Activities of Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT related to 2013/2093(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Retail Action Plan for the benefit of all actors PDF (226 KB) DOC (112 KB)
Amendments (22)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the dignity of the retail sector has to be fully recognised as a driver for growth, competitiveness and innovation;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas in a society increasingly marked by virtual contacts through the internet, shops are still the place where people meet other people and in particular high streets and town centres as well as direct selling by producers can provide a setting for shared experiences, and be a focal point of local identity, community pride and a common heritage and shared values; whereas, nonetheless, e-commerce and brick-and-mortar shops do not exclude one another and are actually complementary;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas unfair trading practices (UTPs) continue to exist and negatively affect, in particular, farmers and small producing companie the entire supply chain, including farmers and SMEs;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Commission's intention to create a permanent Group on Retail Competitiveness, but emphasises the importance of balanced representation, including of both big and small retailers, co-operatives and consumer, environmental and social interests; calls on the Commission to take a holistic approach to retail, avoiding duplication and extra bureaucracy, and to ensure coherence and close coordination with other existing fora, such as the yearly Retail Market Roundtable;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Supports the Retail Market Roundtable, organised by its Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, as the institutional forum to keep the retail high on the EU political agenda, to review progress in the implementation of relevant aspects of the Retail Action Plan, to report on the work of the permanent Group on Retail Competitiveness and to update on progress made in other existing platforms and informal dialogue mechanisms; asks the permanent Group on Retail Competitiveness to work closely with the European Parliament to prepare the yearly Retail Market Roundtable;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges Member States not to take discriminatory measures in the context of austerity policies that undermine consumer confidence and directly harm the interests of the retail sector, such as increasing VAT or raising charges for shops; is concerned in particular about certain national trade and tax laws, affecting certain sectors or business models and distorting competition, which de facto have a discriminatory effect against foreign EU retailers; calls on the Commission to act more firmly to ensure full implementation of internal market legislation and competition law, including through speeding up infringement procedures with a fast-track approach;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Is concerned that restrictive national rules, divergent interpretations and inadequate enforcement of internal market rules impede free movement of goods and services in the EU; stresses that requirements for extra tests and registrations, non-recognition of certificates and standards, territorial supply constraints and similar measures create extra costs for consumers and retailers, in particular SMEs, thus depriving European citizens of the full benefits of the single market;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and Member States to give the highest political prominence to the retail sector as a pillar of the Single Market, including the Digital Single Market, and to lift practical obstacles making it difficult for retailers to fully benefit from the internal market; considers that retail market legislation should be more thoroughly evidence- based, particularly as regards the need to adequately examine and understand its impact on small businesses;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Asks Member States to transpose internal market rules in a coherent and consistent way and to ensure effective mutual recognition of goods and services, remove overlaps and reduce administrative burdens and regulatory barriers that may limit growth and job creation; urges Member States to fully and correctly implement the internal market rules and legislation, notably the Goods Package, the Services Directive, the Late Payments Directive, the E- Commerce Directive, the Small Business Act and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Encourages business federations and consumer associations to provide more information, training and legal advice to stakeholders on their rights and the problem-solving instruments at their disposal, such as SOLVIT, and to support the exchange of best practice among themselves;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the Commission's intention to develop instruments to facilitate consumer access to transparent and reliable information on the prices, quality and sustainability of goods and services; encourages the Commission to set up an easily accessible database containing all EU and national labelling requirements; at the same time warns against the multiplication of labels and labelling requirements and calls for simplification, preferably bringing together various aspects of social and environmental sustainability in one label, while reducing differences in national mandatory labelling requirementsincluding by reducing differences in national mandatory labelling requirements and establishing common benchmarks/criteria at EU-level, where appropriate;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Asks the Commission to supplement its Action Plan with a set of actions aimed at supporting the independent retailerEncourages local authorities to promote actions aimed at facilitating equal access and creating a level-playing field for the independent retailer, in full respect of free and fair competition, such as: the encouragement of the ‘adopt-a- shop’ principle by which bigger retailers act as ‘mentors’ to smaller shops in their immediate vicinity; the promotion of groups of independent retailers, including co-operatives, which benefit from mutual assistance and certain economies of scale, whilst retaining their full independence; respect for the right of local and regional authorities to stimulate in certain shopping areas (e.g. the ‘high streets’) a climate favourable to small, independent shops by lowering energy rates and rents via public-private partnerships, by introducing business rate discounts on local charges for small businesses and independent retailers and by promoting co-operation between the various shops in that areathe stimulation of public-private partnerships, for instance in the fields of energy and retail property development, to create a favourable climate for SMEs and remove barriers to entrepreneurship;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Warns against the tendency of some local and regional authorities to continue to develop large-scale projects, such as shopping malls and plazas outside the city centres, given that, especially in view of the economic crisis, the saturation point has already been reached; notes that renRecalls that, while a concentration of shops outside city centres can be convenient for some consumers, it can also be a challenge, in particular for older people, people with reduced mobility or without a car; underlines the importance to strike the right balance in the development of new, large-scale retail projects, in such shopping centres are normally too high for smaller, independent shops and calls on the Commission, in co-operation with the Member States, to draw up a survey of their economic, social order to make sure that shopping centres continue to be drivers of growth, jobs and sustainability, while also providing the right conditions for access to the market of small shops, ensuring that consumers cand environmenjoy a broad retail effectsmix and have true freedom of choice;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recognises the right of local authorities not to allow the establishment of new shopping centres and hypermarkets, wherever this will have negative social or environmental consequences, and encoAcknowledges the competence of local authorities with regard to urban planning; highlights, however, that urban planning should not be used as a pretext to circumvent the right to free establishment; recalls, in this context, the importance of a proper enforcement of the Services Directive; urages Member States to introduce specific rules to guaranteremove barriers to free movement and open up their markets, in order to stimulate competitiveness and promote a diversity of shops, which is essential if shopping areas, in particular in town and city centres, are to remain attractive;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that with the increasing importance of e-commerce, shops are facing new challenges making multichannel retail strategies ever more important; expresses in this regard its concern, in view of the social role of retail, that e-commerce might overtake entire retail sectors, such as currently seems to be the case in the audiovisual and book sectors; encourages retailers toncourages retailers to make the most of innovative technologies and develop new business models for expanding the shopping experience in the brick-and-mortar shop, inter alia, by increasing service levels, both before and after-sale, and by linking the presentation on the internet to the staff responsible for the sales in the brick-and-mortar shop;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Emphasises that e-commerce is important to ensure consumer choice and access to goods and services, in particular in remote areas; stresses that appropriate action must be taken to develop its full potential, including improving access to the Internet in the European Union's most remote areas; supports the measures called for in the Commission's communication on e-commerce from 2012 to enhance confidence, simplify registration of domains across borders, improve secure online payments and delivery services, facilitate cross-border debt recovery and improve information to consumers on their rights, particularly concerning withdrawals and opportunities to appeal;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes in particular the voluntary initiatives and commitments taken by retailers and suppliers to reduce food waste;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Is concerned about the rapid development of private labels; emphasises that private labels should be developed in such a way as to deliver improved consumer choice, notably in terms of transparency, quality of information and diversity, and to provide clear opportunities for SMEs to innovate and expand;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Supports the work of the High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain and its Experts Platform on B2B contractual practices; considers that the Parliament should urgently resolve pending issues relating to its participation in the Forum's work; stresses that UTPs also occur in the non-food supply chain and; asks therefore the Commission and the business federations to explore the possibilities for creating a new, open-ended forum focusingpursue a constructive and cross-sector dialogue in the existing fora, including also the yearly Retail Market Roundtable and the Commission's forthcoming Group on rRetail as a wholeCompetitiveness;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the principles of good practice and the list of examples of unfair and fair practices in vertical trading relationships in the food supply chain, as well as the framework for the implementation and enforcement of these principles; urges all parties concerned to swiftly put them in practice and show results fast; emphasises that, if these are to have a practical effect, it is important that all actors in the food supply chain participate, including farmers' organisations as well as the manufacturing and wholesale distribution industries; requests the Commission to regularly review the effects of the voluntary initiative within two years of its entry into force, and to propose additional actions should this be necessary, assess if additional actions are necessary and present the results to the High Level Forum and the Retail Market Roundtable;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Considers that it is often difficult for weaker market parties to complain about UTPs and emphasises the important role of associations of enterprises which should be able to submit such complaints on their behalf, while ensuring confidentiality, to; invites the Commission, in its assessment of the voluntary implementing measures, to examine whether there is a need for an ombudsman or adjudicator who should have the power to take ex officio action in the case of information about certain worrying trendevidence-based unfair trading practices;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18