27 Amendments of Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU related to 2016/2276(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 10 January 2017 on Building a European Data Economy (COM(2017)0009) and the accompanying Commission staff working document (SWD(2017)0002),
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the evolving development and use of internet platforms for a wide set of activities, including commercial activities and sharing goods and services, have changed the ways in which consumers, companies and other users interact with content and goods providers;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the e-Commerce Directive exempts intermediaries from liability for content only if they play a neutral, merely technical, automatic and passive role in relation to the hosted content;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Acknowledges that online platforms benefit today’s digital economy and society by increasing the choices available to consumers and creating and shaping new markets; points out, however, that online platforms present possible new policy and regulatory challenges;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that, although many pieces of EU legislation, inter alia competition, data protection and consumer protection rules, apply to online platforms, it is frequently the case that they are not enforced properly or have not been adapted to the online world;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Believes that an online platform is a highly contextual concept and rather than considering online platforms through an all-encompassing definition, it is more consistent within the framework of European law to consider online platforms as a collection of different legally adequate elements, which can be used to determine which legal rule shall apply;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that online platforms use the internet as a means of interaction and act as facilitators between the demand and supply sides providing therefore benefits to a wide range of economic operators, including SMEs, and consumers;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that the increasingly widespread use of smart devices, including smartphones and tablets has further extended access to online platforms, thereby enhancing their role in the economy and society, particularly among young people, but more and more among all age groups;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Notes the growing role of online platforms in sharing and providing access to news and other information valuable for citizens as well as for the functioning of democracy;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recognises the benefits that online platforms offer for SMEs; notes that online platforms are often the easiest and most suitable first step for small businesses who want to go online and benefit from online distribution channels; notes that online platforms allow SMEs to access global markets without excessive investments in costly digital infrastructure;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the Commission to prioritise actions that allow European start-ups and new European online platforms to emerge and to scale up; stresses that facilitating investments in start-ups is vital to the development of online platforms in Europe; emphasizes that an open environment characterized by fair competition is crucial in this regard;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that some online platforms realise the collaborative economy and contribute to the growth of collaborative economy in Europe; welcomes the Commission communication on the collaborative economy, which supports the development of new business models; stresses that these new business models offer new services and greater choice for consumers as well as provide flexibility for employees;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that certainsome stakeholders are dissatisfied with the implementation and enforcement of the current rules on liability and welcomes the Commission’s undertaking to publish guidelines on intermediary liability; calls on the Commission to draw attention to the regulatory differences between the online and offline world and to create a level playing field for comparable services online and offline;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that the liability rules for online platforms should allow the tackling of issues related to illegal goods and illegal and harmful content in an efficient manner, for instance by respecting the duty of care, while maintaining a balanced and business- friendly approach;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the need for online platforms to prevent illegal goods and illegal and inappropriate content and unfair practices through regulatory, effective self- regulatory or hybrid measures; stresses the importance of online platforms playing a proactive role in tackling illegal goods and illegal and inappropriate content and taking immediate action to remove illegal or inappropriate content if such content slips through preventive monitoring; notes that online platforms are not always able to assess and establish the illegality of content and any measure imposed as voluntarily or otherwise must take into account possible consequences of censorship and effects on freedom of speech and the openness of the internet;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that online platforms should develop and adopt more effective voluntary measures and technical means of identifying and eliminating harmfulillegal content; welcomes the industry Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech, supported by the Commissiont;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges the Commission to ensure a level playing field for online platforms service providers and other services with which they compete; stresses that regulatory certainty is essential to creating a thriving digital economy; notes that competitive pressures vary between different sectors and therefore ‘one-size- fits-all’ solutions are rarely appropriate and tailor-made solutions are necessary to take into consideration due to the various characteristics of different kinds of online platforms;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Draws attention to the fact that the size of online platforms varies from global giants to micro-enterprises; stresses the importance of fair and effective competition between online platforms to avoid the creation of monopolies that distort the markets due to abuse of market power; stresses that facilitating the switching between online platforms or online services is an essential measure in preventing market failures;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Underlines that possible reforms of the existing regulatory framework should concentrate on the harmonisation of rules and reducing regulatory fragmentation; emphasises the need to avoid over- regulation and to continue the REFIT process and the implementation of the better regulation principle; stresses the importance of technology neutrality and having the same rules apply online and offline; stresses that the regulatory certainty fosters competition, investments and innovations;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Underlines the importance of investments in infrastructure; stresses that a level playing field and fair competition ensure investments in quality, high-speed broadband services; stresses that reliable high-speed networks are the precondition of offering and using online platform services; stresses the need for net neutrality and fair and non-discriminatory access to online platforms;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines that the cross-border nature of online platforms represents a huge advantage in developing the Digital Single Market, but also requires better cooperation between national public authorities; asks the Commission to make better use of existing consumer protection services and mechanisms, which could provide identical and efficient consumer protection in relation to online platforms activities;
Amendment 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Notes that online payments offer ahigh level of transparency that helps to protect the rights of consumers and entrepreneurs and could be applied to the collection of data for taxation purposes, for example; notes that transparency facilitates the comparison of prices and transaction costs and increases the traceability of economic transactions and enables more efficient collection of taxes;
Amendment 411 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses that a fair and innovation- friendly environment as well as investments in research and development are vital for generating new ideas and innovations; underlines the importance of open data and free flow of data for the development of new online platforms; notes that open, advanced and shared test networks can be an asset for Europe;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Stresses that, in relation to this specific business model, the traditional reasoning inherent in EU competition law may no longer be fit for purpose and proportionate more flexible and timely solutions for digital markets should be envisaged to complement competition law; stresses the importance of effective enforcement of the existing competition law;
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Is concerned about problematic B2B practices by some online platforms, such as a lack of transparency (e.g. in search results), ownership of data or pricing policies), possible unfair terms and conditions and possible abuses of the dual role of platforms as intermediaries and competitors;
Amendment 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Welcomes the efforts made by the Commission to fight tax avoidance and harmful competitionabuse of market power and calls on the Member States and the Commission to propose further reforms to prevent tax avoidance practices in the EU;
Amendment 451 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Regrets that the EU’s presence in the world market is barely feltregrettably low, in particular due to the current fragmentation of the digital market, legal uncertainty and the lack of financing and capacity to market technological innovations, which make it difficult for European companies to become world leaders in this new economy;