25 Amendments of Elisabeth JEGGLE related to 2008/2175(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Europe and the world have recently experienced a significant food price surge, with ambiguous effects on the agricultural sector, with some gaining from the rise in prices and others - mostly on the food processing side - incurring much greater costs,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas it has been found in the various Member States that large manufacturers have set widely differing prices for the same products,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas price analysis and development require that account be taken of the entire chain of suppliers, and the food sector is made up of small parts and the chain of suppliers is highly complex, involving many intermediaries,
Amendment 23 #
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 15a small number of large food manufacturers control a large part of the food market and the organised trade is responding to the concentration process in the food industry and has also gained greater market shares; whereas on 9 December 2008 the Commission submitted a communication entitled 'Food prices in Europe' (COM(2008)0821); whereas food manufacturers worldwide are offering branded products that are geared to securing a stronger negotiating position vis-à-vis traders,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas evidence from across the EU suggests big supermarkets abuse theirthat the increasingly concentrated food trade abuses its buying power to force down 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 consumersas a result no adequate competition is taking place,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that it is in the European public interest to maintain an adequate level of producer and consumer prices and ensure fair competition, especially with regards to strategic merchandise such as agricultural and food products;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes Europe should provide consumers with food at reasonable prices and farmers with a stable income; believes that reasonable prices need to be paid to farmers to guarantee a constant supply of good quality food, produced under European standards; affirms that produceactors involved in processing and distribution must also get a reasonable remuneration;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that among factors that most influence the price transmission mechanism and the gap between consumer and producer prices, retail concentration, the extent of cooperative marketing and pricing policiethe manufacturing and processing stage, the pricing policies of large manufacturers, that lead to fragmentation of the internal market, wages, ownership and transport costs, the low level of competition between food producers, as well as speculation with agricultural commodities play a determining role;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is further worried by other instances where unjust behaviour is promoted by large retailthe trade sector makes use of its market powers; mentions among these other marketing policies such as listing charges, slotting allowances, threats of delisting, retroactive discounts on goods already sold, unjustified contributions to retailer promotion expenses or insistence on exclusive supply;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Acknowledges that in the short term, the effects of market concentration in this economic sector can lead to lower price levels of food, but can have negative effects on the medium and long term, by damaging free competition and driving small producers out of the market, by damaging free competition, if not kept in check by competition authorities; also acknowledges that competition on the commercial market ensures that high- quality products are available to consumers at the most favourable price;
Amendment 86 #
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 store; notes that retailers 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;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to propose an efficient European System ofmarket monitoring of the marketsystem, able to register price trendencies and costs of inputs; this system should asensure 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); refers to the principle that additional costs and burdens should be kept within reasonable bounds;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes with concern that much more transparency is needed onregarding the pricing structure and profit margins of retailers, processors and primary producers; calls 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 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls for the introduction of mechanisms to combat speculation with agricultural commodities and financial instruments based on them; fFurther calls for adaptation of the rules ofn participation in futures markets to be improved and afor better regulation of these markets in general;
Amendment 141 #
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, 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, thatwhich would lead to further concentration; calls on the European Commission to launch a Green Paper on the issue of the market power of large retailers;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
Amendment 153 #
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;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Considers that wider and better information tofor consumers is paramount and allevery efforts should be taken towards educating and correctly informing the consumermade to educate consumers and provide them with neutral information;