12 Amendments of Paolo DE CASTRO related to 2015/2065(INI)
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that UTPs may hamper investment and product innovation and product quality and variety, and may therefore reduce the choices available to consumers;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reminds the Commission that the European Parliament's own initiative report adopted in December 2013 called on the Commission to examine the need and possibility of independent enforcement to address the so-called 'fear factor' among primary producers in the supply chain; urges the Commission to consider this in its own report;
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Acknowledges that voluntary and self- regulatory schemes are not enough to put an end to UTPs and that while purely voluntary codes are very important and useful for identifying issues they also have major drawbacks, such as the broad scope for non-participation, conflicts of interest, dispute settlement mechanisms that fail to reflect supplier ‘fear factor’, the lack of genuine penalties for non-compliance and scant or non-participation by the competent authorities;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to assess the SCI in terms of effectiveness, taking into account concerns cited by the farming community; cautions the Commission to avoid assessing the voluntary initiative based solely on the number of registered participants;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that several Member States have initiated actions in national lawvoluntary codes and legislative measures to address the concerns of primary producers regarding the negative impact of UTPs; asks the Commission to assess these national efforts with a view to selecting best practices for application at EU level; notes in particular the Groceries Code Adjudicator in the UK as aone potential model for adaptation at EU level;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes that while private–own brand labelled products can bring increased value and choice to consumers, they give an unfair and anti-competitive position to retailers, who become both customer and competitor; notes that market share in a private-own brand product category may undermine the benefits of these products for consumers and the agri-food industry; insists that the issue of private-own brands requires particular attention from the Commission and Competition Authorities, with a need to address the potential long term consequences for the supply chain;
Amendment 188 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that while private–own brand labelled products can bring increased value and choice to consumers, they give an unfair and anti-competitive position to retailers, who become both customer and competitor; notes that market share in a private-own brand product category may undermine the benefits of these products for consumers and the agri-food industry; insists that the issue of private-own brands requires particular attention from the Commission and Competition Authorities, with a need to address the potential long term consequences for the supply chain;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WelcomAcknowledges the setting up of the Supply Chain Initiative, which has resulted in the adoption of a set of principles of good practice in B2B relations in the food supply chain and a voluntary framework for the implementation of those principles; believes that efforts to promote fair trading practices in the food supply chain can make a real impactn impact, but cannot be considered sufficient to tackle the problem of UTPs in the food supply chain; notes that the results emerged from the conclusions of the Commission's study on the SCI recently published "seem very modest if measured against the actual or perceived magnitude and seriousness of the issue of UTPs in the food supply chain, and even more so if measured against the expectations of the stakeholders which are most seriously impacted by UTPs, and of policy makers";
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the complaints issued in the framework of the voluntary codes, specifically within the SCI, are very limited, as it has been spotted by the Commission's study on the SCI; notes also that the Commission's study does not precisely indicate the number of disputes solved in the last years, rendering thus impossible to assess the effectiveness of the SCI in tackling the problem of UTPs in the food supply chain;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Emphasizes that, as it has been reported by the Commission's study, the SCI, at the moment, does not have robust enforcement mechanisms nor effective deterrent instruments and penalties, such as monetary and/or economic sanctions, which will be able to address the problem of the UTPs in the food supply chain; therefore, asks the Commission to undertake concrete actions to establish effective enforcement mechanisms capable to act cross-borders, such as the establishment of an independent EU enforcement authority or a network of national authorities, mutually recognized at the EU level; these independent authorities shall be empowered to conduct investigations ex-oficio and/or on the basis of informal information and/or on the basis of complaints dealt with on a confidential basis, thus overcoming the so-called "fear factor";
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Regrets that, despite the limits of voluntary codes and initiatives have been clearly highlighted by the conclusions of the Commission's study on the SCI, the Commission does not seem willing to proceed with the swift adoption of a specific EU legislative framework which could better protect consumers, ensure a level-playing field among the stakeholders of the food supply chain, limit the current fragmentation of the single market and effectively tackle the UTPs;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Underlines that the safeguard of confidentiality is an essential component of any dispute resolution process; stresses that the SCI does not provide for a mechanism ensuring confidential or anonymous complaints for potential victims of UTPs. Therefore, asks the Commission to establish a monitoring instrument to ensure and preserve the confidentiality between the parties involved in the dispute, thus reducing the so-called "fear factor";