42 Amendments of Derk Jan EPPINK related to 2020/2223(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission Notices to Stakeholders of 2 December 2020 and 18 January 2021 on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom and the EU rules in the fields of competition and State aid,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regard to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority's research paper of 19 January 2021 entitled "Algorithms: How they can reduce competition and harm consumers",
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
- having regard to the Commission’s decision of 17 December 2020 to clear the acquisition of Fitbit by Google, subject to conditions,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas EU competition policy is designed to maintain an open market economy with free, fair and effective competition favouring an efficient allocation of resources; whereas this fundamental objective remains relevant also in crisis conditions;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of digitalisation;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas a smart reconciliation of the Union’s competition rules with its industrial and international trade policies is essential for re-shoring value chain activities and bolstering global competitiveness, thus contributing to an SME-friendly trade environment;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the increasing challenges of competing with a deeply subsidised big economy like the Chinese one require measures to strengthen EU companies facing non-EU competitors;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas an open market architecture in trading and clearing allowing for genuine competition amongst market infrastructures is key for preserving and strengthening the resilience of EU capital markets, incentivising market-led innovations, and thus delivering better outcomes for pensioners, businesses and investors;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas some undertakings, which benefit from a dual status as both platforms and suppliers, abuse their position to impose unfair terms and conditions on competitors;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas a level playing field between financial services firms and technology firms is needed to ensure competition on equal footing, following the principle of ‘same risk, same activity, same regulation’;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
D c. whereas algorithms can greatly enhance efficiency and allow firms to deliver better products and services to consumers; whereas, however, intentional or unintentional misuse of algorithms can cause harm to consumers and competition;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that a strict and impartial enforcement of EU competition rules by independent competition authorities can make a significant contribution to key political priorities such as a deeper and fairer internal market, a connected digital single market, and the Union’s global competitiveness; emphasises its importance also in crisis conditions;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recognises that resources for the Commission's Directorate General for Competition should be adequate to its workload and range of tasks;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Is concerned that the Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak might at the end not be that temporary;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for reflection on possible distortions of competition arising from the European Central Bank’s pandemic emergency purchase programme (PEPP) and corporate sector purchasing programme (CSPP); emphasises in this regard that the notion of selectivity in State aid is an essential criterion that needs to be investigated thoroughly; further points in this regard to Article 4(3) TEU which contains the so-called principle of loyalty;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Expresses its concern about distortive state-funded competition from Chinese and other foreign undertakings acquiring European undertakings, especially those active in innovative technologies and those weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Reiterates its support for international trade and investment agreements to include strong competition sections;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Supports an active participation of the Commission and the NCAs in the International Competition Network;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Considers that abuse of market power can take place even when products or services are supplied for free;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Considers that in the digital economy, the concentration of data in a small number of companies leads to market failures, excessive rent extraction and blocking of new entrants;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Recognises the challenges ahead for competition policy making and enforcement related to, inter alia, network effects, the concentration, aggregation and use of data in zero-priced markets, and pricing algorithms;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Calls on the Commission to give due attention and careful consideration to structural competition problems relating to gatekeeping positions of incumbent payment networks, taking due account of their strategic importance and central role in the digital economy, which have only grown during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to consider proposals to prohibit platforms from engaging in self-preferencing business practices (including mandatory bundling/pre-installation) or operating in lines of business that depend on or interoperate with the platform, as well as to require platforms to make their services compatible with competing networks to allow for interoperability and, data portability, and multi-vendor integration;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Looks forward toWelcomes the Commissionʼs proposals for a Digital Services Act and a Digital Markets Act as a good starting point for a much needed update of the legislative framework for the platform economy;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Considers that the DMA proposal should not jeopardize the proper enforcement of competition law already in force nor prevent the Commission from making full use of its existing tools in competition enforcement; refers in this regard to pending concerns on the Android decision and insufficient competition in online search;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Highlights the importance of an adequate enforcement framework in the future DMA, whereby the design of remedies should not be left to the sole appreciation of the incriminated company but instead be subject to a strict compliance mechanism;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20 c. Considers that the toolbox of the Commission as future DMA regulator should include the ability to ban abusive self-preferencing practices in the form of default settings; expresses its support for entrusting the Commission with the ability to force a gatekeeping platform to substitute certain default settings by an effective and objective consumer choice architecture, thus putting consumers in the driving seat;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that Parliament should play an active role in the political debate on competition policy, including through organising a public hearing with the CEOs of GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple) on their corporate strategies in the field of competition and taxation practices;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of helping consumers and users to gain greater control over, and take responsibility for, their own data and identity, and calls for a high level of protection of personal data while increasing the levels of transparency and accountability of digital services; calls in this regard for a mandatory data sharing framework providing consumers with tools to rightfully take ownership and manage their own data in a simpler and more effective manner;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls for the Union’s infrastructure and operational resilience capacity in critical digital sectors to be enhanced;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Notes that some oligopolistic structures have developed in the area of financial services, and also that some large technology undertakings have become important players in the financial services market; calls on the Commission to monitor and investigate how the competitive advantages inherent to these operators may distort competition in the market, and harm the interests of consumers and innovation;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Emphasises the need to monitor price caps, for example in sectors such as online platforms for accommodation and tourism;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on the Commission to give due attention and careful consideration to sectors and subsectors which are the basis of many other industries, as well as the Union’s social and economic value chain; is concerned that insufficient attention for the trade intensity criterion and the aggregate impact of climate-related costs (direct and indirect), and excluding too large a number of such ectors and subsectors from eligibility for State aid, including through the revised EU Emission Trading System (ETS) State aid guidelines, may put the Union’s international competitiveness at risk;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Urges the Commission to remain vigilant and strictly enforce article 102 prohibiting the abuse of a dominant position as well as its merger control procedures, enshrined in Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Considers that merger decisions put increasing pressure on limited resources; calls on the Commission to consider charging a fee on companies that file a merger notification as an alternative financing source for its enforcement activities, following the example of NCAs in a majority of EU Member States as well as in third country jurisdictions such as the US, Canada, and Australia;
Amendment 322 #
30 b. Notes that the European Court of Justice interprets Article 101 TFEU taking into account the different aims of the Treaties; points in particular to the Wouters judgment (C-309/99) in which the general interest was predominant and therefore limitations of competition were considered to be justified; welcomes and encourages that EU competition practice does not solely focus on price-centric consumer welfare; stresses the importance of the proportionality principle, meaning that limitation of competition cannot go beyond what is necessary to achieve the general interest;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Recalls that cartels represent some of the most serious violations of competition law; believes that such infringements of competition law counteract the interests of EU citizens since they do not allow consumers to benefit from lower prices;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32 b. Notes that taxation is a national competence, dependent on the political views and actions of governments and parliaments, based upon fiscal policies and political aspirations regarding public finances;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 c (new)
Paragraph 32 c (new)
32 c. Highlights EU-wide competition, choice and open access among market infrastructures across the entire execution value chain as fundamental principles for the CMU; supports a diversity of trading mechanisms catering to different trading strategies, market conditions, and investment objectives, both in the EU and globally; considers that failure to uphold such pro-competition choices in the upcoming discussions on the MiFID/R framework review would risk bringing back monopolistic national exchange structures, to the detriment of European economies and end investors, notably including pensioners;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 d (new)
Paragraph 32 d (new)
32 d. Regrets the Commission’s decision to clear the acquisition of the wearable “smart” fitness devices company Fitbit by Google; is particularly concerned in this regard about the already significant presence of Google in the digital healthcare sector; considers that the approved merger gives Google a dangerous level of insight into and control over personal health data, thus creating too much potential for invasive monitoring and discrimination;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the national parliaments and national, and where applicable regional competition authorities.;