Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-03-Speech-2-288"
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"en.20020903.10.2-288"2
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"Mr President, Commissioners, every businessman agrees that, if we are to have a real single market, we need to remove all the remaining obstacles, which is why the initiative for this proposal for a Commission regulation is welcome, but the text of it is not, at least not in its entirety.
One of the few points I wish to comment on is the plan to allow below cost selling. What is the point of this clause? Who does it benefit, except a handful of large retail outlets which you can count on the fingers of one hand? Absolutely no-one! But for over 20 million small and medium-sized enterprises, it spells mortal danger from unfair trading by large retailers who, by selling below cost, could wipe out thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises and minimise any possible competition.
For tens of millions of workers, unemployment will be the result. And more unemployment is the last thing the European economy needs in its present parlous state. Nor will it benefit consumers, because short-term bargains will rapidly be replaced by massive price increases once a few companies have cornered the market.
That is why, if we want to say that we represent the millions of workers and businesses in the European Union, if we want to maintain that small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the European economy and society, if we want to carry on claiming that we are in touch with reality, then we need to vote against below cost selling in tomorrow's vote."@en1
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