14 Amendments of Françoise CASTEX related to 2013/2075(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas competition policy seeks to ensure the smooth running of the internal market, protect consumers from anti- competitive practices and to optimise pricing;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. having regard to the essential role of public action, public investment and SGEIs in ensuring social cohesion, particularly at a time of crisis;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the implementation, in 2012, of the State Aid Package; notes with satisfaction certain measures creating exemption from notification obligations; calls on the Commission to take stock of the implementation of the Package, including the possible quantitative and qualitative effects on jobs and services for citizens;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Notes that the principle of subsidiarity, democratic control and promoting public interest are also founding principles of the European Union; (To be inserted before paragraph 1)
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Takes the view that the Commission should take further steps to reduce the legal uncertainty surrounding SSGIs resulting from the Commission’s application of competition law and its interpretation by the Court; calls on the Commission to confirm that public goods, public services, SGIs and the non-profit sector are not subject to the rules on competition but form a sector which is organised by the Member States or sub- state authorities according to the principle of subsidiarity and operates exclusively in the public interest;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that, in line with the general principles of the Treaties (non- discrimination, equal treatment, proportionality), the Member States and local authorities must be free to decide how SSGIs are financed and organised; in this context, draws attention to the EU’s social objectives and to promoting the quality, accessibility and effectiveness of these services, irrespective of whether they are provided by public or private operators;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Believes special attention should be paid to social housing, which plays a key role in social inclusion, mitigating the effects of the economic crisis and the creation of jobs not susceptible to relocation; regrets the fact that the December 2011 package of measures concerning state aid limits exemptions in the area of social housing to disadvantaged citizens and socially less- advantaged groups; calls on the Commission to review this definition, which is too restrictive;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Notes the Commission’s speed of response in ensuring that numerous banks were rescued and remained in operation in 2012 and putting in place a temporary emergency regime; considers that it should be possible to adopt the same approach to help other crisis-hit industrial sectors;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the European Union is faced with major challenges in the fields of reindustrialisation, energy transition and digital equipment, which call for considerable investments; considers that companies, focused on short-term profit, are unable to guarantee the long-term investment necessary for a return to sustainable, inclusive growth; considers that it is the responsibility of public authorities to promote these investments; takes the view that competition policy must not act as a brake on these ‘investments of the future’;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes the Commission’s support for the deployment of broadband infrastructure throughout Europe which will generate economic competitiveness and social cohesion; wonders whether digital services in Europe can be classified as SGEIs;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Questions the notion of ‘inappropriate aid’ introduced by the Commission and calls for the criteria defining effective aid to be specified; notes that the Court of Justice has found that a condition of efficiency is not appropriate to compensation for public services;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Questions the approach put forward by the Commission in its annual report, which presents competition policy as an instrument of budgetary policy and monitoring of public spending; also questions the legitimacy of the Commission in acting on this basis;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the type of dialogue engaged in by the Commissioner for Competition cannot replace genuine democratic control by Parliament; stresses that monitoring is all the more necessary since, under competition policy, the Commission monitors decisions taken by democratically-elected national and local authorities;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Takes the view that ensuring a level playing field for companies in the internal market also depends on combating social dumping, which should be regarded as an anti-competitive practice; believes the Commission should therefore endeavour to reduce the considerable discrepancies between the Member States in terms of salaries, working conditions and company taxation;