Activities of Andreas SCHWAB related to 2022/2060(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Competition policy - annual report 2022 (debate)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. AsksNotes that the Commission is making significant efforts to ensure that the Digital Markets Act (DMA)1 and the Digital Services Act (DSA)2 are fully enforced and thatby providing sufficient Commission staff and resources arfor the assigned for this taskment of this task; invites the Commission to increase the resources for an effective and strong implementation and enforcement of these Regulations; asks the Member States, furthermore, to second additional staff and national experts to the Commission for this task; _________________ 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act) (OJ L 265, 12.10.2022, p. 1). 2 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act) (OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1).
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Asks the Commission to regularly update the Parliament on the progress made regarding the implementation of the DMA and DSA especially through the DMA Working Group; welcomes the Commission's initiative to set up workshops on various topics related to the DMA's implementation;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that consolidation withere is a case now for the creation of a fully integrated single market for telecommunication services; notes that the growth in the telecommunications and internet service providers sector could have a significant negative effect on competition within the Union, as it could develop into a monopolismarket in Europe has been very low over the past ten years and fragmentation is the key reason; notes that the telecommunications market remains one of the most critical market, and that the Commission should be vigilant about this; notes, moreover, that mergers between internet service providers, media content broadcasters and streaming providers could create incentives to abuse a dominant position, which would has in the EU due to resilience needs for all type of communications; in this regard, regrets that telecom investments in the market are not enough for this purpose; points out that the outdated regulatory system allows free riding of the networks by Telcos-OTT (Over-the-top) platforms; therefore calls on the Commission to present a new proposal in order to update the European Electronic Communications Code1a and to review its competition policy guidelines in order to consider the idea of consolidation at the EU level a negative effect on consumers; underlins an option for the European telecom companies thato competition policy must support net neutrality and prevent all attempts to undermine it; e effectively and continue to invest in infrastructure, particularly Gigabit networks, for the benefit of the EU single market. _________________ 1a Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (Recast) (OJ L 321, 17.12.2018, p. 36).
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that EU competition policy protects market structures against concentrationanticompetitive behaviours and accumulations of market power, just as it advances consumer welfare;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Believes that consolidation within the telecommunications and internet service providers sector could have a significant positive effect on competition within the Union; calls on the Commission to revisit the current market definition to frame new market realities, where traditional markets are increasingly becoming global and cross sector; underlines that competition policy must support net neutrality and prevent all attempts to undermine it;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that competition is global by nature;can be, by its nature, at the level of local/regional, EU-EEA and worldwide; for the latter, encourages the Commission, therefore, to use all tools provided for in the Union’s trade agreements and the Union’s Customs Code4 to counter unfair commercial trading practices and competition from non-EU companies which could affect the single market in order to maintain a level playing field in the single market and attract more investments; asks the Commission to look into international agreements and State aid rules in order to seek suitable solutions; _________________ 4 Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code (recast) (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1).
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates that competition policy cannot be pursued in isolation, as an end in itself, not only without reference to the legal, economic, political and social context but also without interaction and complementarity with the other strategic EU policies objectives;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that a regulatory framework is fit to respond to technological developments and to the Europe digital connectivity objectives by making sure that funding for critical infrastructures is adequate and effective without jeopardising competition rules;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Welcomes the forthcoming adoption of the new Market Definition Notice scheduled for Q3 2023; in particular appreciates all the new elements that contribute to address key market definition issues of some the fast- moving sectors such as the digital one;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the quick adoption of the Temporary Crisis Framework for State Aid measures to support the economy following the aggression against Ukraine by Russia, and the subsequent prolongations thereof; stresses the importance to coordinate the actions under the Temporary Crisis Frameworks put in place over the last three years;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to explore, as a response to the US Inflation Reduction Act, a broader range of solutions for a more competitive European industry in order to allow companies growing, competing and succeeding globally; in this regard, calls for a review of the competition rules, that should not only be based on State aid, but should also include other areas of competition policy, such as merger control;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Believes that there is a case now for the creation of a fully integrated single market for the energy and telecommunication services; notes that the growth in those markets in Europe has been very low over the past ten years and fragmentation is the key reason; notes especially for the telecoms market that it remains one of the most critical markets in the EU due to resilience needs for all type of communications; in this regard, regrets that telecom investments in the market are not enough for this purpose; points out that the outdated regulatory system allows free riding of the networks by OTT (over-the-top) platforms;
Amendment 149 #
8. Calls for the quantitative jurisdictional thresholds in the EC Merger Regulation to be reviewed and lowered; calls for the introduction of a rebuttable presumption that effective competition is significantly impeded by any concentration leading to a dominant position in a relevant market or any concentration involving a very largedominant market operatoplayer or a gatekeeper in line with the DMA Regulation; calls for matters of public interest, such as climate protection, sustainability and the rule of law, to be taken into account when examining the impact of a concentration on the internal market; calls for the inclusion of review clauses in decisions approving a concentration with a view to introducing more stringent conditions;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the Commission to tmake decisive action, undermore extensive use of the mechanism foreseen in Article 22 of the EC Merger Regulation, against ‘'killer acquisitions’ that must' not only for those that have to be reported to the Commission under the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’)Article 14 DMA but also for those in other strategic sectors;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the importance ofInvites the Commission to make a greater adoptingon of interim measures in the enforcement of competition law, particularly in relation to dynamic and fast- developing markets such as digital markets; therefore supports the Commission in enhancing the use of interim measures under the existing Regulation (EC) No 1/2003; calls for legislative action to lower the burden associated with the use of interim measures for the Commission and for national competition authorities;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the creation of a new Commission directorates for the enforcement of the DMA; deplores the Member States’ unwillingness to make available additional financial resources to enable more data-science and technology staff to be hired for the Commissionhighlights the difference by nature between the ex-post enforcement of antitrust rules and the ex- ante enforcement of the DMA; in this respect stresses the importance of keeping the resources for these two instruments within the Commission apart, although coordination between them is essential; deplores the Member States’ unwillingness to make available additional financial resources to enable more data-science and technology staff to be hired for the Commission; urges the Commission to allocate higher budget for the proper implementation and enforcement of this Regulation; welcomes a strong cooperation with the national competition authorities ("NCAs") on the DMA's enforcement;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that competition law remains relevant to digital markets despite the entry into force of the DMA; considers that violations of privacy rights can constitute abusive practices; emphasises that the DMA offers an opportunity to overcome the difficulties encountered with those antitrust cases -which served as basis for Articles 5 and 6 of the DMA- where, despite strong decisions by the Commission, they still have not led to effective remedies; points out that these cases should be prioritised by the DMA team to provide a solid basis for the application of the DMA and an effective and definitive response to those issues perpetrated over the years;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Commission to review its competition policy guidelines in order to consider the consolidation at the EU level as an option for the European telecom companies to compete effectively and continue to invest in infrastructure, particularly Gigabit networks, for the benefit of the EU single market;