Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-21-Speech-1-166"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050221.16.1-166"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, I would like to thank those who gave me positive feedback. I also listened, of course, to those who were more critical. Mr Evans' support for the idea and the faith expressed in his report was a great start.
With better focus and a better use of tax-payers' money we can concentrate aid where it really generates the greatest value; where it contributes to cohesion; where it boosts innovation, research and development, and risk capital so that small- and medium-sized companies can also play a positive role as an engine of innovation in stimulating the economy. We need to ensure that they have access to risk capital because they need to take their ideas forward. Better focused state aid means better economic results and governance and ultimately, better and more secure jobs and better use of tax-payers' money. In early spring we will have a chance to present the action plan on state aid reform. That action plan will include measures to rationalise the state aid framework.
I want to reduce a lot of the red tape, a lot of the bureaucracy and I think that notification requirements for straightforward low impact aid should be one of those items we can get rid of, thus focussing resources on checking the more problematic high-impact subsidies.
Mrs Ferreira said that the title was misleading. I think that the title of the report just covers what we are really focusing on.
Another question was about audiovisuals. Maintaining and developing media pluralism is a basic public goal of the European Union, together with the preservation of cultural diversity and freedom of access for the Union citizen to all kinds of media platforms.
The application of competition policy instruments in the media sector is limited to addressing the underlying market structure and economic impact of media undertakings' behaviour. Nevertheless competition policy can and does make an essential contribution to the maintenance and development of media pluralism both in traditional television and other broadcasting markets and the new media.
Mr Schwab underlined that the European Union is a global player and that therefore it is essential to look at the price, at the quality, and also at the research possibilities to fall in line with our global competitors. It would be a good idea, to focus especially on increasing efficiency and transparency and to work towards a less bureaucratic one-stop shop for leniency applications. This will be explained in the new paper I am preparing which will also support greater efficiency and transparency.
I have tried to answer the questions that were raised. Again, thanks for the opportunity and thanks again to Mr Evans and all those who have been involved in the preparation of this report. Today's debate is just the start. It is very important to continue the discussion and to feel that you are on the same track as us in the Commission.
I set out my own philosophy in my recent speeches at Bocconi and at the OECD in Paris, where all those national authorities from around the world that are active in the competition field were gathered. Those speeches and this report show, I think, that we are on the same track. We are all aware that competition is the instrument for getting our economy in better shape, something that we badly need in Europe. We have both a lack of economic growth and a lack of productivity. We badly need economic growth because we have environmental and social welfare objectives that we rightly believe are essential within our culture.
I found the remarks that honourable Members have made very interesting and stimulating. They mark the start of our dialogue. As I mentioned before, I would be delighted to be invited to EMAC to discuss this item.
Concerning competition in technology transfer, there is indeed a way of developing this within our competition policy. It is not a separate item, it is all combined in one policy.
Regarding Mr Rutowicz's question about a market definition in merger cases, the Commission welcomes, and indeed promotes greater integration of markets. There is no doubt about that. As markets integrate, the relevant anti-trust markets will also become wider. However, for the time being many markets remain national or regional and this must be reflected in competition analysis, including market definition, so that competition and consumers do not suffer.
Mrs Elisa Ferreira asked about gas and electricity liberalisation. I agree that it is important to improve the functioning of the energy market.
In close cooperation with our energy colleagues, we are investigating the current status of the market. We are investigating the conduct of incumbents in certain markets and plan to carry out sector inquiries. The sector inquires will provide important input as to how the markets function and how they can be improved.
It is important to differentiate between preferences for liberalisation. I could not agree more about having a positive attitude towards liberalisation. However, in some cases where liberalisation has taken place there are still activities within that market that we do not accept. When that happens, one should not say 'I am against liberalisation'. We have a duty to find out what the actual situation is and who is not acting properly and not meeting our expectations.
Mr Rutowicz made a couple of remarks with regard to state aid reform. The conclusion of the Prodi Commission, later repeated by the European Council, was that there should be less aid but better aid. In addition, it was concluded that with enlargement we had a further reason for less and better aid for those areas that had already enjoyed the benefit of such aid. We now have to realise that within the ten new Member States there is a new territory which we have to improve, where aid could be of great help."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples