32 Amendments of Liisa JAAKONSAARI related to 2015/2346(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas observers of the single market over the years consider that it makes a significant contribution to European economies;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, more than 20 years after the launch of the single market, unjustified non-tariff barriers (NTBs) continue to bedevilaffect trade between Member States and slow consideration of legislation may continue to create new unjustified NTBs;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas labour mobility is restricted by the fact that 25 % of regulated professions are regulated in only one Member State;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas only 2 % of young SMEs and micro enterprises have undertaken cross- border expansion through foreign direct investment;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas for consumers, gaps in the single market can lead to less product choice and to goods and services being more expensive;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the complexity of the current VAT regime can also be considered a NTB;
Amendment 27 #
Fb. whereas anti-competitive tax deals between Member States and large multinational companies can be considered an unjustified NTB;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Realises that despite the removal of tariff barriers since 1 July 1968, the free movement of goods and services has continued to be hampered by unjustified non-tariff barriers (NTBs) such as national technical rules and requirements governing products and service providers;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Understands an NTB as being a cost introduced byunjustified regulatory action which must be bornecan create a cost by a firm which seeks to enter a market, and which is not borne by firms already in the market, or a cost which accrues to non- national firms which is not borne by domestic firms;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that where such NTBs can be justified as proportionate, information on differing national regulatory requirements should be easily accessible; considers that the implementation of the present system built around a diverse range of contact points, including Product Contact Points and Single Points of Contact, i has dbeeply unsatisfactoryn inconsistent across Member States and is overly complex; urges the Commission and the Member States to place greater emphasis on streamlining and improving these systems, understanding that by being more open and accessible as regards regulatory requirements their Member State becomes more attractive for inward investment;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Reminds that this debate on NTBs should not be used as a cover-up for a political agenda on deregulation;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Believes that national regulatory measures sometimes are the result of missing legislative proposals from the Commission;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 59 #
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Draws attention toNotes the issue of ‘gold- plating’, i.e. the tendency ofoption for national governments to load transposed directives with additional rules that add to business burdens and costsinclude additional national rules in transposed directives, for legitimate policy goals, which may, however, increase the complexity of the legal environment; considers, therefore, that greater use should be made of regulations instead of directives to ensure more consistent legislation;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that unequal application of the same rules in different Member States has the potential to create new unjustified NTBs; considers that transposition workshops should be held in order to minimise divergences at an early stage;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Believes the Commission should increase their use of guidelines in regards to the implementation of directives since this can be a useful tool to ensure a larger degree of uniform implementation;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that since economies of scale are reduced by the need to run different product lines, the burden falls disproportionately on SMEs and micro enterprises;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Believes that many national administrative practices also give rise to unjustified NTBs, including requirements for formalising of documents by national bodies or offices; considers that Member States should concentrate on e-governance, which includes prioritising interoperability, and EU-wide e-ID and digital signatures, as a way to reduce barriers, building on examples such as those in Estonia and Denmark, where a transition to digital services has simplified administration for businesses and citizens;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights that many businesses are not aware of mutual recognition and believe that they have to comply with national requirements in the Member State of destination when trading in the single market; calls on the Commission to prioritise awareness-raising in this area;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Emphasises that the notification obligation contained in the Services Directive could have been effective in reducing or eliminating unjustified NTBs, but has been neglected by Member States and the Commission; welcomes, therefore, the renewed focus on the notification procedure in the Single Market Strategy, as through early engagement as regards proposed regulatory measures, disproportionate or unjustified national measures can be revised to resolve issues before they occur; believes further that more detailed justifications should be asked from the Member States when introducing new regulatory measures;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Points out that manysome of the Member States’' regulations on the access and exercise of regulated professions armight be disproportionate and therefore can create unnecessary regulatory obstacles to the mobility of professionals;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Commission to address the reform priorities of Member States in the area of professional services in the context of the European Semester and country- specific recommendations on deregulating certain professions in the Member States;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Points out that restrictive regulations on retail and wholesale activities create significant barriers to entry, leading to fewer new outlet openings, hampering competition and leading to higher prices for consumers; underlines in this regard that some fees, inspection charges and other measures may prima facie serve legitimate public policy objectives, but through the use of thresholds or other criteria function as NTBfunction as NTBs if they are not justified by legitimate public policy objectives; believes that all operational restrictions placed on retail or wholesale activities should not unduly or disproportionately restrict these activities, and must not lead to de facto discrimination between market operators;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls on the Commission to initiate timely consideration of EU policy and legislative action in emerging areas, with wide stakeholder consultation in particular SMEs and civil-society organisations;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission to deepen its work on enforcement and the principles which underpin the single market; believes that early intervention with regard to national measures or implementation procedures which constitute unjustified NTBs may be effective and results more readily achieved than through infringement proceedings; underlines, nevertheless, that for serious or persistent failures or misapplication of Union law, particularly in areas of single market and economic interest, the Commission may prioritise infringement actions;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Regrets that the Parliament's access to relevant information relating to pre- infringement and infringement procedures is still limited and calls for improved transparency in this regard, with due respect to confidentiality rules;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Member States to view the single market as a joint initiative which requires coordinated and collective maintenance; believes that those who ultimately suffer the consequences of NTBs are domesticunjustified NTBs are consumers, who are denied access to new entrants to domestic markets, and face higher costs and reduced choice; considers that Member States should dedicate further time to horizontal single market concerns and to identifying areas requiring priority action by one or more Member States, in order to maintain and further the single market;