|
Home
>
Député européen (Verts, France)
>
Économie
>
Marchés financiers et harmonisation fiscale
> 31st Annual Report on Competition Policy (http://lipietz.net/?article973)
by Joachim Denkinger | 15 November 2002 31st Annual Report on Competition Policy
As every year, the European Commission’sCompetition Report (2001) covers antitrust rules (art. 81, 82), state monopolies and monopoly rights (art. 31, 86), merger control, state aid (art. 87, 88), and international activities. For the EP, the presentation of this report is a good occasion to hold the Commission accountable in a field, in which Mr. Monti has strong deferred competencies and huge discretionary powers. The Report on Competition Policy bears the stamp of the economic theory behind that policy. While agreeing with the basic lines, our rapporteur, Alain Lipietz (Green/EFA), considers that the time has come for both theory and practice to be fine-tuned. This affects, e.g., provisions for Services of General Interest, where the State might be obliged to organise a monopoly in order to provide citizens with such services. More generally, these services often requiring complex arrangements, which transcend abstract competition rules - must be governed by locally and democratically imposed rules. The report received about 70 amendments and was totally altered by PPE/Liberal majority during its vote in EMAC. In the final vote, Alain voted against his own report (7 votes from Green/EFA, GUE and dissident PSE against in total). The main points of disagreement by PPE were:
All these points have been deleted. Instead, paragraphs were adopted, which are unacceptable to us, at least in the general/absolute way they are formulated like: "support for rapid and uniform progress towards liberalisation of the European markets in energy, transport and postal services" ($ 24 and 25). I suggest to table several amendments on the report (along the lost points of the draft and in co-operation with the PSE, which will also table some amendments in the same direction). I would recommend only voting in favour if these amendments are adopted. In case all amendments will be lost, Alain might consider withdrawing his name from the report. Voir la présentation de la situation. ![]() |
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
|
||