Activities of Robert ROCHEFORT related to 2010/2011(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT Report on delivering a single market to consumers and citizens PDF (229 KB) DOC (143 KB)
Amendments (30)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas too many obstacles, resulting from a lack of information about rights and opportunities, fragmented and insufficient regulation, inadequateregulation, a lack of legislative initiatives in a number of key areas, poor transposition, inadequate application and enforcement of rules, and a lack of administrative coordination and cooperation, stand in the way of citizens, consumers and SMEs wishing to move, shop, sell or trade across borders with the same sense of security and confidence they enjoy in their own Member States,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas many European citizens are not aware of their own practical benefits from the single market, as too little information on the single market is available and it is not explained properly,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Union is facing a particularly problematic time in the history of single European market integration; takes the view that the current and future challenges must be addressed with coherence, determination, commitment and strength, necessarily coupled with sensitivity and practicality, in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity; emphasises that this process will necessitate firm authority and considerable initiative on the part of the European Commission, and political commitment from the Council, the Member States and the European Parliament;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises that integration into the single market is not an irreversible process and that the continued existence of the single market should not be taken for granted; takes the view that failure to achieve the objective of the single market could produce a domino effect threatening to undo several years of European market integration;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes that the crisis shouldRecalls that policies to tackle the crisis should not detract from the single market integration process, but rather provide a window of opportunity for reforming, consolidating and improving the current structure of the single market and regaining the trust and confidence of citizens, especially consumers and SMEs;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes the view that the old perception of the single market as being primarily tied to economic considerations needs revisiting; stresses that all those involved in shaping and implementing the single market need to adopt a more holistic approach, fully integrating citizens’ concerns, particularly in relation to economic, social, fiscal, health and environmental issues and consumer protection;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that the single market should be central in achieving the goal of a sustainable and highly competitive social market economy in the context of the EU 2020 Strategy’s long-term vidoes not affect English version;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. ProposesBelieves that the single market is a very important prerequisite for the success of the EU 2020 strategy; proposes therefore that any strategy and policies to revitalise the single European market, including the EU 2020 Strategy, should be should be coordinated by the European institutions and based on a pragmatic, comprehensive and wide-ranging deal supported by all the Member States and focusing mainly on priorities for which the Member States will truly take ownership and which they will implement effectively at national, regional and local level;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Takes the view that the major challenge facing the Union is to find a balance between an open economy, capable of stimulating economic growth and job creation and providing an integrated response to the major challenges of the future (such as competitiveness, research and development, industrial policy, demographic issues, the environment and new technologies), and an economic system which is equally up to the task of delivering consumer protection and the social and environmental safeguards that citizens need;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Endorses initiatives taken by the Commission to prioritise research, knowledge and innovation in any future strategy; expects that sufficient funds will be allocated in successive Union budgets in order to address these crucial matters; recalls, in this context, the urgent need to resolve the outstanding issue of the Community patent;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Is convinced that the ordinaryEuropean citizen’s perception, understanding and knowledge of the single market are low, non-existent, confused or even negative; is of the opinion that the majority of consumers view the single market – rightly or wrongly – as a system imbued with political horse-trading and vested interests rather than one whichdecisive action must be taken to ensure that future European Union policy on the single market better addresses the needs of the consumers, citizens and SMEs and provides them with tangible results;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Considers that somein view of the most evident problems encountered by citizens who are consumers, especially in the services sector, are: (1) lack ofthe priorities in terms of policies and results that must be delivered are: (1) access to safe products and quality services (such as healthcare, food, energy, water, education, bank accounts, etc.), (2) access to reliable, comparable and objective information, including price comparisons;, (23) complexgreater legal security and clarity in contractual relations;, (34) uncertainty concerning payment and redress; and (4) lack of awareness andgreater payment security, (5) access to adequate, affordable and effective systems of redress, (6) the possibility of being trained and able to make optimal use of information and communication technologies, and (7) improved knowledge of and greater confidence in the system12 ;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Maintains that citizens are not being given thefforts must continue to be made to give citizens more information they need on single market legislation and the availability and enforcement of their rights; highlights the fact that manywelcomes in this respect the existence of the many relevant websites and the large number of information centres and ‘points of single contact’one- stop shops; is of the opinion that, as a result, better ways must be found of coordinating and publicising these initiatives which remain disorganised and are clearly still failing to reach people effectivelytheir target public effectively; stresses in this context the importance of promoting more highly aids in processing consumers complaints, such as ECC-Net and the SOLVIT;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Maintains that economic integration initiatives will fail to take off unlessbetter if citizens are convinced that their social rights are being safeguarded and that internal market policies will not impact negatively on nationalhave a positive impact on social policies;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Deplores the fact that only a small percentage of citizens, consumers and SMEs are aware of existing alternative redress mechanisms, or know how to register a complaint with the Commission; regrets that, despite the Commission’s recommendations, alternative conflict resolution mechanisms have not yet been correctly set up or are not yet running satisfactorily;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Stresses the major role consumer associations play as regards circulating information to citizen consumers about their rights, in supporting consumers in consumer disputes, and in promoting consumer interests in the construction of the internal market;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Will back future joint initiatives by the Commission and the Member States to: (1) support small businesses operating across borders throughout the EU; (2) effect a tangible reduction in administrative, financial and regulatory burdens, particularly the administrative hurdles faced by SMEs, in accordance with the principle of proportionality; in this regard calls on the Member States and the European Commission to strictly implement and apply the Think Small First principle as outlined in the Small Business Act.
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Will backEncourages future joint initiatives by the Commission and the Member States to: (1) support small businesses operating across borders throughout the EU; (2) effect a tangible reduction in administrative, financial and regulatory burdens, particularly the administrative hurdles faced by SMEs, in accordance with the principle of proportionality;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Agrees that proper implementation of the Small Business Act - in particular regarding a strict application of the SME test by the Commission when proposing new legislative internal market measures - and the introduction of a European private company statute will guarantee the practical integration of SMEs into a relevant and viable single European system;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. States that the most important problem for SMEs in times of economic crisis is their access to finance; regrets that as a result of the withdrawal of large banks from rural and under populated or economically weak areas a major problem for SME regarding access to finance has emerged; welcomes the important role of savings banks and various cooperative movements as regards financing the regional economy and their contribution to the social market economy due to their promotion of ethical and social projects.
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Calls on the Commission, in this context, to consider whether ‘sunrise clauses’ should be introduced, under which directives related to the EU single market could come into force automatically should Member States fail to transpose them in time;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Recommends that the Commission conduct an independent exercise to identify the top 20 single-market-related sources of dissatisfaction and frustration which citizens encounter every day, in particular in relation to cross-border e-business, the financial services, telephony, transport services, cross-border medical care, vehicle purchase and hire, portability of pensions, and mutual recognition of professional qualifications, child custody, adoption and maintenance and allowances;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Calls for the strengthening of Parliament’s role in the areas of transposition, application, enforcement and monitoring of single market legislation; considers that the enhanced role for the EP and the national parliaments under the Lisbon Treaty must entail better synergism between the two parliamentary levels;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Calls on the Commission, together withReiterates that it is important to run alongside the Member States, to develop outreach activities (‘road shows’) bringing together the various stakeholders (i.e. Commissioners, MEPs, national governments and parliamentarians) and attractlematic ‘publicity campaign’ style activities of the EU institutions or the Member States decentralised public relations measures that better associate local stakeholders and the national, regional and local media (placing special stress on the local media), who are more focused on the daily problems experienced by consumers in the single market (examples of bank charges ing as much media attention as possiblenother Member State, study on the possibilities of changing operator, comparisons of telephony costs, etc.);
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Suggests to the Commission that the single market strategy should comprise four main stages: the first to include an evaluation or health check of the current situation to assess the degree of distortion and strain that the various stakeholders in the single market have suffered, notably as a result of the crisis; the second to see the launch of a consolidation process, tying up loose ends; the third to entail development and improvement of the single market; and the fourth to concentrate on the longer- term vision of the market (EU 2020 Strategy);
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Calls on the Commission to ensure that legislative proposals from the various DGs dealing with, or affecting, single market policy do not contradict one anothare devised and developed in a totally coherent manner and that the order of business in the Commission is revamped to provide citizens with a more coherent system;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Notes that redress mechanisms applicable across the Union have yielded limited results and therefore urges the Commission to bring forward a legislative proposal to ensure the implementation of anby May 2011 of a Europe-wide, ‘European- style’ collective redress system that is affordable, expedient and, accessible Europe-wide collective redress system by May 2011and designed in such a way as to avoid the aberrations of a system more beneficial to large law firms than to consumers themselves;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
Paragraph 60
60. Calls on the Commission to focus more closely on market monitoring, especially in the areas of financial services (including banking services and investment), insurance, telephony, banking servicesenergy and utilities, and believes that the effective monitoring of markets will increase their efficiency, thus benefitting both the economy and consumers;