13 Amendments of Alain LIPIETZ related to 2008/2212(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital B (new)
Recital B (new)
B. whereas higher oil prices and other basically needed commodities have raised the costs of production and put upward pressure on overall prices, because of the strong links across commodities,
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital C (new)
Recital C (new)
C. whereas the rise of inflation, triggered by basic commodities and hikes in the price of oil has provoked an erosion of purchasing power, which has not been properly addressed,
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital D (new)
Recital D (new)
D. whereas the fluctuation in the oil price over the last months reflects cyclical and structural factors,
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital E (new)
Recital E (new)
E. whereas the oil prices fluctuation has highlighted the dual nature of commodities; whereas oil or other commodities are not only used as inputs of production or consumption, but also as a financial asset subject to speculation,
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital F (new)
Recital F (new)
F. whereas the development of new investment vehicles on the market for oil and other fundamental commodities, as well as the investment of hedge funds into commodities, has amplified the price volatility of those commodities; and whereas there is a need to ensure greater transparency on the energy markets,
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that higher oil prices reflect a structural imbalance between supply and demand caused, in the main, by two factors: progressive depletion of the oil reserves and a change in demographic and urbanisation trends, especially in emerging countries, where the rise in average income is causing an increase in demand; stresses also that oil and other commodities have been increasingly used for portfolio diversification as a result of the depreciation of the US dollar;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Expresses its concerns about the volatility of oil andin commodity prices over the last years and its impaeffects on inflation, and its impact on purchasing power and financial stability; stresses that soaring oil prices have been exacerbated by large trading activities on thatis market, includingamong which hedge funds, which have increased the risk of speculative bubbles being formed; urges the Commission and the Member Statesaggravating speculative bubbles that burst at the end of 2008; urges the Commission and the Member States to examine the recent fluctuations of commodity prices, which are an integral part of the crisis cycle, and to ensure greater transparency on the energy market;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that oil and other basic commodities should be insulated from speculators and hedge funds, since speculation on basic needs is at the expense of people all over the world; is of the view that speculation in oil and commodities creates a strong case for exploring the introduction of a special tax on financial transactions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to seek to reach an international agreement committing all signatories to impose such a tax on financial transactions;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that sustained demand for oil has increasingly pushed supply up against capacity limits; urges for an improvement of data transparency in regard to energy statistics, especially in respect with oil stock levels;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Points out that the European Union will have to face even more the challenge of lasting high and volatile oil prices and the economic impacts connected to them, considering that newly-discovered resources have tended to be smaller and more expensive to develop, being increasingly offshore, and the costs of exploration, development and production will become higher, making it more urgent to switch to alternative and renewable energy sources and to develop energy-saving technologies;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses its concern that with structurally higher energy pricduring oil price increases, there is more of a burden on labour to absorb increased costs through lower real wages; considers that the imported inflation triggered by the increase in the oil price should be addressed, in particular, by distributing purchasing power more evenly; considers, nevertheless, that a regular oil price increase should be made predictable for consumers, as it reflects both the exhaustibility of this resource and the necessity to integrate its negative external effects on climate in its costs;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines that green taxation or an effective cap on emissions and the adoption of a wide range of energy and transport-related measures are important tools for smoothing out oil price volatility and for stimulating the development of a wide-ranging, cutting-edge market for energy-efficient technologies and products; also underlines the importance of the application of the ‘polluter-pays’ principle; considers that there is scope for expanding the use of environmentally related taxes if the European Union and the Member States are serious about achieving their climate change objectives; recalls that the greater the number of countries that put similar policies in place, the more limited the impact on sectoral competitiveness of those policies, in particular where ecotaxes substitute taxes on activity;
Amendment Amendment1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A (new)
Recital A (new)
A. whereas the price of oil increased from less than USD 50 per barrel in early 2000, to more than USD 140 in August 2008, and then sharply fell to less than USD 60 dollars per barrel,