Activities of Morten MESSERSCHMIDT related to 2015/2140(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Annual report on EU Competition Policy (debate) DA
Annual report on EU Competition Policy (debate) DA
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Annual report on EU Competition Policy PDF (462 KB) DOC (178 KB)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas in recent years, in particular, the dynamism in the digital economy but also distortions of competition as a result of national taxation policyfiscal state aid which is causing considerable harm to the internal market have brought with them new challenges for the Commission and all market players; whereas global cooperation on competition enforcement helps to avoid inconsistencies in remedies and outcomes of enforcement actions, and helps businesses to reduce their costs of compliance;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Takes the view that ensuring a level playing field for companies in the internal market also depends on combating social dumping;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes that competition policy should be focused particularly on protecting consumers, improving consumer welfare, fostering innovation and stimulating economic growth;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the regular dialogue which the Commission conducts with the European Parliament on competition matters, and calls again for fundamental legislative directives and guidelines to be adopted in the co-decision procedure and in particular for those departments which draw up guidelines to be strictly separated from those which apply those guidelines in specific cases;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to refincomplete the internal market in areas where it is still fragmented and incomplete, and to end market restrictions and distortions of competition as soon as possible wherever they are found;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that the prioritisation of the work of the competition authority and the presentation in the 2014 Competition Report are largely consistent with the common priorities; sees in some areas, however, the need for a differentmore determined course of action, which the Commission should emphatically address in the coming year; highlights the importance of global cooperation on competition enforcement; supports an active participation of the Commission in the International Competition Network;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Stresses the importance of avoiding monopolistic practices in order to achieve a fully fair, competitive and secure European energy market; calls, in this regard, for the elimination of monopolistic suppliers and discriminatory practices affecting users; considers that the European gas market should evolve towards an Energy Union with fair and stable prices by improving the diversification of its energy sources and enhancing access to strategic infrastructures;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Calls on the Commission to undertake investigations and take the necessary steps to ensure that existing electricity interconnectors are made fully available for the power market by the transmission system operators (TSOs), in order to enhance the functioning of the internal electricity market;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Reiterates that EU Structural Funds may not be used in a way that directly or indirectly supports the relocation of services or production to other Member States;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that, in the digital economy, in the past assessment of mergers and takeovers has been predominantly on the basis of the turnover of the businesses in question, which iseems to be inadequate because businesses with low turnovers and substantial start-up losses may also have a large customer base and significant market strength, as the Commission’s unconditional approval of the takeover of WhatsApp by Facebook proves;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Considers that particularly in the digital economy additional new criteria must be introduced incould be considered for assessing mergers, such as the purchase price, possible market entry barriers and network effects; Calls on the Commission to give particular consideration to the commercial model of businesses in the digital economy and possible market entry barriers;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that the erroneous assessment of market strength combined with the current market definition is often working to the detriment of European businesses in particular and must therefore be urgently re-adjusted also in times of globalisation and in a dynamic digital market; calls on the Commission to consider a readjustment within the framework of the Merger Regulation;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that the temporary State aid in the financial sector for the stabilisation of the global financial system was necessary but on completion ofCalls for the fifth consecutive year in its annual competition report for a swift end to the state aid crisis regime for the Bbanking Union must be quickly reduced or totally removed and scrutinisedsector;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the investigations initiated by the Commission in 2014 into unlawful fiscal State aid through unfair tax competition and calls on Member States in future to present the Commission with information about their taxation practice in good time and ultimately to comply with the obligation to declare special arrangements to the detriment of other Member States;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Considers that healthy tax competition is one of the constitutive elements of the internal market of the Union but unfair tax competition must be prevented through minimum rates of taxation and harmonised tax bases;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that in view of an estimated volume of tax fraud and tax avoidance of up to one billion euros a year the Member States must ultimately tackle and restrict this practiceMember States must tackle and restrict tax fraud; welcomes the recent adoption by the finance ministers of the G20 of new rules drawn up by the OECD on base erosion and profit shifting, which will improve transparency, close loopholes and restrict the use of tax havens;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. WelcomesTakes note of the intention of the Competition Commissioner to reorganise the control of State aid as part of a fair tax burden for all; Expects that prior to this reorganisation there will be an unconditional and complete evaluation and calls on the Member States to abandon their current blockade mentality;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to modify without delayconsider modifying the existing rules, in order to allow the amounts recovered following an infringement of EU State aid rules to be returned to the Member States which have suffered from an erosion of their tax bases and not to the Member State which granted the illegal tax-related State aid, as is currently the case, which provides additional incentives;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes the regular dialogue between the Competition Commissioner and the European Parliament but considers that the right to a hearing on essential matters of principle is not sufficient;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Commission to give the Parliament greater and earlier involvement in fundamental issues of competition policy, if the desired treaty amendment is not expected soon; Calls on the Commission to give the Parliament greater involvement in sector-specific investigations;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Considers that a results-driven and focused public evaluation of the various proposals by Parliament for development of competition policy should also be undertaken and published by the Commission in the near future;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Considers that all tried and tested and existing forms of dialogue held to date should be maintained, but an organisational separation of legislative and executive authority is inalienable for democratic reasons;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and, the Commission and to national competition authorities.