Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-28-Speech-3-055"
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"en.20040128.5.3-055"2
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"Mr President, first of all, my compliments on the report by Mr Della Vedova: it is a good one. I share his objections to the highly unusual procedure that has been followed here for holding in this House a debate on competition policy. In my opinion, a debate on such an important part of Community law should be carried out through the front rather than the back door.
The Commission has undertaken a substantial revision of competition policy, but unfortunately not all its changes are for the better. As rapporteur on merger control, I have already stated my opinion that it is wrong to force the Commission’s powers of investigation under the Regulation on merger control into line with those pursuant to the Regulations on cartels. Mergers are not punishable in themselves, but the formation of cartels is. I hope that the Commission will yet consider reversing this decision. The Commission’s persistence in shifting from the market dominance test to the ‘substantial lessening of competition’ (SLC) test, too, against Parliament’s advice, is most regrettable.
The market also needs clear competition legislation and a reduction in administrative burdens. Prior impact assessment of new legislation is a very important means to this end. Looking at the impact that the Regulation on distribution is currently having on the motor vehicle sector in the Netherlands, I can see developments towards the dominance of certain parties, particularly the importers. Of course, that was surely not the intention, and this is why prior impact assessments are potentially very important.
I am currently working on a report on institutionalised impact assessments for European legislation, and I am assuming that the Commission will also subject competition legislation to an impact assessment in the future. In view of the imminent enlargement, it is most important for the Commission to examine state aid in the acceding countries and to make it transparent. I have heard reports that, in certain sectors in the acceding countries – the Czech banking sector, for example – the levels of state aid entered in the State Aid Scoreboard are incorrect and should be adjusted upwards. I hope that the Commission can shed some light on the course of action it intends to take if it emerges that candidate countries have given it incorrect information on the state aid they have granted.
Finally, Mr President, I can tell you that I do not endorse the amendments tabled by the Group of the Party of European Socialists. The modifications that they propose relate to policy areas that are not covered by the Commission’s competition policy. These proposals would result in confusion and legal uncertainty."@en1
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