Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-03-Speech-3-393"
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"en.20080903.27.3-393"2
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"Mr President, I would like to commend honourable Members for the high standard of this debate. I welcome most of the amendments proposed. They clarify several points in a useful way, in particular as regards the neutral display of travel options on the travel agent’s screen and the protection of personal data.
The Commission can accept Amendments 10, 19, 26 and 28 in principle.
The Commission can accept Amendments 1, 2, 3, 18, 25 and 47 with redrafting.
The Commission can accept Amendment 33 in part.
The Commission cannot accept Amendments 12, 13, 15, 24, 29, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 46.
I would like to thank Parliament for having had the courage to raise the thorny issue of parent carriers. I would like to set out the Commission’s position in this regard. We all know that this is an extremely sensitive issue which has given rise to very intensive lobbying. At this juncture, the Commission supports the compromise reached between the presidency and the rapporteur, which was supported unanimously by the Member States.
The new definition, as proposed in Amendment 13, removes any ambiguity or legal uncertainty. The Commission would thus be able to carry out an analysis and determine whether a company controls the CRS and whether a company which has rights and participates in the management of the CRS influences the latter in a decisive manner. This concept relies on the Commission’s long experience in the field of competition, which enables it to ascertain what a shareholder’s real power and influence are, for example by analysing the rights attaching to the shareholding and the agreements made between shareholders. In view of this, I believe that the text before us will enable the Commission, when acting on a complaint it has received, or on its own initiative, to exercise its prerogatives fully, strengthening significantly its powers, and to determine in each individual case, and at any time, which companies are parent carriers and must shoulder the major obligations arising from that status.
With regard to the identification of the travel agent in the statistical data provided by CRS MIDT, I also support the compromise text which strikes a balance between the need to protect travel agents against improper use of the data and the usefulness of the data when it comes to airlines’ strategic planning. I believe that with this text we are establishing a regulatory framework which takes account of market developments and enables travellers to benefit from an injection of competition into the distribution of air and rail tickets, while keeping safeguards in place to prevent any abuse.
On this basis, I really think that it is important to go ahead with an agreement in first reading during this legislature. The new legislation is expected by all actors and will reduce the administrative costs for the operators. In order to meet the concerns expressed with regard to the definition of parent carrier, I can take the commitment that, in the framework of the current compromise, the Commission would issue a formal notice explaining how it intends to interpret that definition when applying the regulation. Such notice would be similar to those issued from time to time by the Commission with respect to competition matters. This notice would be published in the Official Journal before the entry into force of the regulation so as to provide the necessary legal certainty to all interested parties. I very much hope that you will consider this proposal favourably.
I think I have covered the main points raised during this debate. As usual, I shall send a full list of the amendments and the Commission’s position on each of them to the Parliament’s Secretariat.
The Commission can accept Amendments 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 44, 45 and 48."@en1
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"Kirkhope report (A6-0248/2008 ) A6-0248/2008"1
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