom price competitions between several suppliers and in order to stay in business small companies need to cut costs and margins, which translates into reduced payments to farmers, fewer employees and lower quality products for consumers; also draws attention to the fact that, all the same, retailers can in any case provide market access and EU-wide distribution channels for SMEs, as well;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls onEndorses the Commission's decision to propose an efficient European System ofmarket monitoring of the marketsystem, able to register price trendencies and costs of inputs; this for the whole supply chain; considers that the method of establishing such systems should asbe agreed with those representing the interests concerned, and that the Community system in question should ensure transparency and permit cross- border comparisons between similar products; considers that this system has to be established in close cooperation with Eurostat and should work closely with the network of European Consumer Centres (ECC)national statistical offices;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes with concern that much more transparency is needed on the pricing structure and profit margins of retailers, processors and primary producers; cCalls on competition authorities at national and European levels to investigate and evaluate consumer prices throughout the EU to ensure that competition rules are respected;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for measures in support of cooperation between small agricultural producers so that they are able to compete with large producers, and processors and retailers; considers that Member States and the European Union need to ensure the existence of various forms of commerce and avoid a total liberalisation of the food market, that would lead to further concentration; calls on the European Commission to launch a Green Paper on the issue of the market power of large retailerscompetitiveness of the supply chain and competition between the operators in the supply chain;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Is in favour of introducing policies that sponsor a wider and more direct contact between producers and consumers, as this can provide producers with a more relevant role in the market, by reducing the power of the intermediaries and large retailers, while at the same time offering consumers a better and wider choice of products;