During the plenary session (12-15/11/18) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate and vote on empowering competition authorities and ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market. Statements by Andreas SCHWAB (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, Margrethe VESTAGER, Member of the EC in charge of Competition, and Jasenko SELIMOVIC (ALDE, SE).

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

vote

single market (T)

SELIMOVIC, Jasenko (ALDE, SE)

SCHWAB, Andreas (EPP, DE)

VESTAGER, Margrethe (DK, CE)

Empowering competition authorities and ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market: extracts from the debate (13/11) and from the vote

SOUNDBITE (German), Andreas SCHWAB (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, I would allow myself the point that perception is that in many areas the classical single market where the competition law and its application continues to apply, we haven&rsquo;t made so much progress as some citizens or member state parliamentarians think. Because on a technical and operational stage of procedures we have different principles being applied. And Commissioner, this here is an important step forward on that note and I think it is a signal that the single market continues to have life in it and we are managing, through common standards, at the end of the day to achieve better results for businesses in Europe. And this better in terms of the application of European law in the different member states where the situation can vary greatly amongst different authorities.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margrethe VESTAGER, Member of the EC in charge of Competition, This is a key proposal to enable national competition authorities independently, with full resources, to make sure that consumers can have the full benefits of competition, because yes the directive may be to some degree technical but the idea is very simple: we want to make sure that consumers can have the benefits of competition, affordable prices, choice and innovation in the marketplace.

SOUNDBITE (English), Margrethe VESTAGER, Member of the EC in charge of Competition, The thing is that enforcement is only as good as the tools at hand and here unfortunately it has turned out that, well, currently there are too many gaps and too many discrepancies in the tools of national competition authorities. That poses a problem, because it makes it obvious that in some Member State there is a risk of one way of doing things, in another Member State the risk of another way of doing things or illegal behaviour not being detected and consumers therefore suffering harm.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jasenko SELIMOVIC (ALDE, SE), Each year losses of about EUR 250 billion happen because of the undiscovered cartels. These cartels are not raising the prices by 5% or 10%; they are raising prices by up to 30% and this situation is of course unsustainable. Why is it happening? Because the national competition authorities cannot enforce the rules. Some of them do not have proper human, technical and financial resources, some do not have proper tools in order to detect competition law infringements. Not all of the authorities can impose fines and not all competition authorities interpret competition law in the same way.

EP President announces the conclusion on the procedure after the vote on the report SCHWAB on empowering competition authorities and ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market. The legislation is approved on first lecture by the EP.