26 Amendments of Andreas SCHWAB related to 2016/2100(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that EU competition law and authorities need to guarantee a level playing field in the digital single market; calls on the Commission to launch an in-depth debate on how far the traditional reasoning underlying competition law is suited to the specific conditions of the digital world and its new challenges, and asks it to pursue a policy of active, effective and accelerated enforcement of the competition rules, in particular in the online search and mobile internet sector, in order to remove barriers to innovation and to enable EU consumers to seize all the opportunities that a genuine digital single market can offer;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that EU competition law and authorities need to guarantee a level playing field in the digital single market; calls on the Commission to pursue a policy of active, effective and accelerated enforcement of the competition rules, in particular in the online search and mobile internet sector, in order to combat the abuse of dominant positions and thereby remove barriers to innovation and to enable EU consumers to seize all the opportunities that a genuine digital single market can offer; calls for the closure of lengthy key proceedings in this area before the end of this year;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for active monitoring of all possible competition issues related to unjustified geo- blocking and other restrictions on online sales; regrets that most e-commerce takes place nationally and that a true internal market without national barriers is not existing in this sector; welcomes the ongoing e-commerce sector enquiry, which should be conducted thoroughly and brought to an expeditious close and which may provide useful input for other actions within the digital single market strategy;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates the need for the timely and proper implementation of Directive 2014/104/EU on antitrust damages actions, and encourages the Commission in the strongest possible terms to monitor its implementation closely and to pursue this issue with the Member States; strongly regrets that the implementation is proceeding slowly and many of the Member States have adopted not even a proposal for implementing legislation; therefore, encourages the Commission in the strongest possible terms to monitor its implementation closely and to pursue this issue with the Member States; stresses that access to justice, which may include the availability of collective redress, is essential for the attainment of the objectives of EU competition policy;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes that, in its resolution on the annual report on competition policy for 2014, the European Parliament called on the Commission to closely monitor alliances between major distributors in Europe, and welcomes the Commission’s willingness to discuss the impact of such alliances on producers and consumers within the European Competition Network;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Looks forward to the Commission’s proposal on the ECN+, and calls for the full involvement of the European Parliament under the ordinary legislative procedure; considers that effective tools to tackle distortions of competition are crucial for the functioning of the single market, and that it is imperative to ensure that consumers and businesses can rely on the consistent application of EU competition rules throughout the EU.; considers that European-wide minimum standards are particularly needed as regards leniency programs, sanctions and the independence of national competition authorities;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the current revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER); recalls that there is legal uncertainty regarding the issue of whether the allocation of public funding to tourism organisations in its current form is in line with EU state aid rules; calls on the Commission to provide an adequate legal state aid basis for the Member States to support tourism as an important economic factor in the internal market; therefore, stresses the need to take up a new GBER exemption.
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the Commission’s goal of opening up new opportunities for citizens and businesses by allowing people, goods, services and capital to move freely within the single market; stresses that European competition policy is a vital element of the internal market and that, without an effective EU competition policy, the internal market cannot attain its full potential;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Regards competition in the telecommunication sector as crucial to drive innovation and investment in networks, as well as for choice in services for consumers; regards the rapid broadband expansion as key to the completion of the digital single market; welcomes in this context that the Commission will consider the strategic connectivity objectives, as set out in the Telecommunication Package, when applying the Broadband State Aid Guidelines.
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates that all market players should pay their fair share of tax; Wconsiders that fair tax competition is essential for the integrity of the European internal market and a level playing field; welcomes the Commission’s in-depth investigations into anti-competitive practices such as selective tax advantages or excess profit ruling systems;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the need to reinforce the single market through a fiscal union, and calls for the treaties to be amended accordinglyConsiders that a successful European competition policy must take account of the innovativeness of European industry and the competitive conditions afforded to SMEs;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy; reiteratesemphasises the crucial role of competition policy in completing the digital internal market and that a unified digital single market could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and could contribute EUR 415 billion per year to the EU economy;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls onWelcomes the Commission to take more ambitious steps’s sectoral investigation of e-commerce, the preliminary results of which have identified certain business practices in this sector which could restrict online competition; calls on the Commission, where necessary, to eliminate obstacles to online competition, in order to ensure barrier-free online shopping for EU consumers purchasing from sellers who are based in another Member State;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Calls on the Commission to conduct and complete all other pending cartel investigations carefully, and to do away with any market restrictions; calls for the proceedings to be speeded up so that results can be achieved within the next year; welcomes, therefore, the supplementary statement of objections sent by the Commission on the comparison shopping service; calls on the Commission to continue to examine determinedly all concerns identified in its investigations, including other areas of search bias, in order to guarantee a level playing field for all market players in the digital market;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that competition in the telecommunications sector is essential, not only to drive innovation and investment in networks but also to encourage affordable prices and choice of services for consumers; calls on the Commission, therefore, to safeguard competition in this sector, including with regard to spectrum allocation; welcomes in this connection the Commission’s intention, when applying the state aid guidelines on broadband networks, to look sympathetically at the strategic aims of the telecoms package;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that competition in the internet search and telecommunications sectors is essential, not only to drive innovation and investment in networks the digital economy but also to encourage affordable prices and choice of services for consumers; calls on the Commission, therefore, to safeguard competition in thisese sectors, including with regard to internet services and spectrum allocation;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Is of the opinion that a better understanding is needed at local and national level as regards classification of illegal state aid; welcomes the Commission’s recent decisions clarifying which Member State public support measures can be carried out without a state aid assessment by the Commission; regards those decisions as providing helpful guidance for local and municipal projects, reducing administrative burden and at the same time increasing legal certainty;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Welcomes the ongoing revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER); points out that, as regards funding for public tourism amenities, there is considerable legal uncertainty as to the action needed to bring the funding of economic activities into line with competition law and also to deal with ongoing competition complaints; underlines the fact therefore that the Commission must provide a sufficient legal basis in competition law in order to boost tourism as an important economic factor in the EU, and accordingly stresses the need to incorporate a new GBER exemption;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes the Commission’s recently launched consultation on certain procedural and legal aspects of EU merger control; calls on the Commission, in connection with the planned reform of the Merger Regulation, to examine carefully whether current assessment procedures take sufficient account of circumstances on digital markets and of the internationalisation of markets; considers that, above all within the digital economy, merger assessment criteria must be adapted;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Calls again on the Commission to verify carefully Member States’ transposition of Anti-Trust Damages Directive 2014/104/EU; points out that that directive must be properly transposed by 27 December 2016; deplores the fact that progress with transposition has been slow so far and that many Member States have not yet tabled draft legislation; calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to remind Member States of their obligation;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the decentralised enforcement of EU competition rules in Europe, but considers that the effectiveness of the protection of citizens and companies from anti-competitive practices should not depend only on the Member State in which they are resident; takes the view that the cartel procedure regulation (Regulation 1/2003) has done much to create a level playing field for businesses throughout the internal market; emphasises, however, that there are still differences between national systems and national competition authorities, in particular as regards independence, the setting of fines and leniency programmes; takes the view that effective, uniform procedural provisions are essential if EU cartel law is to be enforced and legal certainty guaranteed for consumers and businesses;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes, in that connection, the consultation procedure launched by the Commission, which is likely to lead to a legislative proposal on strengthening the enforcement and sanctioning tools available to the national competition authorities, the so-called ECN+; Calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal for EU action to ensure that the national competition authorities are more effective enforcers, so that the full potential of the decentralised system of EU competition enforcement can be realised; calls for the European Parliament to be fully involved under the codecision procedure;
Amendment 411 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Amendment 413 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)
Subheading 6 a (new)
International dimension of competition policy
Amendment 414 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Emphasises that international cooperation is essential in the age of globalisation; calls on the Commission, therefore, to foster closer international cooperation on competition-related issues; welcomes the agreement on the application of competition law recently concluded with Canada; takes the view the agreements such as these make a significant contribution to international cooperation;
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses that Parliament should also be granted codecision powers in the field of competition policy, and regrets that this area of Union policy has not been strengthened in its democratic dimension in recent treaty amendments; calls for the treaties to be amended accordinglyfuture legislative acts which affect the internal market to be based on Article 114 TFEU, should no Treaty amendment be likely in the immediate future;