2021/2043(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Underlines that the food and drink industry is the EU’s biggest manufacturing sector, employing more than 4.82 million people and adding EUR 266 billion in value; ~~highlights the importance of~~emphasises that the coronavirus crisis has shown us just how important production geared to local markets is for a smoothly functioning single market iwhich can unlock~~ing~~ the full potential of the EU agri- food sector, sin partimcula~~ting greater competitiveness, growth and the creation of jobs~~r given the international competition for markets and with a view to creating jobs at regional and local level;

Amendment 10 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Marc TARABELLA, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of EU agri-food systems, including regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses, however, that the strategy should be based on a comprehensive ex-ante, scientific and cumulative impact assessment based on public consultations with representatives of the agri-food chain and other relevant stakeholders, and not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation within the single market;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy, and calls on the governments of the Member States to use legislative, tax and fiscal instruments to help local food and agricultural production to become more widely available on the retail market; stresses, however, that the strategy should not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation within the single market;

Amendment 12 #

Bert-Jan RUISSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses, however, that the strategy should not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation within the single market; stresses that smart and integrated food supply chains are indispensable for ensuring continuous food supplies throughout the Union;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses, however, that the strategy should not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation within the single market, with adverse effects on food production chain operators;

Amendment 14 #

Álvaro AMARO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses, however, that the strategy should not ~~lead to~~introduce disproportionate measures, contribute to the introduction of additional barriers and lead to greater fragmentation within the single market;

Amendment 15 #

Jérémy DECERLE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses~~, however,~~ that the strategy ~~should not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation~~will have to maintain, as well as allow the creation of new opportunities for all European products within the single market;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the dynamism and resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses, however, that the strategy should not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation within the single market;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of enhancing the resilience of regional and local food systems, as well as of short supply chains, as set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy; stresses~~, however, that the strategy should not lead to additional barriers and greater fragmentation within the single market~~ that public procurement should encourage organic, seasonal and local food production;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Draws attention to the increasing consumer interest in a broader range of regional foods, which takes in matters linked to animal welfare and environmental and social sustainability, and to the related efforts to circumvent barriers to international trade, which at times of crisis pose a threat to the survival of many farms;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the recent increase in national labelling requirements for food and drink products; underlines that these requirements must be justified and proportional, ~~and should~~in order not to penalise certain categories of product, not to create obstacles to the smooth movement of food products across the EU and to ensure that the information provided to consumers remains clear, transparent and understandable to everyone;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Underlines that the food and drink industry is the EU’s biggest manufacturing sector, employing more than 4.82 million people and adding EUR 266 billion in value; highlights the importance of a smoothly functioning single market in unlocking the full potential of the EU agri- food sector, stimulating greater competitiveness, growth and the creation of jobs; points out that tariff barriers directly affect prices and generate major imbalances in farmers’ incomes;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the recent increase in national labelling requirements for food and drink products; points out that the different labelling in some Member States misleads consumers, and calls for food labelling standards to be maintained; underlines that these requirements must be justified and proportional, and should not create obstacles to the smooth movement of food products across the EU;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes with concern the recent increase in national labelling requirements for food and drink products; underlines that these requirements must be justified and proportional, and should not create obstacles to the smooth movement of food products across the EU; stresses in this regard that a single European approach to labelling could remove barriers to the functioning of the single market;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the recent increase in national labelling requirements for food and drink products due to consumers’ broad interest in food and its health, environmental, social and animal welfare impacts; underlines that these requirements must be ~~justified~~traceable and proportional, ~~and~~ should ~~not create obstacles to the~~be easy to comprehend for consumer and enable a smooth movement of food products across the EU;

Amendment 23 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Marc TARABELLA, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the recent increase in national labelling requirements for food and drink products; underlines that these requirements must be justified ~~and~~, proportional and in line with EU harmonized food and drink regulatory framework, especially with regard to safety issues, and should not create obstacles to the smooth movement of food products across the EU;

Amendment 24 #

Álvaro AMARO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the recent increase in national labelling requirements for food and drink products; underlines that these requirements must be justified and proportional, and should not create obstacles to the smooth movement of food products across the EU; stresses the need to ensure that the single market system is as harmonised as possible;

Amendment 25 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Ivo HRISTOV, Marc TARABELLA, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Highlights the importance of improving transparency in the EU Single Market, and of better traceability of all production and distribution processes in accordance with the right of European consumers to have more information on the origin and production methods of the foodstuffs they consume; notes that an appropriate EU mandatory labelling on the origin of food products have the potential to significantly increase transparency and traceability, as well as avoid disruptions of the internal market;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses that a proliferation of national limitations on the use of certain substances could hamper the free circulation of food and drinks across the Union; encourages in this regard the Member States to favour a common European, evidence-based and proportional approach to unilateral national measures;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the need for the EU and Member States to work together to identify where increased direct shipping routes between island EU Member states, or territories, and Member States on the mainland may be advantageous, in particular in the context of Brexit;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Notes with concern the increasing number of different national product specification recognition rules, indirectly or directly leading to the shielding of the national market, in particular as regards public tenders for collective meals such as meals for schools, hospitals or canteens; stresses that these practices hamper the proper functioning of the European single market; calls therefore on the Commission to be more vigilant about these indirect protectionist measures and to act quickly when they are reported;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Notes that direct shipping routes from the North of Ireland jurisdiction to mainland Europe could be helpful in ensuring the full implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement (Irish Protocol), as trade in this context is equivalent to intra-union trade;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Underlines that the food and drink industry is the EU’s biggest manufacturing sector, employing more than 4.82 million people and adding EUR 266 billion in value; highlights the importance of a smoothly functioning single market ~~in unlocking~~, so that all EU operators can benefit from it to the full and the full potential of the EU agri- food sector can be unlocked, stimulating greater competitiveness, growth and the creation of jobs;

Amendment 30 #

4 c. Highlights the need to focus investment on infrastructure, which would facilitate greater trade within the union, such as roads or improved lairage facilities, for capacity and animal welfare conditions, at ports that are used to transport live animals between Member States;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Recalls the need to strengthen rail links on the island of Ireland between the two jurisdictions, as the North of Ireland, by applying the Irish protocol, effectively is an end destination of intra EU trade;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Recalls the importance of ensuring that COVID entry bans imposed on third countries do not affect the flow of goods from one Member State to another, in a situation where a third country is utilised in the transit route;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4 f. Notes the importance of working with third countries that are commonly used as a transit route between Member States, to ensure EU freight passes without hindrance;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 g (new)

4 g. Notes that the pandemic has led to additional trading disruption for EU countries, or territories, not connected to mainland Europe, therefore solutions to avoid this in future must be investigated;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 h (new)

4 h. Recalls that the disjointed process of testing between Member States, for transiting truck drivers, led to significant delays at borders during the pandemic;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 i (new)

4 i. Recalls the important role played by green lanes during the pandemic, in maintaining the smooth transport of food and medical equipment between EU Member States;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 j (new)

4 j. Highlights the post Brexit difficulties faced by hauliers, using the British land-bridge, who are not permitted to complete transit procedures electronically, forcing them, on re-entry to the EU, to attempt to visit an infrequently open transit office, thereby causing significant delay to delivery times;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 k (new)

4 k. Calls for the removal of the requirement by some Member States that EU hauliers using the British land-bridge pre-notify consignments of food, using the TRACES system, the fact other destination Member States do not require TRACES pre-notification illustrates it is not necessary;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 l (new)

4 l. Calls on the Commission to ensure the TRACES NT export certification module is ready for use by September 2021, as failure to do this will lead to additional administration, costs and confusion for intra-union trade exporters;

Amendment 4 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Pina PICIERNO, Marc TARABELLA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that the proper functioning of the single market is key to safeguarding agri-food supplies across the EU and is the best tool to ensure recovery for all; notes that in some Member States the COVID-19 pandemic has led to certain types of local restrictions; recalls that national measures ~~can~~must support and not undermine the fundamental principles of the single market, and points out that at times of crisis a food production system geared to international markets is much more vulnerable than one with a local or regional focus;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it unacceptable that ~~quality differences exist between~~differences, which are not due to legitimate factors such as consumers preferences, the place of manufacturing, specific local requirements, differences in technologies or in sourcing of raw materials, exist in the quality of food products which are advertised and distributed in the single market under the same brand name and with the same packaging; welcomes the Commission’s incentives to address the issue of dual food quality ~~in the single market~~and calls for the implementation of all the necessary measures in order to avoid any obastacle to the functioning of the European single market, taking into due account the existing differences in market conditions, purchasing powers and fiscal regimes among Member States.

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it unacceptable that quality differences exist between food products which are advertised and distributed in the single market under the same brand name and with the same packaging~~; welcomes the Commission’s incentives to address the issue of dual food quality in the single market~~, since all European consumers enjoy the same rights, and calls on the Commission and Member States to step up action and cooperation to counteract such practices; welcomes the Commission’s incentives to address the issue of dual food quality in the single market; stresses the importance of applying existing food and consumer protection legislation with a view to identifying and eliminating double standards.

Amendment 42 #

Jérémy DECERLE, Hilde VAUTMANS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it unacceptable that quality differences exist between food products which are advertised and distributed in the single market under the same brand name and with the same packaging; welcomes the Commission’s incentives to address the issue of dual food quality in the single market.; encourages the Member States to implement the updated Unfair Commercial Practice Directive, which prohibits unjustified significant different composition or characteristics of food products that are identically marketed in different Member States, timely and correctly into national law;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 44 #

Tonino PICULA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it unacceptable that quality differences exist between food products which are advertised and distributed in the single market under the same brand name and with the same packaging; welcomes the ~~Commission’s incentives to~~adoption of Directive (EU) 2019/2161 and the Commission’s incentives and supports the Joint Research Center's work and findings, which all aim at addressing the issue of dual food quality in the single market.;

Amendment 45 #

Ivo HRISTOV, Juozas OLEKAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it unacceptable that quality differences exist between food products which are advertised and distributed in the single market under the same brand name and with the same packaging; welcomes the ~~Commission’s incentives to~~adoption of Directive (EU) 2019/2161 and the Commission’s incentives and supports the Joint Research Center's work and findings, which all aim at addressing the issue of dual food quality in the single market.;

Amendment 46 #

Bert-Jan RUISSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Highlights that complex EU legislation and its transposition at national level has been identified by the Commission as one of the root causes for barriers on the internal market and distortion of the level playing field; calls on the Commission to strictly apply the ‘one-in, one-out’ principle for future legislative initiatives with the aim of simplification and reducing the administrative burdens.

Amendment 47 #

Veronika VRECIONOVÁ, Mazaly AGUILAR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Calls on the Commission to adjust expenditure in the annual budgets of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021- 2021 so that agricultural subsidies in all Member States are equalised to the same level by 2027, so as not to distort fair competition in the internal market, as the Commission undertook to do in the Accession Treaties for Eastern European countries;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. All measures taken by the EU should be consistent with, and under no circumstances in violation of, the WTO principles".

Amendment 49 #

Veronika VRECIONOVÁ, Mazaly AGUILAR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Legislative measures should primarily aim at the quality and parameters of the final (agricultural) product, rather than at production methods.

Amendment 5 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Ivo HRISTOV, Marc TARABELLA, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that the proper functioning of the single market is key to safeguarding sufficient, affordable and high quality agri-food supplies across the EU and is the best tool to ensure ~~recovery for all~~competitiveness, vibrant rural areas, decent incomes, a fair standard of living and a prompt recovery for the European agricultural community; notes that in some Member States the COVID-19 pandemic has led to certain types of local restrictions; recalls that national measures cannot undermine the fundamental principles of the single market;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Calls on the Commission to withdraw its signature from the EU- MERCOSUR Trade Agreement;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Calls on the Commission not to negotiate trade or other agreements that would allow for increased imports of agricultural commodities and food from third countries into the EU;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of the various pieces of EU legislation on the marketability of Member States' farmers' produce in the single market, in particular with regard to the obstacles to the greater marketability of local production on local markets; calls on the Commission, following this analysis, to submit amendments to the relevant legislation without delay to the European Parliament and the Council for approval;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)

5 e. Calls on the Commission to submit to the European Parliament and the Council a legislative proposal to enable Member States to force retail chains to increase sales of local agricultural production at fair prices;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)

5 f. Calls on the Commission to submit for approval by the European Parliament and the Council a legislative proposal to enable Member States to regulate the margins of retail chains so that farm gate prices guarantee farmers and food processors a reasonable profit, thus enabling them to continue their agricultural production and food processing, and to ensure that consumers pay fair prices for high-quality food of European and, in particular, local origin;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Encourages the EU food and drink industry to continue their efforts to increase their 70% share of purchases and processing of the EU agricultural production; Stresses that the proper functioning of the single market is key to safeguarding agri-food supplies across the EU and is the best tool to ensure recovery for all; notes that in some Member States the COVID-19 pandemic has led to certain types of local restrictions; recalls that national measures cannot undermine the fundamental principles of the single market;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that the proper functioning of the single market is key to safeguarding agri-food supplies across the EU and is the best tool to ensure recovery for all; notes that in some Member States the COVID-19 pandemic has led to certain types of local restrictions; points out that the decline in hotel, restaurant and catering sector activity has had a devastating impact on the food production sector; recalls that national measures cannot undermine the fundamental principles of the single market;

Amendment 8 #

Álvaro AMARO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that the proper functioning of the single market is key to safeguarding agri-food supplies across the EU and is the best tool to ensure recovery for all; notes that ~~in some Member States~~ the COVID- 19 pandemic has led to certain types of restrictions between Member States, and in some Member States, to local restrictions; recalls that national measures cannot undermine the fundamental principles of the single market;

Amendment 9 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that the proper functioning of the single market is key to safeguarding agri-food supplies and security across the EU and is the best tool to ensure recovery for all; notes that in some Member States the COVID-19 pandemic has led to certain types of local restrictions; recalls that national measures cannot undermine the fundamental principles of the single market;

source: 692.687

2021/09/08 IMCO 218 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)

— having regard to Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union,

Amendment 10 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas sustainable development and high levels of social and environmental standards are prerequisites for a form of productivity compatible with the Sustainable Development Gaols and the target of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d b (new)

d b) difficulties in resolving commercial and administrative disputes in a timely manner;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes, that concrete examples of above mentioned barriers have been already reported by EU companies functioning on the internal market;these include e.g. - requirements to register a company in a trade and companies’ register of a host Member State imposed on a foreign service provider that only temporarily sends workers to the territory of the host Member State and has no infrastructure there from which it would carry out activities in a habitual, stable and continuous manner;or - checks in advance and additional administrative obligation required by Member States in respect of the posting of workers who are nationals of a non- Member State (when less restrictive yet equally effective measures are available, as confirmed by the case law of the Court of Justice, e.g. in C-244/04);

Amendment 102 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses that the most effective way to reduce fragmentation of the single market and to avoid gold-plating is to aim for further harmonisation in the single market; stresses that this harmonisation should not lead, however, to more regulatory burden for companies;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Emphasises that ~~the~~ NTBs ~~severel~~may impact, inter alia, the services sector and thereby other segments of the economy underpinned by the services sector, while recognising the need to enhance monitoring, transparency and accountability all along the supply and value chains; highlights that in its report, the Commission was able to identify 24 specific restrictions across 13 sectors , including some which bare~~ach rules established by the Services Directive, including some which are discriminatory or are requirements on establishment or nationality4;~~ discriminatory or are requirements on establishment or nationality4; acknowledges that the report shows an overall decrease in the level of barriers in almost all the sectors assessed; stresses that 'the objective of the exercise was to document the presence or absence of restrictions. The assessment of proportionality of restrictions was outside of the scope of the exercise and the exercise did not assess whether the relevant restriction was justified or proportionate.'4 a _________________ 4 Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Mapping and assessment of legal and administrative barriers in the services sector, summary report, Brussels, April 2021. 4a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/6d8d8858-a756-11eb- 9585-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Amendment 104 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Emphasises that the NTBs severely impact the services sector and thereby other segments of the economy underpinned by the services sector; highlights that in its report, the Commission was able to identify 24 specific restrictions across 13 sectors which breach rules established by the Services Directive, including some which are discriminatory or are requirements on establishment or nationality4 ; whereas a focus solely on restriction neglects the necessity to ensure a good quality of services striving for sustainable and inclusive growth guaranteeing social rights, workers’ rights, consumer and environmental protection and access to health and safety; _________________ 4 Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Mapping and assessment of legal and administrative barriers in the services sector, summary report, Brussels, April 2021.

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Emphasises that the NTBs ~~severely~~may also impact the services sector and thereby other segments of the economy underpinned by the services sector; highlights that in its report, the Commission ~~was able to~~claims to have identifyied 24 specific restrictions across 13 sectors ~~which breach rules established by the Services Directive, including some which are discriminatory or are requirements on establishment or nationality~~4 ; _________________ 4 Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Mapping and assessment of legal and administrative barriers in the services sector, summary report, Brussels, April 2021.

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Points out that public services enjoy special protection in respect of the internal market rules because of the general interest role they fulfil and that, therefore, the rules set by the public authorities for their proper operation do not constitute non-tariff barriers; points out, in this regard, that social services and health services fall outside the scope of the Services Directive;

Amendment 107 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Emphasises that according to the Commission mapping the reduction of barriers in the different services sectors has been minimal after the implementation of the Services Directive in 2006 until 2017 and that for the retail sector the mapped barriers even increased between 2011 and 2017, thereby eliminating progress made;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Regrets that some of the identified restrictions under the Services Directive come as a result of the legal uncertainty it has triggered since its entry into force with regard to its scope, in particular for SMEs in the tourism sector;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Calls upon the Commission and the Member States to increase their efforts to remove barriers to retail and expeditiously act when new barriers are identified; calls upon the Commission to prepare guidance on the proportionality of retail authorisation procedures to increase legal certainty and predictability for retail and review the 2018 communication ‘A European retail sector fit for the 21st century’ by mid-2022;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas the Commission has not yet carried out a comprehensive assessment of the non-tariff barriers to the single market, especially in the agri- food sector, that could be used as an impetus to tackle these barriers;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recalls that a considerable number of problems with the cross-border provision of services stem from administrative practices introduced by the country of destination, and not from incompatibility with EU law; calls on the Commission to continue developing guidelines addressing underperforming legislation and scrutinise actions of the Member States administration; points out the lack of harmonised interpretation of EU law by Member States such as the recently revised Posting of Workers Directive 2018/957/EU, which leads to lack of legal clarity and bureaucratic burdens for companies providing services in various Member States; calls on the Commission to support Member States in the transposition process to guarantee a more harmonised approach;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recalls that a considerable number of ~~problem~~challenges with the cross-border provision of services stem from a lack of information and support in relation to administrative practices introduced by the country of destination~~, and not from incompatibility with EU law~~ with a view to ensure the effective monitoring of compliance with and enforcement of applicable rights and obligations;

Amendment 113 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recalls that a considerable number of problems with the cross-border provision of services stem from administrative practices introduced by the country of destination, and not from incompatibility with EU law, and that it is therefore necessary to dispense with unwarranted and needless administrative practices so as to facilitate the provision of services and the accessibility of businesses throughout the internal market;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recalls that a considerable number of problems with the cross-border provision of services stem from administrative practices ~~introduced by the country of destination~~and linguistic barriers of the different Member States, and not from incompatibility with EU law;

Amendment 115 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Recognises the insufficient use of the notification procedure under the Services Directive~~; calls on the Commission to reflect~~ because still most Member States do not notify or do not notify everything they should; highlights that this undermines the Commission’s ability to ensure new services laws are compliant with the Services Directive; calls upon the Member States to fulfil their notification obligations under the Services Directive; calls on the Commission to bring forward an action plan by mid-2022 on improving thise current framework, possibly by means of a new initiative which would increase clarity and transparency on the measures that need to be notified, while remaining cautious in order to not undermine the Services Directive and avoiding the situation which led to the withdrawal of the previous proposal;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Recognises the insufficient use of the notification procedure under the Services Directive; calls on the Commission to reflect on improving this framework, possibly by means of a new initiative which would increase clarity and transparency on the measures that need to be notified, while remaining cautious in order to not undermine the Services Directive and avoiding the situation which led to the withdrawal of the previous proposal;

Amendment 117 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Recognises the insufficient use of the notification procedure under the Services Directive; calls on the Commission to reflect on improving this framework, possibly by means of a new initiative which would increase clarity and transparency on the measures that need to be notified~~, while remaining cautious in order to not undermine the Services Directive and avoiding the situation which led to the withdrawal of the previous proposal~~;

Amendment 118 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Recognises the insufficient use of the notification procedure under the Services Directive; ~~calls on~~notes the Commission ~~to reflect on improving this framework, possibly by means of a new initiative which would increase clarity and transparency on the measures that need to be notified, whil~~'s intention to update the Handbook on implementation of the Services Directive to incorporate aspects arising from the most recent case-law and to provide gre~~maining cautious in order to not undermine the Services Directive and avoiding the situation which led to the withdrawal of the previous proposal~~ater clarity to the relevant national authorities on how to apply this legislation;

Amendment 119 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Re~~cognise~~grets the insufficient use of the notification procedure under the Services Directive and the TRIS notification system (Directive (EU) 2015/1535); calls on Member States to fulfil their notification obligations; calls on the Commission to ~~reflect on~~ improv~~ing~~e this framework, possibly by means of a new initiative which would increase clarity and transparency on the measures that need to be notified, while remaining cautious in order to not undermine the Services Directive and avoiding the situation which led to the withdrawal of the previous proposal;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas any assessment of the barriers to the single market should be based on the experiences and perceptions of businesses and consumers who engage to some degree with the single market every day as well as on the purpose of the existing rules; whereas single market barriers ~~disproportionately~~ affect SMEs and microenterprises, and hinder their cross- border activities;

Amendment 120 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Agrees with the assessment of the European Commission that several provisions of the Hungarian Law of 15 June 2021 on 'Taking more severe action against paedophile offenders and amending certain Acts for the protection of children' are at risk of violating several provisions of EU law, in particular Articles 34 and 56 TFEU, the Audio- Visual Media Services Directive and the e-commerce Directive as well as the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; finds unacceptable any state-sponsored LGBTIQ-phobia, as it paves the ground for political censorship and highlights that such provisions also prevent consumers from benefitting from the achievements of the single market, therefore, must be considered also as a non-tariff barrier as it prevents goods producers and service providers from delivering the same goods and services equally to all EU customers;

Amendment 122 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Stresses that barriers also derive from limited national administration capabilities to provide services in other languages, and from shortages of skills and infrastructure; calls on Member States to ensure that information and documents relating to market access are not only available in the official language of the Member State but also in English and other EU languages;

Amendment 123 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. ~~Stresses that barr~~Takes note of the assessment of the Commission that cross-border activitiers ~~also derive from~~might be reduced due to limited national administration capabilities to provide services in other languages, and from shortages of ~~skills~~relevant training and infrastructure;

Amendment 124 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Stresses that barriers may also derive from limited national administration capabilities to provide services in other languages, ~~and from shortages of skills and infrastructure~~in addition to the language required by the Member State of destination;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Underlines that provisions aimed at safeguarding consumers safety, working conditions and the environment as well as preserving the regional cultural heritage shall not be considered as barriers to the free movement of goods and services;

Amendment 126 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to adopt handy, concise, and ready-to-use tools for national authorities to address incorrect practices and violations and enforce the internal market rules;

Amendment 127 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the significant improvements to the free movement of goods in recent years thanks to regulations such as Regulation (EU) 2018/302 (‘Geo- blocking Regulation), Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (‘Regulation on market surveillance and compliance of products’), and most importantly thanks to Regulation (EU) 2019/515 (‘Regulation on mutual recognition of goods’);~~; believes that thorough application of the principle of mutual recognition would efficiently advance the agenda of the single market, especially in the areas where difficulties remain~~ recalls that the principle of mutual recognition applies only to non-harmonised goods and stresses the importance of top-down harmonisation in order to ensure a high level of product safety and consumer protection; believes that thorough application of the principle of mutual recognition and the instruments recently defined by Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 would benefit the economic operators concerned while preserving the ability of national authorities to act in the public interest; stresses in this connection that the Commission published guidelines on application thereof in March 2021 in order to raise awareness of the tools available to businesses and competent authorities;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Underlines the existence of the anti-competitive effect of persistent territorial supply constraints (TSCs) which can materialise through different practices such as refusing to supply or threatening to stop supplying a particular distributor, limiting the quantities available for sale, inexplicable differences in product ranges and prices between Member States, or limiting language options for product packaging; underlines that TSCs are hampering the development of the single market and its potential benefits to consumers; calls on the Commission to come forth with adequate measures to eliminate TSCs and thereby reduce barriers to cross-border trade in view to achieve a fully functioning single market;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Takes the view that the adoption and implementation of Regulation (EU) 2018/302 on geo-blocking has been beneficial for consumers in facilitating cross-border purchases; recalls, however, that certain obstacles persist, particularly in the provision of audiovisual services and content, and that this manifests itself in reduced consumer confidence in cross- border online shopping; calls on the Commission, as part of the evaluation report scheduled for 2022, to remove unjustified and ineffective geo-blocking and to strive to build a harmonised digital single market;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas any assessment of the barriers to the single market should be based, among other things, on the experiences and perceptions of businesses, workers and consumers who engage to some degree with the single market every day; whereas single market barriers ~~disproportionately affect~~also penalise SMEs and microenterprises, and hinder their cross- border activities;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Highlights the existence of discriminatory and anti-competitive practices such as territorial supply constraints, which constitute non-price barriers for companies and have a negative impact on consumers in terms of price and quality; calls on the Commission to take the appropriate measures to remedy this;

Amendment 131 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Brando BENIFEI, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

~~12. Considers that mutual recognition of professional qualification is seriously affected by administrative barriers imposed by Member States;~~deleted

Amendment 132 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Consider~~Regrets that mutual recognition of professional qualification is seriously ~~affe~~restricted by administrative barriers imposed by Member States; underlines that the automatic mutual recognition of diplomas, qualifications, skills and competences between Member States would strengthen the free movement of workers and services and urges Member States to extend mutual recognition to all levels of education and training and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures for that as soon as possible; encourages the Commission to eliminate undue restrictions on professional qualifications and to remain vigilant in pursuing infringement policies where Member States do not comply with EU legislation on the recognition of qualifications;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Considers that mutual recognition of professional qualification is seriously affected by administrative barriers imposed by Member States;~~ Welcomes again the fact that the harmonisation of qualifications through mutual recognition has already been successful in relation to several professions, but still stresses the need to improve the comparability of levels of professional qualifications; recalls the specific status that regulated professions have within the single market and their role in protecting the public interest, but also underlines that this specific status should not be used to maintain unjustified barriers resulting in the fragmentation of the single market;

Amendment 134 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that mutual recognition of professional qualification is seriously affected by administrative barriers imposed by Member States; calls on the Commission and the Member States to better identify gold-plating and other obstacles and either remove such measures or launch infringement, where EU legislation is violated; recalls that any delay in recognising a qualification hinders a European citizen in exercising their profession;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that mutual recognition of professional qualification is seriously affected by administrative barriers imposed by Member States; observes in this regard that the Commission is not reacting to unfair competition, both offline and online, which affects those sectors where Member States do not impose harmonised standards;

Amendment 136 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Considers that mutual recognition of p~~Recalls that the Professional qQualification ~~is seriously affected by administrative barriers imposed by Member States~~s Directive is built on the principle of equal treatment and the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Considers that~~Stresses the existence of obstacles to mutual recognition of professional qualification ~~is seriously affected by administrative barriers~~s and other requirements to access a regulated profession imposed by some Member States;

Amendment 138 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

12 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to continuously increase awareness among businesses which might lack knowledge on mutual recognition and other relevant rules facilitating cross- border operations;

Amendment 139 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is concerned by the insufficient access to information on mobility of services, as well as by the burdensome procedures in certain Member States to obtain essential documents such as the A1 form; calls on Member States to commit to providing the A1 form at short notice and, where possible, digitally; underlines that access to information, such as on domestic collective agreements where universally applicable and relevant, is obligatory under Directive 2014/67/EC and should be improved to facilitate compliance for businesses, this information should be available via the single digital gateway; calls on Member States to avoid creating disproportionate burdens for companies in the implementation of posting legislation and on the Commission to further harmonise existing rules;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas any assessment of the barriers to the single market should be based on the experiences and perceptions of businesses and consumers who ~~engage to some degree with~~operate on the single market every day; whereas existing single market barriers disproportionately affect SMEs and microenterprises, and hinder their cross- border activities;

Amendment 140 #

Marion WALSMANN, Maria da Graça CARVALHO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Is concerned by~~Deplores the insufficient access to information on ~~mobility of services, as well as by the burdensom~~the conditions for providing services in a country and the applicable obligations and rules; calls for the procedures tofor obtaining essential documents such as the A1 form to be simplified as much as possible, particularly as part of a strategy for the digitisation of administrative procedures; underlines that access to information, such as on domestic collective agreements ~~where applicable and relevant,~~and other conventions applicable in the country of origin should be improved to facilitate compliance for businesses;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is concerned by the insufficient access to information on mobility of services, as well as by the burdensome procedures to obtain essential documents such as the A1 form; underlines that access to information, such as on domestic collective agreements where applicable and relevant, should be improved to facilitate compliance for businesses; and urges the Commission to stick to its plan to introduce a digital form for the declaration of the posting of workers in Q 1/2022 as outlines in its Update of the 2020 New Industrial Strategy by establishing a simple, user-friendly and interoperable digital form, that suits the needs of European companies and in particular SMEs;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is concerned by the insufficient access to information on mobility of services on the single official national websites, as well as by the burdensome procedures to obtain essential documents such as the A1 form; underlines that access to information, such as on domestic collective agreements where applicable and relevant, should be improved to facilitate compliance for businesses; calls on the European Commission and the European Labour Authority to take appropriate steps in order to improve access to information and to come up with a single template for single official national websites;

Amendment 143 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is concerned by the insufficient access to information on labour mobility of services, as well as by the ~~burdensome~~ procedures to obtain essential documents such as the A1 form; underlines that access to information, such as on minimum wages and domestic collective agreements where applicable and relevant, should be improved to facilitate information for workers and compliance for businesses;

Amendment 145 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Recalls that access to information is essential and must be made as easy as possible for users; takes the view that the measures taken to improve access to information on applicable rules and obligations for businesses as part of the 'Goods Package' are a welcome development in facilitating cross-border trade while maintaining a high level of consumer protection; calls for sufficient resources to be allocated for the establishment of 'one-stop shops';

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Manifests deep concern with an increasing number of uncoordinated urban vehicle access regulations applied to both private and commercial vehicles, which hamper the freedom of movement and basic principles of internal market; asks the Commission to access and act on this unjustified limitation to the internal market notwithstanding the environmental value that may underlie the measures;

Amendment 147 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Calls on the relevant EU and national authorities to take appropriate steps aimed at developing a single template for official national websites and to make them compatible with the Single Digital Gateway so as to improve access to relevant information among Member States;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. New Title : Digitalization and Use of AI

Amendment 149 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)

13 c. Believes that digitalisation and emerging technologies such as AI can contribute to achieving the objectives of the EU and deepen the internal market; stresses that, if such technologies are used correctly, they can be positive and transformative and address many challenges to eliminate the single market obstacles;

Amendment 15 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas protecting and promoting social, labour and trade union rights, including collective bargaining, fair wages and good working conditions, are an integral part of building a well- functioning, fair, inclusive and sustainable single market that delivers quality goods and services; whereas economic freedoms to provide goods and services should not prevail over or undermine fundamental rights, including social, labour and trade union rights;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)

13 d. Welcomes the DSA and DMA regulation proposals and asks for the European Commission and Member States to adopt frameworks which are coherent with the other policies of the internal market and the EU; considers that it is of outmost importance for companies and specially SMEs and consumers to have a clear, harmonized and robust set of rules;

Amendment 151 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)

13 e. Underlines the importance of a fully functioning digital single market that benefits consumers and enterprises and asks for SMEs to be supported in order to face the obstacles and struggles in their digital transformation;

Amendment 152 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recognises that numerous barriers stem from the limited capacity of administrations to deliver high quality services in cross-border settings; calls on the Commission to promote the use of digital tools and urges Member States to commit fully to the digitalisation of public services; believes that digitalisation of public services and fully-fledged eGovernment capabilities remain essential to eradicate some of the onerous NTBs; recalls, in this regard, that the key provisions of the single digital gateway had to be in force in all EU Member States by 12 December 2020; underlines the importance of the ‘digital-by-default’ and ‘once only’ principles, which will save citizens and businesses time and money, in particular if used more widely; welcomes the proposal to add a single market obstacles tool to the single digital gateway;

Amendment 153 #

Marion WALSMANN, Maria da Graça CARVALHO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recognises that numerous barriers stem from the limited capacity of administrations to deliver high quality services in cross-border settings; believes that digitalisation of public services and fully-fledged eGovernment capabilities remain essential to eradicate some of the onerous NTBbelieves that digitisation of public services and fully-fledged eGovernment capabilities remain essential to eradicate certain onerous NTBs; stresses the importance of developing and using interoperable and open- source eGovernment tools with a view to fostering the development of internationally compatible eGovernment procedures; recalls, in this regard, that the key provisions of the single digital gateway had to be in force in all EU Member States by 12 December 2020; underlines the importance of the ‘once only’ principle, which will save citizens and businesses time and money, in particular if used more widely; welcomes the proposal to add a single market obstacles tool to the single digital gateway;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recognises that numerous barriers stem from the limited capacity of administrations to deliver high quality digital services in cross-border settings; believes that digitalisation of public services and fully-fledged eGovernment capabilities remain essential to eradicate some of the onerous NTBs and therefore to enable the functioning of the single market; recalls, in this regard, that the key provisions of the single digital gateway had to be in force in all EU Member States by 12 December 2020; underlines the importance of the ‘once only’ principle, which will save citizens and businesses time and money, in particular if used more widely; welcomes the proposal to add a single market obstacles tool to the single digital gateway;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Emphasises that due to growing volume of labour and services’ mobility, digitalisation is a must; highlights that digital tools designed for the purpose of mobility of labour and services as well as coordination of social security systems such as digital A1 Portable Document form will improve workers’ protection, reduce administrative burdens and improve cooperation and exchange of information between Member States; supports the creation of the European Social Security Pass as recently announced by the European Commission;

Amendment 156 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Re~~iterates its repeated calls to speed up~~grets that the implementation ~~and broaden~~of the sSingle dDigital gGateway ~~so as to provide to all users ac~~is moving slowly; calls on Member States to dedicate sufficient resourcess to ~~comprehensive information on single market rules and administrative procedures through a one- stop-shop~~swiftly implementing the Single Digital Gateway in an SME-friendly way by providing user-centered information on single market rules and administrative procedures in order to make it a virtual one-stop shop as far as possible; calls on Member States and the Commission to extend the scope of the Single Digital Gateway to all business relevant administrative procedures;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Welcomes the Commission's plan to establish a single European information entry point for control authorities on non-food products;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Highlights that more and more Member States implement rules which discriminate against food products, from other EU Member States, or exert political pressure on market players to source more domestically; highlights that this undermines the functioning of the single market and in the end may deprive all domestic producers of accessing other Member States’ markets; calls on the Commission to ensure that the single market truly is one European market by using all instruments at its disposal;

Amendment 159 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. ~~Welcomes the Commission proposal to make SOLVIT the default tool for single market dispute resolution;~~ Highlights the potential of making SOLVIT the default tool for single market dispute resolution; notes that despite awareness-raising activities by the Commission and Member States, SOLVIT is still unknown to many citizens and businesses; stresses that further measures should be taken by the Commission and Member States to increase its profile; notes that SOLVIT is based on recommendation rather than law and cannot make legally binding decisions; underlines that substantial improvements can be made to SOLVIT’s operations; regrets that some Member States fail to ensure adequate and stable staffing, continuity of service and an adequate level of knowledge of EU law in their SOLVIT centres as requested by the Commission in its Communication COM(2017) 255 final; notes that before giving SOLVIT more responsibilities, it must be ensured that Member States allocate sufficient resources to it;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas many barriers affecting the single market derive from incorrect or incomplete application of EU legislation, lack of harmonised transposition of EU law into national legal frameworks or lack of appropriate EU law measures aimed at tackling the existing barriers;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. ~~Welcomes the Commission proposal to make SOLVIT the default tool for single market dispute resolution~~Highlights that SOLVIT has a high potential to become the main informal problem solving tool for businesses and consumers in cases of misapplication of EU law; welcomes the Commission proposal to make SOLVIT the default tool for single market dispute resolution; notes that still many SOLVIT centres are understaffed, lack resources, skills and knowledge; calls upon the Commission and Member States to ensure SOLVIT centres have adequate resources to operate;

Amendment 161 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the Commission proposal to make SOLVIT the default tool for single market dispute resolution; takes the view that this requires greater awareness-raising of the existence of these dispute-resolution instruments;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Regrets that despite the investment taken in SOLVIT, the lack of visibility and confidence of companies in the SOLVIT network in solving their problems is quite high; invites the Commission to revisit the SOLVIT network system and its adaptability to future challenges for the internal market;

Amendment 163 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Stresses that the international road haulage sector is subject to a number of NTBs restricting access to national markets, which limit its competitiveness, discriminate against transport companies from certain Member States and increase emissions; calls on the Commission ~~and Member States to abolish unnecessary restrictions on cabotage, and calls for the open~~to boost the realisation of the ongoing projects in the Alpine (EUSALP) macro- region, such as the Brenner tunnel; calls on the Member States not to apply, and to remove, if already in place, any additional restrictions or limitations on road haulage transport within the affected regions, during of the ~~freight and passenger transport services sector within the EU~~transitional period or afterwards due to consequences of increased freight traffic and transit;

Amendment 165 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Stresse~~Recalls that the international road haulage sector is subject to ~~a number of~~ NTBs restricting access to national markets, which limit its competitiveness, discriminate against transport companies from certain Member States and increase emissions; calls on Commission and Member States to abolish unnecessary restrictions on cabotage, and calls for the opening of the freight and passenger transport services sector within the EU;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 167 #

Claudia GAMON, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 168 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Cătălin Sorin IVAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Draws attention to the fact that, despite clear interpretation from the Commission, some Member States impose on drivers a requirement to present during road control proof attesting to the drivers’ activities away from the vehicle including a situation of taking a regular weekly rest outside the vehicle; recalls that this practice is in clear breach of Article 34(3) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Highlights the importance of harmonization of standards (hENs) for the internal market and stresses the importance of incorporating in a deeper way stakeholders and businesses in order to avoid unnecessary burdens to EU single market access;

Amendment 17 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas many barriers affecting the single market derive from incorrect or incomplete application of EU legislation; whereas the effective implementation of existing EU legislation and abolition of barriers depends on both the Commission and Member States;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17 b. Draws attention to linguistic requirements being introduced in case of oversize transport which also constitute a barrier to the free movement of services; highlights that it is required from drivers to be able to speak the language of the host Member State in order for authorisation to be granted to carry extra- long, extra-wide or extremely heavy loads;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17 c. Draws attention to the fact that the transposition of Directive 2020/10571a laying down specific rules with respect to Directive96/71/EC and Directive 2014/67/EU for posting drivers in the road transport sector and amending Directive 2006/22/EC as regards enforcement requirements and Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 may result in a number of different rules applicable in Member States; welcomes the fact, that in order to secure harmonised interpretation of posting rules in transport the Commission has created an Expert Group on the Posting of Drivers; underlines that in such a highly mobile sector as transport quick and easy access to information is key; therefore calls on the Commission to make sure that information concerning employment conditions in the transport sector will be published on time on single official national websites; _________________ 1aDirective 2020/1057 laying down specific rules with respect to Directive 96/71/EC and Directive 2014/67/EU for posting drivers in the road transport sector and amending Directive 2006/22/EC as regards enforcement requirements and Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012

Amendment 172 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Welcomes in principle the Single Market Enforcement Taskforce (SMET), which aims to assess compliance of national law with single market rules and to prioritise the most pressing barriers; points out that the SMET should not just identify problems, but also provide solutions; calls on Commission and Member States to ensure the inclusion of stakeholders in the workings of SMET;

Amendment 173 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Welcomes in principle the Single Market Enforcement Taskforce (SMET), which aims to assess compliance of national law with single market rules and to prioritise the most pressing barriers, address unjustified gold plating and discuss horizontal enforcement issues; points out that the SMET should not just identify problems, but also provide solutions;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 175 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that so far the Commission’s plan to step up enforcement of EU law by means of the SMET has only delivered limited results; ~~calls on the Commission to present in due time concrete outcomes of the work of SMET, including information on barriers that have been abolished as a result of its actions~~regrets that SMET lacks transparency in its ways of work; calls on Commission and Member States to ensure that SMET publishes lists of participants, agendas and minutes of its meetings on the Commission website; notes that the Commission in its “long term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of single market rules” (COM(2020) 94 final) stated that “the SMET will regularly inform the Competitiveness Council and the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee”; urges on the Commission to present concrete outcomes of the work of SMET, including information on barriers that have been abolished as a result of its actions, by the end of 2021; calls on Commission and Member States to publish an annual report about the workings of SMET and deliver it to the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Competitiveness Council;

Amendment 176 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that so far the Commission’s plan to step up enforcement of EU law by means of the SMET, which met for the first time in April 2020, has only delivered limited results; calls on the Commission to enhance SMET's transparency and to present in due time concrete outcomes of the work of SMET, including information on barriers that have been abolished as a result of its actions; stresses that SMET's work cannot have a purely businesses-based perspective, but must be supplemented by approaches grounded in social and environmental sustainability so as to ensure a holistic understanding of the proper functioning of the internal market;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that so far the Commission’s plan to step up enforcement of EU law by means of the SMET has only delivered limited results; calls on the Commission to improve the transparency of the SMET and present in due time concrete outcomes of the work of SMET~~, including information on barriers that have been abolished as a result of its actions~~;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that so far the Commission’s plan to step up enforcement of EU law by means of the SMET has only delivered limited results; calls on the Commission to present ~~in due time~~by the end of 2022 concrete outcomes of the work of SMET, including information on barriers that have been abolished as a result of its actions;

Amendment 179 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Brando BENIFEI, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

~~20. Calls on the Commission to present an annual report on NTBs and establish an open and transparent database compiling specific national NTBs together with ongoing infringement procedures;~~deleted

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas many barriers affecting the single market derive from incorrect or incomplete application of EU legislation or from unilateral political decisions with direct or indirect impact on intra-EU movement of goods and services taken by Member States;

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on the Commission to present an annual report on NTBs and establish an open and transparent database compiling specific national NTBs together with ongoing infringement procedures; believes that there is a need for a tool allowing for anonymous contributions so as to provide protections for those raising concerns;

Amendment 181 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on the Commission to present a~~n annual report~~ regular report at least every two years on NTBs and establish an open and transparent database compiling specific national NTBs together with ongoing infringement procedures;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on the Commission to present an annual report on NTBs and ~~establish an ope~~to expand the existing Single Market Scoreboard in and transparent ~~database compiling specific national NTBs together with ongoing infringement procedures~~manner, to list the infringement procedures and the national regulations suspected to contravene EU law;

Amendment 183 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on the Commission to present a~~n annual~~ periodic report on NTBs and establish an open and transparent database compiling specific national NTBs together with ongoing infringement procedures;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 185 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consistently, speedily and rigorously assess whether national rules hinder the internal market, and where they do, to assess if they are necessary, proportional and justified; notes that especially regarding national product and services rules proper impact assessments and well-explained justifications are missing; calls on the Commission to make quick decisions on complaints to ensure that relevant issues from an end-user perspective are promptly handled and efficiently settled;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consistently, speedily and rigorously assess whether national rules hinder the internal market, and where they do, to assess if they are necessary, proportional and justified; recalls that economic freedoms cannot be put on an equal footing with fundamental rights, but rather represent just one of many factors to consider in this assessment;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consistently, speedily and rigorously assess whether national rules ~~hinder the internal market, and where they do, to assess if they are necessary, proportional and justified~~are necessary, proportionate and justified, as stipulated by Directive (EU) 2015/1535 on the provision of information on technical regulations and Directive (EU) 2018/958 on access to regulated professions;

Amendment 188 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consistently, speedily and rigorously assess whether national rules hinder the internal market, and where they do, to assess if they are necessary, proportional and justified; where these rules are shown to be unnecessary, the Commission should encourage Member States to dispense with them;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consistently, speedily and rigorously assess whether EU and national rules hinder the internal market, and where they do, to assess if they are necessary, proportional and justified;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas many barriers affecting the single market derive from incorrect or incomplete application of EU legislation or from Member States taking national policy measures regardless of their direct or indirect impact on the European single market;

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Considers that while addressing NTBs in the internal market, measures adopted in accordance with legitimate public interest objectives of Member States must be respected in order to ensure a good quality of services striving for sustainable and inclusive growth, guarantee social rights, workers’ rights, consumer and environmental protection and access to health and safety;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Stresses the need for an approachable and accessible contact point for European citizens, businesses and their representatives to raise measures taken by Member States which hinder the European single market; highlights the need for a smooth follow-up of these complaints in order to tackle the unjustified barriers to the single market as soon as possible;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recalls that throughout the regulatory lifecycle, Member States and the Commission must share the responsibility of ensuring that single market rules are complied with and that citizens’ ~~rights are enforced~~, workers' and consumers' rights are enforced; stresses the need for harmonised rules EU-wide on the frequency and quality of checks and other market surveillance activities, particularly in respect of product safety, and for the promotion of tools for the exchange of information between national authorities with a view to strengthening cooperation in this area;

Amendment 193 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recalls that throughout the regulatory lifecycle, Member States and the Commission must share the responsibility of ensuring that single market rules are complied with in line with the Paris Agreement and the European Pillar of Social Rights and that citizens’ rights, are enforced;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Observes that the incorrect enforcement of single market rules comes also as a result of obstacles encountered by Member States in transposing EU legislation on certain production sectors;

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Calls on the Commission to remain the guardian of the European single market and to act timely and appropriately when national measures disrupt the intra-EU movement of goods and services;

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Points to the importance of surveillance, inspection and sanctioning by relevant authorities of economic operators who do not comply with legislation; stresses that not only is it essential to make use of instruments for market surveillance cooperation between national authorities and the Commission, but also to develop new ones to give advance warning of non-compliance problems that jeopardise consumer safety, in particular by providing increased supervision at European level;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Points to the importance of proportionate surveillance, inspection and sanctioning by relevant authorities of economic operators, regardless of the Member State of establishment, who do not comply with legislation;

Amendment 198 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Draws attention to the fact that unjustified, disproportionate and discriminatory control practices applied by Member States, including excessive fines or access to competitive company data, are also a form of barriers in the internal market; notes that European companies are regularly reporting examples of such practices either via SOLVIT, petitions submitted to the PETI Committee or complaints to the European Commission;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Calls on each Member State to ensure that all competent authorities within its jurisdiction have all the minimum powers and necessary budget and staff to ensure the proper application of the internal market acquis;

Amendment 2 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to its resolution of 20 January 2021 on strengthening the single market: the future of free movement of services (2020/2020(INI))1 a, _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/TA-9-2021-0007_EN.html

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas many barriers affecting the single market derive from incorrect or incomplete application of EU legislation or measures taken by Member States to protect their general interests;

Amendment 200 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23 b. Stresses the importance of an increased level of harmonisation that includes effective and efficient enforcement cooperation among the competent authorities in order to detect, to investigate and to order the cessation or prohibition of the infringements;

Amendment 201 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Stresses the importance of monitoring, and therefore welcomes the Single Market Scoreboard as a performance monitoring tool; ~~emphasises the need for a recurring debate on the outcomes of the Scoreboard at the highest political levels, ensuring political commitment to tackling the obstacles identified~~takes the view that this monitoring tool should include qualitative components in addition to quantitative criteria, in other words it should take environmental and social indicators into account; emphasises the need for a recurring debate on the outcomes of the Scoreboard at the highest political levels, ensuring political commitment to tackling the obstacles identified not only from a business perspective, but also with regard to the challenges faced by workers, consumers and citizens, with due account for social and environmental policy considerations;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Stresses the importance of monitoring, and therefore welcomes the Single Market Scoreboard as a performance monitoring tool; emphasises the need for a recurring debate on the outcomes of the Scoreboard at the highest political levels, ensuring political commitment to tackling the obstacles identified, not only from a business perspective, but also with regard to the challenges experienced by workers, consumers and citizens, taking due account of social and environmental policy considerations;

Amendment 203 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Urges Member States to set annual national targets for the eradication of non-tariff and non-tax barriers; recommends the Commission to use the Single Market Scoreboard to rank Member States according to their intra- EU trade openness, as exemplified in the European Innovation Scoreboard, since this would encourage credible, concrete and measurable commitments to remove remaining obstacles in the single market;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Calls on the Commission to make full use of its powers to act against any disproportionate and unjustified national labelling requirements on products that are not in compliance with the free movement of goods’ principles and legislation;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Welcomes capacity building for national public administrations, public procurement professionals, judges and other legal practitioners for which funding is possible under the Reform Support Programme;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Calls on the Commission to further assess allowing and encouraging the use of digital solutions which can help to provide mandatory product or packaging information without the need to increase packaging size or to repackage;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Calls for the European Qualifications Framework to be promoted and its application to be facilitated throughout the European Union, so that it becomes a widely accepted recognition instrument;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recalls that the initial response to the pandemic by Member States and the Commission did not take into account the needs of the single market~~, and~~ since unilateral national measures were taken that restricted the free movement of essential goods, services and people, in particular cross-border workers; recalls the serious impact this has had on the free cross-border movement of goods and services as well as of workers;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recalls that the initial response to the pandemic by Member States and the Commission did not take into account the needs of the single market, and recalls the serious impact this has had on the free cross-border movement of goods and services; believes that further assessment of the pandemic's impact on the single market will be necessary, in order to draw conclusions from the COVID-19 crisis;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~many~~certain barriers affecting the single market derive from incorrect or incomplete application of EU legislation and poor access to the necessary information;

Amendment 210 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Calls on the Member States in the event of worsening of the pandemic situation to fully implement Commission Guidelines concerning the exercise of the free movement of workers during COVID- 19 outbreak and Commission Communication Towards a phased and coordinated approach for restoring freedom of movement and lifting internal border controls in order to allow workers, in particular transport, frontier, posted and seasonal workers, and service providers to cross borders and have unhindered access to their place of work;

Amendment 212 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Welcomes the NextGenerationEU recovery package, the EU guidelines for border management, transport green lanes, the EU Digital COVID Certificate to facilitate free movement, and further measures which aim to allow the single market to operate normally; regrets that some Member States have introduced additional travel restrictions such as quarantine for some holders of the Digital Green Certificate; notes that these restrictions are particularly burdensome for cross-border and posted workers;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Welcomes the NextGenerationEU recovery package, the EU guidelines for border management and free movement, transport green lanes, the EU Digital COVID Certificate to facilitate free movement, and further measures which aim to allow the single market to operate normally; takes the view that the recovery must be paved by sustainable development, fair transition, social inclusion and the creation of quality jobs

Amendment 214 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Marco ZULLO, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26 a. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal to present a Single Market Emergency Instrument; calls on the Commission to develop it as a legally binding structural tool to ensure the free movement of persons, goods and services in case of future crises;

Amendment 215 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Calls on the Commission and Member States to proactively use the lessons learned and to develop a response plan for emergencies and ensure a common response, which should aim to safeguard as far as possible the free movement of services ~~and good~~, goods and persons, particularly cross-border workers;

Amendment 216 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Calls on the Commission and Member States to proactively use the lessons learned and to develop a response plan for emergencies, which should aim to safeguard as far as possible the free movement of services and goods also in crisis situations; recalls the need for prompt notification by Member States of national measures, which are limiting the free movement of goods and services;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 218 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Stresses the urgent need to widen access to digital services and technologies which are essential during emergencies for the smooth functioning of the single market and for access to public services by citizens and businesses through eGovernment solutions; recognises digital exclusion and lack of internet access as some of the most significant non-tariff barriers to the digital transformation of the European single market;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas continuously evolving regulatory intervention at EU level might also adversely affect the single market, creating barriers such as high compliance costs in the business environment, especially for SMEs, and legal uncertainty for individual consumers as well;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas the functioning of the single market is a shared responsibility between the EU and the Member States, where differences in interpretation and application of EU law are inevitable;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas insufficient or incorrect implementation and lack of enforcement or lack of appropriate EU law measures tackling the barriers have damaging consequences both at EU and national level for citizens and businesses;

Amendment 25 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas ~~insufficient or incorrect~~disparities in implementation and ~~lack of~~inadequate enforcement of legislation may have damaging consequences both at EU and national level for citizens and businesses;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas insufficient or incorrect implementation and lack of enforcement have ~~damaging consequence~~negative effects both at EU and national level for citizens and businesses;

Amendment 27 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas fragmentation, restrictive national regulations, red-tape and gold- plating are creating unjustified barriers within the single market which deprive citizens of jobs, consumers of choices, and entrepreneurs of opportunities;

Amendment 28 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

E. whereas the current Commission has not yet come forward with a comprehensive legislative package addressing failures in the exercise of the core freedoms of the single market beyond enforcement, other than digital initiativeselaboration and implementation of internal market legislation must always ensure the proper involvement of social partners and civil society organisations, thereby promoting fair and rules-based markets, where high social and environmental standards, quality goods and services and fair competition constitute paramount considerations; whereas the Commission has prioritised the need for a better enforcement of existing single market legislation next to a number of digital and green initiatives paving the way for the twin-transition; whereas the Parliament and the Council ~~failed to adopt the core initiative~~rejected some of the proposals of the 2016 Services Package;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the current Commission has not yet come forward with a comprehensive legislative package addressing failures in the exercise of the core freedoms of the single market beyond enforcement, other than digital initiatives; ~~whereas Parliament and Council failed to adopt the core initiatives of the 2016 Services Package;~~

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

— having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection on strengthening the single market: The future of free movement of services (2020/2020(INI)),

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the current Commission ~~has not yet come forward with a comp~~is legitimately affording priority to implementing and enforcing rehcen~~sive legislative package~~tly adopted existing legislation addressing failures in the exercise of the core freedoms of the single market ~~beyond enforcement, other than digital initiatives; whereas Parliament and Council failed to adopt the core~~, while also announcing initiatives ofin the ~~2016 Services Package~~digital sector;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas 71 % of SMEs that tried the current mutual recognition system for non-harmonised goods received a market access denial decision, and whereas the recent review of the regulation governing this system aimed to make it easier for companies to apply it by providing a better framework for national decision-making;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has been a shock both to production and consumption, and has reshaped domestic and cross-border activities, impacting workers, companies and consumers alike; whereas some of these effects may be temporary, but others will have lasting consequences on the shape and needs of the single market; whereas the pandemic has demonstrated the advanced level of European integration and the importance of regulation, strong institutions, public services and high social standards; whereas the path to recovery must be paved by sustainable development, fair transitions, social inclusion and the creation of quality jobs

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has been a shock both to production and consumption, and shed light on an exacerbated existing shortcomings in the protection of posted workers and has reshaped domestic and cross-border activities; whereas some of these effects may be temporary, but others will have lasting consequences on the shape and needs of the single market;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has been a shock both to production and consumption, and has reshaped domestic and cross-border activities including the provision of services; whereas some of these effects may be temporary, but others will have lasting consequences on the shape and needs of the single market; whereas the response to the pandemic has speed up a shift to digital services;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas the term non-tariff barriers (NTBs) relates to excessive, unjustified, disproportionate and discriminatory regulatory action; therefore, it should clearly be distinguished from Member States´ justified measures in the name of public interest objectives, such as protection of public policy, public health, public security, consumer protection, combatting the rental housing shortage, and prevention of tax evasion and avoidance;

Amendment 36 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

G a. whereas the Professional Qualifications Directive is a key instrument to ensure the proper functioning of the single market but the lack of automatic recognition instruments for qualifications and skills between Member States is impeding the mobility of professionals and thereby creating unjustified barriers to the freedom of movement;

Amendment 37 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas the number of non-tariff barriers on the internal market is increasing which is confirmed by the increasing number of petitions tabled recently to the PETI Committee of the European Parliament (e.g. petitions 0179/2021, 0940/2020);

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas the EU single market is a never finished project and the rapid speed of societal and technological developments may create new obstacles to the single market hampering its full execution;

Amendment 39 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Brando BENIFEI, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas for the single market framework it is vital to correctly balance economic freedoms, social rights, the interests of consumers, workers and businesses as well as the general interest;

Amendment 4 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission staff working document of 08 September 2020 entitled ‘Evaluation of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation’ (SWD(2020) 172 final),

Amendment 40 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

G b. whereas in the current difficult situation we should think not only about the elimination of Covid-related restrictions but also about elimination of barriers that have remained in the internal market for years, in order to improve and deepen the single market which is one of the ways out of the crisis;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

G b. whereas a clear majority of businesses consider that the single market is not sufficiently integrated;

Amendment 42 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)

G c. whereas fragmentation of rules for cross-border commerce deeply affect business and consumers all over the internal market;

Amendment 43 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)

G d. whereas digitalisation and the use of AI and new technologies have the potential to add significant value to the single market helping to reduce the existing obstacle sand burdens and allow for new business opportunities and the full functioning of the digital single market for the benefit of consumers and enterprises;

Amendment 44 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)

G e. whereas arbitrary public procurement practices and abuses of the exceptions given by the current Public Procurement framework for long term contracts taken during the Covid pandemic highly affected the internal market and posed serious threats to transparency;

Amendment 45 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)

G f. whereas despite the efforts made in the past by multiple programmes and applications, traders still struggle to find information on the rules and procedures for the cross-border provisions of services and the sale of goods;

Amendment 46 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)

G g. whereas barriers in the digital single market still exist and have to be removed in order to realise its full potential; whereas the use of new technologies and AI can be helpful to overcome those barriers; whereas better implementation of existing legislations for the European single market is crucial;

Amendment 47 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Recital G h (new)

G h. whereas the lack of harmonization and insufficient standardisation bring additional cost and reduces safety of products on the single market while decreasing European competitiveness on the international markets;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Single Market Governance Package of March 2020, which aims to improve the implementation and enforcement of European legislation; considers that it is ~~only a par~~an initial answer to the deficiencies hampering the proper functioning of the common market, in particular the achievement of the EU's fundamental objectives in respect of sustainable development and a social market economy, striving for full employment and social progress, as well as a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment, as Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union stipulates;

Amendment 49 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the Single Market Governance Package of March 2020, which aims to improve the implementation and enforcement of European legislation; considers that it is only a partial answer to the deficiencies hampering the proper functioning of the common market, especially regarding the goals of the Paris Agreement and the European Pillar of Social rights;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)

— having regard to the study of July 2020 by the European Commission Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs entitled ‘Territorial supply constraints in the EU retail sector’,

Amendment 50 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Single Market Governance Package of March 2020, which aims to improve the implementation and enforcement of European legislation by mainly presenting an overview of existing and upcoming initiatives; considers that it is only a partial answer to the deficiencies hampering the proper functioning of the common market and that especially initiative to improve the single market for services are lacking;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Single Market Governance Package of March 2020, which aims to improve the implementation and enforcement of European legislation; considers ~~that it is only a partial answer to the~~as well that there are still remaining legislative and law enforcement deficiencies hampering the proper functioning of the ~~common~~single market;

Amendment 52 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Supports the Commission’s Communication on a long term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of single market rules, and especially the proposals to reinforce SOLVIT as a tool for single market dispute resolution, increase the role of the Commission to assist Member States in transposing EU law correctly, fully and on time in order to secure harmonised interpretation and avoid gold-plating, create a single market obstacles tool under the Single Digital Gateway, allow citizens and businesses to report anonymously on regulatory obstacles encountered by them in exercising their internal market rights;

Amendment 53 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Points out that the price for inadequate implementation is paid by both businesses and consumers and encourages the Commission to prioritise adequate enforcement actions;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains the European Union’s greatest achievement; urges the Commission, therefore, to refocus resources at issues plaguing the single market, in particular unjustified non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which continue to limit opportunities for consumers, workers and businesses; acknowledges that stronger monitoring also by the Member States, and increased political emphasis on the single market are likely to be needed to effectively remove such barriers and in order to further deepen the single market integration;

Amendment 55 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains the European Union’s greatest achievement; urges the Commission, therefore, to ~~refocus resources at issues plaguing the single market~~use the dedicated single market resources at its disposal under the Multiannual Financial Framework to strengthen its governance and improve its functioning, in particular with regard to non-tariff barriers, in particular in respect of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which continue to limit opportunities for consumers and businesses;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains ~~the European Union’s~~one of the greatest achievements of the European Union; urges the Commission, therefore, to refocus resources at issues plaguing the single market, in particular unjustified non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which prevent the realisation of the single market's full economic potential and continue to limit opportunities for consumers, workers and businesses;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains the European Union’s greatest achievement; urges the Commission, therefore, to refocus resources at issues plaguing the single market, in particular non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which continue to limit opportunities for consumers and the possibility of running and developing businesses and are liable to create conditions that differ between businesses;

Amendment 58 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains the European Union’s greatest achievement; urges the Commission, therefore, to simplify the application of the current EU regulatory framework as well as refocus resources at issues plaguing the single market, in particular non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which continue to limit opportunities for consumers and businesses;

Amendment 6 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 c (new)

— having regard to the study of February 2018 by the Benelux Union entitled ‘Territorial Supply Constraints in the Retail Trade in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg’,

Amendment 60 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains the European Union’s greatest achievement; urges the Commission, therefore, to refocus resources at issues plaguing the single market, in particular non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which continue to create unnecessary and unfair burdens and limit opportunities for consumers and businesses, especially SMEs;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that the single market remains one of the European Union’s greatest achievement; urges the Commission, therefore, to refocus resources ~~at issues plaguing the single market, in particular non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which continue to limit opportunities for consumers and businesse~~on the proper functioning of the single market and the protection of public policy interests;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Calls on Member States to respect the integrity of the single market by better exchange and coordination of implementation of EU law facilitated by the Commission, to refrain as much as possible from introducing deviating national rules and to seek for solutions at European level; to apply Better Regulation guidelines for introducing national rules, provide proper impact assessments and ensure that all stakeholders have proper access to the decision-making process; and to apply all rules in a justified, proportionate and non-discriminatory manner;

Amendment 63 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Takes the view that that a high level of consumer protection is a fundamental objective which must guide the EU's action in respect of the single market; stresses that abolishing non-tariff barriers does not necessarily lead to better consumer protection;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Regrets that in some cases EU regulations have increased social dumping and unfair competition within the single market instead of reducing them, thereby also discriminating against those companies and Member States that produce with very high social and environmental standards;

Amendment 65 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Underlines that the achievement of the objectives in the Green Deal and European digital agendas is also based on the effective functioning of the single market, which is a key enabler of market efficiency and innovation and one of several tools for modernising European economies; believes, therefore, that the single market’s shortcomings deserve ~~at least~~ the same level of attention as the Green Deal and the European digital agenda; underlines that European policies should also cope with the rules of the single market and must respect principles such as "what is illegal offline should be illegal online"; reaffirms its own commitment to developing and safeguarding a robust, consumer- and business-friendly internal market;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Underlines that the achievement of the objectives in the Green Deal and European digital agendas is based on the effective functioning of the single market, which is a key enabler of market efficiency and innovation and tool for modernising European economies; ~~believes, therefore, that the single market’s shortcomings deserve at least the same level of attention as the Green Deal and the European digital agenda;~~ reaffirms its own commitment to developing and safeguarding a robust, ~~consum~~durable consumer-, worker- and business-friendly internal market;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Underlines that the achievement of the objectives in the Green Deal and European digital agendas is ~~bas~~related ton the effective functioning of the single market, which is a key enabler of ~~market efficiency and~~ innovation and a tool for modernising European economies; believes, therefore, that the single market’s shortcomings deserve at least the same level of attention as the Green Deal and the European digital agenda; reaffirms its own commitment to developing and safeguarding a robust, consumer- and business-friendly internal marketreaffirms its own commitment to developing and safeguarding a robust, consumer-, worker-, business- and environment-friendly internal market supporting a socio-ecological just transition;

Amendment 68 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Regrets that overlooked NTBs undermine~~Stresses that a strong and integrated single market, in which unjustified and discriminatory barriers have been eliminated, is a prerequisite for achieving the EU’s industrial strategy goals, especially reshoring of production and strengthening the resilience of the European economy;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Regrets that ~~overlooked NTBs undermine~~some NTBs might impede upon the EU’s industrial strategy goals, especially reshoring of production and strengthening the resilience of the European economy;

Amendment 7 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to the study of October 2020 by the European Parliament Economic Governance Support Unit entitled ‘Background Reader On The European Semester Autumn 2020 Edition’,

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Deplores that according to an EP study the number of infringement proceedings against Member States in the field of single market has risen between 2017 and 2019, reaching 800 in 2019, its highest level since 2014;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that ~~certain NTB~~non-tariff measures can be justified and originate from multi- level governance; urges the Member States~~, where such NTBs are absolutely essential,~~ to ensure their proportionality and strict alignment with legitimate public policy objectives; considers it therefore necessary to highlight that only unjustified, disproportionate and discriminatory NTBs need to be addressed while clearly acknowledging that Member States may use overriding reasons relating to the public interest for the protection of their domestic market and thus cannot be addressed as NTBs;

Amendment 72 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Acknowledges that certain NTBs can be justified and originate from multi- level governanc~~Recalls that regulations which are useful for achieving a legitimate public policy objective should not be considered as NTBs but as a justified and legitimate means of legislating in the general interest; adds that the objective of abolishing NTBs must not challenge the Member States' right to regulate; urges the Member States, where such ~~NTB~~regulations are absolutely essential, to ensure their proportionality and ~~strict alignment with legitimate public policy objectives;~~ non-discriminatory nature;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that ~~certain~~some non- discriminatory NTBs ~~can~~might be justified ~~and originate from multi- level governance~~; urges the Member States, where such NTBs are absolutely essential, to ensure their proportionality and strict alignment with legitimate public policy objectives such as the protection of workers, consumers, public health, the environment, public services and the general interest;

Amendment 74 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Acknowledges that certain NTBs can be justified and originate from multi- level governance; u~~Urges the Member States, where such NTBs are absolutely essential, to ensure their proportionality and strict alignment with legitimate public policy objectives;

Amendment 75 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Regrets that Member States frequently use overriding reasons of public interest to isolate their domestic markets; highlights that requirements such as unfounded territorial restrictions, unnecessary language requirements and economic needs tests create unjustified barriers within the single market and calls on the Commission to improve the monitoring of Member States in this regard;

Amendment 76 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. States that the prerogative of Member States to regulate certain areas of public interest must remain unaffected, specifically in cases of multilevel governance where regions have implementing powers;

Amendment 77 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Highlights that the rule of law must be upheld under any circumstances and reminds Member States of their legal notification obligations;

Amendment 78 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – introductory part

6. ~~Points out that the Commission and stakeholders have identified a group of key~~While Member States may use overriding reasons relating to the public interest for the protection of their domestic markets, the Commission and stakeholders raise concerns in view of unjustified barriers to cross-border activities, among them:

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – introductory part

6. Points out that the Commission and stakeholders have identified a group of ~~key~~ barriers to cross-border activities, among st othemrs:

Amendment 8 #

Marion WALSMANN, Maria da Graça CARVALHO

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission Communication ‘Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy: Building a stronger single market for Europe's recovery' COM (2021) 350 final,

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – introductory part

6. Points out that the Commission and stakeholders have identified a group of ~~key~~ barriers to cross-border activities, among them:

Amendment 81 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a

(a) unjustified regulatory disparities and in~~consistent~~adequate implementation of EU law, which force companies to commit resources to the laborious process of analysing provisions that are harmonised at EU level, diverting investments away from activities that create jobs or support growth;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a

a) regulatory disparities and inconsistent implementation or enforcement of EU law, which ~~force companies to commit resources to the laborious process of analysing provisions that are harmonised at EU level, diverting investments away from activities that create jobs or support growth~~make cross-border exchanges more complicated;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a

a) unjustified and disproportionate regulatory disparities and inconsistent implementation of EU law, which force companies to commit resources to the laborious process of analysing provisions that are harmonised at EU level, diverting investments away from activities that create jobs or support growth;

Amendment 84 #

Claudia GAMON, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Jordi CAÑAS, Sandro GOZI, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Svenja HAHN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a a (new)

a a) inadequate enforcement of EU legislation as well as long and complex procedures to resolve breaches of EU law, which result in barriers faced by businesses remaining unaddressed;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point b

(b) occasionally burdensome and complex administrative requirements, and inaccessible information and limited lines of communication with public administration, including through points of single contact~~, which also limit the possibilities for new or competing services in new locations that would improve consumer choice;~~

Amendment 86 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Marion WALSMANN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point b

b) burdensome and complex administrative requirements, and inaccessible or non-existent information and limited lines of communication with public administration, including through points of single contact, which also limit the possibilities for new or competing services in new locations that would improve consumer choice;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point b

b) burdensome and complex administrative requirements, insufficient and inaccessible information and limited lines of communication with public administration, including through points of single contact, which also limit the possibilities for new or competing services in new locations that would improve consumer choice;

Amendment 88 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point b

b) burdensome and complex administrative requirements, and inaccessible information and limited lines of communication with public administration~~, including through points of single contact,~~ which also limit the possibilities for new or competing services in new locations that would ~~improve consumer choice~~grant more possible choices for consumer;

Amendment 89 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point b a (new)

b a) Territorial Supply Constraints (TSCs) which are clearly hampering the development of the single market and its potential benefit to consumers;

Amendment 9 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

~~A. whereas trade within the single market accounts for 56 million European jobs and the estimated economic benefits range between 8 and 9 % of EU GDP3 ; _________________ 3~~deleted COM(2020) 94 final.

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point c

~~c) additional technical requirements adopted at the national level and implemented beyond the requirements set by European law (gold-plating);~~deleted

Amendment 91 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point c

~~c) additional technical requirements adopted at the national level and implemented beyond the requirements set by European law (gold-plating);~~deleted

Amendment 92 #

~~c) additional technical requirements adopted at the national level and implemented beyond the requirements set by European law (gold-plating);~~deleted

Amendment 93 #

Marc ANGEL, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Maria GRAPINI, Evelyne GEBHARDT, Alex AGIUS SALIBA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d

(d) a lack of harmonised standards ~~increasing the compliance cost for companies operating cross-border~~, and where these exist, insufficient knowledge on the part of companies of the obligations incumbent upon them;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d

d) a lack of harmonised technical standards increasing the compliance cost for companies operating cross-border;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d a (new)

(d a) restrictions based on geographic location in both digital and non-digital transactions, including business-to- business relationships, which impact consumers and businesses;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d a (new)

d a) a lack of transparency and information and complex procedural requirements which increase difficulties to access cross-border procurement, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);

Amendment 97 #

Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Arba KOKALARI, Ivan ŠTEFANEC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d a (new)

d a) burdensome administrative practices, such as repeated persistent inspections and sanctions disproportionate to the offense, aimed at deterring foreign entrepreneurs;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d a (new)

d a) insufficient rules for cross-border e-commerce;

Amendment 99 #