Sittings · Document

Draft report (2025/2134(INI)) 2026-03-25

Competition policy – annual report 2025

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

AM_Com_LegReport

Amendment 1

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Citation 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the report of 18 December 2025 by the European Securities and Markets Authority entitled ‘CRA Market Share Report: 2025 edition’,

Or. en

Amendment 2

Niels Fuglsang

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A a. whereas Europe’s competitiveness is undermined by persistently high and volatile energy prices; whereas the acceleration of renewable energy, energy efficiency, grid investment and interconnection can contribute to lower structural energy costs, reduced external dependencies and greater resilience; whereas unnecessary barriers and delays, including in permitting, may hinder market entry, investment and competition in the energy sector;

Or. en

Amendment 3

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Aa. whereas EU competition policy must ensure open and competitive markets that enable companies to grow;

Or. es

Amendment 4

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires robust, predictable and non-discriminatory competition rules that are applied equally to all market actors, regardless of origin, and that must be insulated from undue political interference of any kind;

Or. en

Amendment 5

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires clear and predictable competition rules capable of ensuring a level playing field, maintaining the openness of the market and responding to external distortions affecting competition;

Or. es

Amendment 6

Lídia Pereira

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the integrity of the single market requires uncompromising competition rules and resistance to external influence, standing for free, fair and transparent competition;

Or. en

Amendment 7

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence;

Or. en

Amendment 8

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Eero Heinäluoma, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence;

Or. en

Amendment 9

Tomáš Kubín, Pierre Pimpie

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence;

Or. en

Amendment 10

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules and preservation of regulatory autonomy from undue external influence;

Or. en

Amendment 11

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ba. whereas the lack of EU integration in the financial, energy and electronic communications sectors is one of the main reasons for Europe’s declining competitiveness; whereas the proper integration of the EU single market in those areas would make the competition relevant market much larger; whereas a larger relevant market gives more room for companies to scale up to compete globally, and at the same reinforces competition within the single market for the benefit of consumers;

Or. es

Amendment 12

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas a robust and integrated single market, underpinned by the removal of internal barriers and the rigorous enforcement of EU competition policy, is fundamental to driving innovation, ensuring price stability, and expanding consumer choice; whereas an effective competition framework is essential for an efficient allocation of resources and for enabling SMEs to scale up, enhancing their resilience and global competitiveness within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape;

Or. en

Amendment 13

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas the rapid growth of e-commerce platforms established in third countries, which often benefit from lower production standards, weaker labour and environmental requirements, as well as possible state support, entails the risk of creating significant distortions in the internal market to the detriment of European businesses, in particular SMEs;

Or. en

Amendment 14

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas the fragmented energy market drives up prices and weakens competition, and current geopolitical tensions may worsen this, creating an opportunity to build a fully integrated energy market with pan-European players to increase efficiency, reduce dependencies on third country suppliers and reduce costs to consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 15

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence systems and AI-driven are significantly reshaping competitive dynamics, market structures, value chains and user access to digital services across the Union, with potential implications for competition within digital markets;

Or. en

Amendment 16

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the European economy and competition policy must take into account their specific needs, ensuring that compliance obligations and enforcement procedures do not place disproportionate burdens on them;

Or. en

Amendment 17

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas competition policy should primarily aim at ensuring effective competition and consumer welfare, while remaining coherent with other Union policies, and should not be used to pursue objectives that are better addressed through other policy instruments;

Or. en

Amendment 18

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas the EU's competition policy shields against concentrations and accumulations of market power, safeguards the integrity of the single market and reaffirms the role of competition policy in protecting consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 19

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas fair and open competition is an essential element for the proper functioning of the single market, job creation and consumer protection;

Or. en

Amendment 20

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Recital B b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Bb. considering that competition policy plays a crucial role in the development of business and the growth of companies, especially SMEs, within the single market; pointing out, furthermore, that the full development of companies is dependent on removing entry barriers, combating anti-competitive practices, such as monopolies and cartels, and ensuring a level playing field for all economic operators; emphasising that an effective competition policy should prevent excessive regulation and disproportionate administrative burdens, while fostering innovation and allowing companies to take full advantage of the benefits and opportunities that the free market provides;

Or. es

Amendment 21

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Recital B b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B b. whereas the institutional and operational independence of National Competition Authorities (NCAs) is a prerequisite for the credibility and effectiveness of competition policy; whereas safeguarding their decision-making processes from political interference or private-sector pressure is essential to ensure legal certainty, uphold the Rule of Law, and maintain a level playing field across the single market;

Or. en

Amendment 22

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Recital B b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B b. whereas competition policy is an indispensable instrument for enhancing European competitiveness and that a well-functioning single market with effective competition rules is more conducive to European firms' global competitiveness than industrial protectionism or selective regulatory carve-outs;

Or. en

Amendment 23

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Recital B b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B b. whereas the report by Mario Draghi underlines that the EU has a broad and diversified industrial innovation base, with a strong comparative advantage in green technologies, but that sustained efforts are needed, in order to retain that advantage;

Or. en

Amendment 24

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Recital B c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B c. whereas the ongoing review of the EU's Merger Guidelines presents an opportunity to modernise the analytical framework to reflect dynamic competition, innovation effects, resilience considerations and the realities of digital ecosystems, while preserving legal certainty and the primacy of effective competition as the paramount criterion;

Or. en

Amendment 25

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Recital B c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B c. whereas in intra-EU trades, regulatory barriers are equivalent to a tariff of around 44 percentage points for goods and 110 percentage points for services1a; whereas these represent the cost that regulatory fragmentation pose for European businesses, especially for SMEs;

_________________

1a https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/03/11/sp031126-ak-ie-university-paris

Or. en

Amendment 26

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Recital B c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Bc. considering that disproportionate use of State aid can undermine the functioning of the single market and the development of the EU economy;

Or. es

Amendment 27

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Recital B d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B d. whereas the average firm size in the European Union remains significantly smaller than in other major jurisdictions; whereas persistent regulatory barriers within the single market disproportionately burden European firms, in particular SMEs and scale-ups, by limiting their ability to grow across borders and benefit from scale; whereas reducing internal fragmentation is therefore essential to strengthen the capacity of European firms to innovate, compete and remain resilient in global markets1a;

_________________

1a https://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/analyses/competitiveness-the-widening-gap-between-the-eu-and-the-us/

Or. en

Amendment 28

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Recital B e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B e. whereas there is an urgent need to deepen the single market in key network and service sectors, notably financial services, energy, and electronic communications; whereas reducing regulatory and structural barriers in these sectors is essential to unlock European competitiveness, improve cross-border integration, foster investment, enhance consumer choice and reduce the risk of persistent market concentration;

Or. en

Amendment 29

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Reclaiming the EU’s strategic autonomy through competition policy, innovation and digital sovereignty

General considerations

Or. en

Amendment 30

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation and thatcompetitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recallsthat EU competition rules must support EU policies, such as those covering industry, trade, consumers and financial services;

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation; recallsthat EU competition rules must support EU policies, such as those covering industry, trade, consumers and financial services; underlines that competition policy should contribute to the integration and deepening of European capital markets and support the objectives of the Capital Markets Union by fostering competitive and integrated financial market infrastructures;

Or. en

Amendment 31

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls that the EU's competition framework is a key instrument for building a stronger, more dynamic single market; underlines that a well-functioning competitive environment drives innovation, lowers prices, expands consumer choice and enhances the global competitiveness of European enterprises; stresses that competition rules and targeted industrial policy can be mutually reinforcing when properly aligned, and that EU competition rules can facilitate the implementation of EU policies, including those covering industry, trade, consumers, financial services and defence;

Or. en

Amendment 32

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation and thatcompetitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recalls that EU competition rules must support EU policies, such as those covering industry, trade, consumers and financial services, while ensuring a stable framework that fosters investments, growth and ability to scale under fair conditions;

Or. en

Amendment 33

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework and its due enforcement as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation and that competitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recalls that EU competition rules must support EU policies, such as those covering industry, trade, consumers and financial services;

Or. en

Amendment 34

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should be more closely integrated and that competitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recalls that EU competition rules must support EU policies, such as those covering industry, trade, consumers and financial services;

Or. en

Amendment 35

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation and that competitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recalls that EU competition rules must remain consistent with broader Union objectives while preserving its core principles;

Or. en

Amendment 36

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation and that competitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recalls that EU competition rules must be consistent with EU law and the principles enshrined in the Treaties;

Or. en

Amendment 37

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 a. Highlights that well-functioning competition is a key driver of productivity growth and long-term competitiveness in the Union; notes that stronger competition policy enforcement is associated with higher total factor productivity and a more efficient allocation of labour and capital; stresses therefore that effective competition policy is essential for enhancing productivity, innovation and sustainable economic growth in the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 38

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 a. Welcomes the speech by Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera at the Lisbon Conference on Competition Law and Economics in October 2025, highlighting the importance of competition policy in ensuring fair markets, supporting the green and digital transitions, and strengthening a resilient and sustainable European economy;

Or. en

Amendment 39

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 b. Notes that rising market concentration and mark-ups in several sectors may have had significant macroeconomic consequences; recalls that increasing markups since 2000 may have reduced EU GDP by up to 5–7 %, while targeted reforms and effective antitrust enforcement could increase GDP by several percentage points over time; underlines therefore the importance of maintaining strong EU competition rules to safeguard economic dynamism, growth and the Union’s long-term competitiveness;

Or. en

Amendment 40

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 c. Notes that the increase in market concentration has been found to have an impact on aggregate income distribution, specifically through a reduced labour share of income as economic gains are increasingly captured by capital owners; notes in particular that when labour shifts towards highly capital-intensive firms with significant market power, the share of income accruing to labour may decline; stresses that competitive markets help ensure that productivity gains are more broadly shared across the economy and support sustainable competitiveness by strengthening purchasing power, internal demand and human capital formation;

Or. en

Amendment 41

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

2. Believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for contributing to shaping priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on; takes note of Mario Draghi’s estimate that, in order to protect our EU competitiveness, an additional EUR 800 billion per year is needed to ensure sustainable growth, strengthening strategic autonomy and achieving the green and digital transition; acknowledges the importance of public and private investment in this context, while safeguarding fair competition and preventing market distortions;

Or. en

Amendment 42

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on; highlights the Draghi report’s proposal for a flexible market investigation tool (the “New Competition Tool”) to address market failures which cannot be tackled by effectively under the current Articles 101 and 102 TFEU; calls on the Commission to introduce such a tool to complement the existing framework;

Or. en

Amendment 43

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

2. Takes note of the Draghi and Letta reports and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

Or. en

Amendment 44

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

2. Underlines that the Draghi and Letta reports may contribute to setting priorities in the competition field;

Or. en

Amendment 45

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on as a matter of urgency;

Or. en

Amendment 46

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 a. Underlines that, according to the latest Eurobarometer and the EU Post-Electoral Survey 2024, Europeans expect the Union to prioritise addressing inflation, rising prices and the cost of living; stresses that ensuring fair and effective competition is an important element in tackling these challenges and should therefore remain a priority within competition policy;

Or. en

Amendment 47

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 a. Calls on the Commission to prioritise the effective, transparent and legally predictable enforcement of existing competition instruments, while ensuring a level playing field across business models so that undertakings can compete fairly and respond effectively to consumer demand, including in rapidly evolving digital markets;

Or. en

Amendment 48

Niels Fuglsang, Adnan Dibrani

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 a. Emphasises that accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency and grid infrastructure is essential for strengthening the Union’s structural energy independence, improving market integration and contributing to lower and more stable energy prices;

Or. en

Amendment 49

Jonás Fernández, César Luena

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 a. Notes the divergent fiscal capacities of Member States and warns that fragmented State aid creates an uneven playing field; calls on the Commission and Member States not to engage in a subsidy competition;

Or. en

Amendment 50

Niels Fuglsang, Adnan Dibrani

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 b. Stresses that fair, well-functioning, competitive, integrated and interconnected electricity markets are essential for strengthening the Union’s industrial competitiveness and supporting more stable and affordable energy prices; underlines the importance of effective enforcement of competition rules in energy infrastructure and network access in order to safeguard the proper functioning of the single market;

Or. en

Amendment 51

Adnan Dibrani, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 b. Notes the divergent fiscal capacities of Member States and warns that fragmented State aid creates an uneven playing field; calls on the Commission to monitor these effects; calls on the Commission and Member States not to engage in a subsidy competition; concludes that temporary State aid frameworks have failed to prevent further fragmentation;

Or. en

Amendment 52

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Emphasises the key role competition plays in creating digital market alternatives and reducing dependence on non-EU providers; encourages key infrastructures to be built to boost Europe’s autonomy and innovation, including cloud services, AI infrastructures (data centres and connectivity), and financial market infrastructure to support the EU’s digital sovereignty;

3. Emphasises the key role competition plays in creating digital market alternatives and reducing dependence on and dominance of non-EU providers; encourages key infrastructures to be built to boost Europe’s autonomy and innovation, including cloud services, AI infrastructures (data centres and connectivity), financial market infrastructure and resilient, interoperable and competitive European payment systems to support the EU’s digital sovereignty;

Or. en

Amendment 53

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Emphasises the key role competition plays in creating digital market alternatives and reducing dependence on non-EU providers; encourages key infrastructures to be built to boost Europe’s autonomy and innovation, most notably in the area of critical infrastructure including cloud services, AI infrastructures (data centres and connectivity), and financial market infrastructure to support the EU’s digital sovereignty;

Or. en

Amendment 54

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Emphasises the key role competition plays in fostering innovation and market entry in the digital economy; recognises the importance of building European capacity in strategic digital infrastructure, including cloud services, AI infrastructure and financial market infrastructure, in order to ensure open and contestable markets and reduce strategic dependencies;

Or. en

Amendment 55

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. Reminds of findings in the Commission’s DG Competition’s report “Protecting competition in a changing world”1a highlighting a persistent decline of competition characterised by rising concentration, markups and profits over the past 25 years, alongside declining top-level dynamism, with leading firms remaining largely uncontested for decades;

_________________

1a European Commission: Directorate-General for Competition, Protecting competition in a changing world – Evidence on the evolution of competition in the EU during the past 25 years, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2763/089949

Or. en

Amendment 56

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 57

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 58

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 59

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

4. Calls for a level playing field in strategic sectors and for the EU to use all available tools, including the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, public procurement rules and a robust merger review framework, to ensure that European firms can compete on merit and that third-country market participants are not advantaged by foreign state subsidies;

Or. en

Amendment 60

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

4. Notes the application of a European preference criteria in strategically important sectors focusing on key enablers for European industry; in light of that welcomes the EU Industrial Accelerator Act; stresses that such criteria should seek to elevate capacities in Europe and include cooperation with trusted partners;

Or. en

Amendment 61

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

4. Calls for the removal of existing barriers to the single market, so that the relevant market for competition policy can reach a European scale, therefore allowing an increase in firm size and innovation capacity while keeping a high level of competition for the benefit of all consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 62

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Notes that industrial policy cannot be done at the expense of European consumers through a relaxation of market dominance or abuse standards in EU competition policy; reiterates that the highest competition standards and the necessary scale up of European firms can both be reinforced through an effective deepening of the single market making it the relevant market for all sectors;

Or. en

Amendment 63

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Stresses the importance of strengthening the resilience, diversification and security of European supply chains in strategic sectors promoting European capabilities and solutions, where appropriate, without compromising open markets;

Or. en

Amendment 64

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Recalls that fostering European strategic autonomy must not lead to further strengthening of oligopolies and labour-market monopsonies that have an adverse effect on workers and wages;

Or. en

Amendment 65

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Underlines the importance of important projects of common European interest for financing large strategic EU projects; calls on the Commission to shorten or fast-track notifications as they are burdensome for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);

5. Underlines the importance of Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) for financing large strategic EU projects; calls on the Commission to streamline and fast-track IPCEI notifications, reduce the administrative burden especially for SMEs and mid-caps, provide clear and predictable criteria for admissibility, and enhance transparency and legal certainty throughout the assessment process;

Or. en

Amendment 66

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 67

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Underlines the importance of important projects of common European interest (IPCEI) for financing large strategic EU projects; calls on the Commission to streamline and simplify notification procedures, ensuring that administrative requirements are proportionate, and that SMEs can effectively participate in IPCEIs on equal terms;

Or. en

Amendment 68

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 a. Stresses that SMEs are disproportionately affected by unfair competition from third-country platforms benefiting from regulatory arbitrage; calls for targeted support measures, simplified compliance tools and improved access to redress mechanisms for SMEs affected by anti-competitive practices in digital markets;

Or. en

Amendment 69

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 a. Reiterates the fundamental role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in strengthening European competitiveness, promoting innovation and creating jobs; calls on the Commission to ensure that the application of competition rules and digital policies takes into account their impact on SMEs;

Or. en

Amendment 70

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign investments; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; suggests addressing trade distortions via the FSR and the screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments; Calls on the Commission to strengthen the enforcement of the FSR with regard to online platforms and marketplaces established in third countries, including those facilitating large volumes of low-value imports, in order to ensure a level playing field for EU businesses, in particular SMEs;

Or. en

Amendment 71

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) as a necessary tool to create a level playing field and to address market distortions caused by foreign subsidies; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; calls for FSR enforcement to be proportionate, predictable and based on clear evidence of distortion; suggests that FSR enforcement be coordinated with foreign direct investment screening and traditional trade defence instruments; calls on the Commission to ensure that SMEs and smaller transactions are not disproportionately burdened by FSR compliance obligations;

Or. en

Amendment 72

Antonio López-Istúriz White, Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign investments; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; suggests addressing trade distortions via the FSR and the screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments; however, encourages the Commission to take advantage of their current revision exercise of the FSR to streamline the procedure and reduce the administrative and procedural burdens for companies;

Or. en

Amendment 73

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign investments; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; suggests addressing trade distortions via the FSR and the screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments; however, encourages the Commission to take advantage of their current revision exercise of the FSR to streamline the procedure and reduce the administrative and procedural burdens for companies;

Or. en

Amendment 74

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; upholds that the notion that state aid is in principle not allowed under the EU treaties should also extend to aid stemming from third countries; suggests addressing competition distortions via the FSR and the screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments;

Or. en

Amendment 75

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign investments; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; calls for rigorous assessment of trade distortions via the FSR and the careful screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments;

Or. en

Amendment 76

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; suggests addressing competition distortions via the FSR and the appropriate screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments;

Or. en

Amendment 77

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Welcomes Mario Draghi’s proposal for a ‘new competition tool’ (NCT) as a powerful and flexible market investigation instrument designed to address structural competition problems in specific markets, with the aim of enhancing competitiveness, incentivising innovation and protecting vulnerable consumers; notes that similar tools have already been successfully implemented at Member State level, and suggests that an EU-level NCT could help address structural competition issues across the Union;

Or. en

Amendment 78

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Notes with concern the lack of transparency and hidden corporate influence in the public debate around EU competition policy and cases; calls on the Commission to improve transparency in its policy-making processes, including through systematic disclosure by participants to DG Competition conferences, workshops and consultations of the interests they represent;

Or. en

Amendment 79

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Emphasises that consumer interests should remain central, while taking into account the need to support innovation, investment capacity and stronger competition; underlines the need for competition policy to contribute to the key objectives of the European Commission, such as competitiveness, resilience, security, strategic autonomy and sustainability;

Or. en

Amendment 80

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Calls on the Commission to take into account any additional benefits that may arise in antitrust and merger cases, such as sustainability gains;

Or. en

Amendment 81

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 b. Underlines that competition policy should contribute to strengthening the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the Union; highlights the persistent economic and infrastructural gaps between internal, rural, peripheral, outermost and island regions, and calls on the Commission to systematically assess the territorial impact of competition decisions, in order to promote appropriate cohesion policies accompanying the development of the single market;

Or. en

Amendment 82

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 b. Recalls that under the Treaty, the Commission is empowered to address exploitative abuses; maintains that prioritising exploitative abuses of consumers could help to directly address price hikes caused by profit-driven inflation or greedflation; regrets that exploitative cases have seldom been pursued by the Commission and asks for the relevant guidelines to be updated with due regard to consumer vulnerability;

Or. en

Amendment 83

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 c. Observes changes in business practices, highlighting a decline in cartel cases alongside a shift toward new forms of harmful conduct like tacit collusion and algorithmic collusion, and emphasises the need to align enforcement priorities with this evolving landscape;

Or. en

Amendment 84

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 c. Notes with concern the high market concentration in the European financial sector and its continued excessive reliance on service providers from third countries, leading to a dispersion of business competitiveness in favour of non-EU countries;

Or. en

Amendment 85

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 d. Welcomes the signing of the EU-UK Competition Cooperation Agreement, a key step to strengthen coordination between the respective competition authorities post-Brexit, supports effective enforcement of antitrust and merger rules, promote fair market conditions, and enhance institutional cooperation within the framework of EU-UK economic relations;

Or. en

Amendment 86

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 d. Recognises the need to strengthen the European defence industrial base; stresses that competition policy must ensure fair access for SMEs and prevent excessive concentration in defence supply chains that could reduce resilience and increase dependency;

Or. en

Amendment 87

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 e. Underlines the importance of reducing energy costs to safeguard EU competitiveness, promoting diversify sources such as nuclear energy referenced in the Draghi report, while ensuring that an open, competitive and sustainable single market is balanced with supply security and increased EU energy autonomy;

Or. en

Amendment 88

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 f. Notes the strategic role of critical raw materials for the energy transition and the objectives of the Critical Raw Materials Act in reducing geopolitical dependencies and strengthening supply chain resilience, calling on competition policy to support competitive markets across the value chain and pan-European investments;

Or. en

Amendment 89

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 g (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 g. Highlights that competitive and efficient energy markets rely on adequate interconnections between Member States and regions; insufficient interconnections can limit competition and lead to significant price differences, and therefore calls on the Commission and Member States to accelerate the development of cross-border energy infrastructure;

Or. en

Amendment 90

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

An independent European competition authority

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 91

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

An independent European competition authority

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 92

Jonás Fernández, César Luena

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

An independent European competition authority

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 93

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

An independent European competition authority

An independent, transparent and technical European competition framework

Or. es

Amendment 94

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

An independent European competition authority

A more independent European competition authority

Or. en

Amendment 95

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Calls for a real independent European competition authority under democratic oversight, which is separate from the executive branch to ensure no political interference, and integrates antitrust, merger control, State aid, consumer policy and digital enforcement; stresses the need for adequate staffing, expertise and powers;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 96

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 97

Tomáš Kubín

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 98

Antonio López-Istúriz White, Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 99

Enikő Győri

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 100

Jonás Fernández, César Luena

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 101

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 102

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Underlines the importance of competition enforcement being conducted in an impartial, politically independent manner; calls on the Commission to present an impact assessment on the merits of establishing a dedicated EU competition authority, examining subsidiarity, the proper delineation between competition and regulatory functions, democratic accountability to Parliament, and the potential implications for the European Competition Network; stresses the need for adequate staffing, expertise and resources within the existing enforcement architecture in the interim;

Or. en

Amendment 103

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Calls on the Commission to explore avenues towards strengthening the independence of the European competition authority so as to ensure no political interference; stresses the need for adequate staffing, expertise and powers;

Or. en

Amendment 104

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Calls for an independent, transparent and technically robust European competition framework with democratic oversight, which is separate from the executive branch to ensure no political interference, and integrates antitrust, merger control, State aid, consumer policy and digital enforcement, while at the same time preventing any single authority from having an excessive concentration of regulatory powers;

Or. es

Amendment 105

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Calls on the Commission to consider a structural reform of the merger control procedure by introducing a clearer separation between the investigative phase and the decision-making stage; proposes the establishment of independent 'checks-and-balances' within DG Competition where the team responsible for instructing the case is distinct from the body taking the final decision; believes that such a functional separation would enhance the transparency, impartiality, and overall legal robustness of EU merger control decisions;

Or. en

Amendment 106

Pierre Pimpie

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Warns against the risk of technocratic overreach; calls for the right to effective remedies for undertakings to be ensured by this new authority; insists on the fact that this new institution should not create further administrative burden for European companies;

Or. en

Amendment 107

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure as a matter of urgency that DG Competition is sufficiently staffed with the necessary resources and technical expertise to effectively enforce antitrust law, the Digital Markets Act and merger rules;

Or. en

Amendment 108

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Eero Heinäluoma, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) amid global challenges

Competition in the digital age and enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) amid global challenges

Or. en

Amendment 109

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Public Procurement Recalls that public procurement has become overly complex and disproportionate, reducing participation by SMEs, which represent 98% of firms in the EU; calls for a review of EU public procurement rules to simplify procedures, enhance transparency, and favour emerging SMEs in public procurement bids; underlines that data accessibility is crucial for effective competition enforcement; calls for the reform of the EU Public Procurement Directive with a view to improving data collection, facilitating access to procurement data for national competition authorities, and strengthening fraud detection mechanisms;

Or. en

Amendment 110

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to enforce the EU competition rulebook, including the Digital Markets Act, in a consistent, impartial and legally robust manner; stresses that enforcement decisions must be grounded in law and evidence, free from political interference whether internal or external; calls for enforcement priorities to be communicated transparently to Parliament and to market participants;

Or. en

Amendment 111

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States and Big Tech companies; notes with concern the continued attacks by the US administration and affiliated actors against the DMA and warns against the dangers of foreign interference and undue corporate influence;

Or. en

Amendment 112

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States and China;

Or. en

Amendment 113

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Eero Heinäluoma, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures;

Or. en

Amendment 114

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures;

Or. en

Amendment 115

Lídia Pereira

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures;

Or. en

Amendment 116

Tomáš Kubín, Pierre Pimpie

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures;

Or. en

Amendment 117

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;

8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from third countries;

Or. en

Amendment 118

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Underlines that effective enforcement can only be achieved if rules to address abuse of dominance (Article 102 TFEU) and the DMA work together, combining ex ante and ex post approaches; calls on the Commission to streamline and better articulate the competition rulebook;

Or. en

Amendment 119

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 120

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Supports enforcement under the DMA; welcomes the Commission’s recent market investigations into cloud service providers, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure and its two proceedings against Google on Android interoperability and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to anonymised Google Search data;

10. Supports stronger enforcement under the DMA; welcomes the Commission’s recent market investigations into cloud service providers, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure and its two proceedings against Google on Android interoperability and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to anonymised Google Search data; calls for the opening of an additional market investigation into Google Cloud Platform (GCP); stresses that cloud obligations must be updated;

Or. en

Amendment 121

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Supports rigorous enforcement under the DMA; welcomes the Commission's market investigations into cloud service providers and its proceedings concerning operating system interoperability and data access, which advance the DMA's objectives of contestability and fairness in digital markets; encourages the Commission to maintain an ambitious enforcement programme and to conclude open investigations within reasonable timeframes;

Or. en

Amendment 122

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Supports enforcement under the DMA; welcomes the Commission’s recent market investigations into cloud service providers and its two proceedings on interoperability and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to anonymised data;

Or. es

Amendment 123

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Supports enforcement under the DMA on all market participants regardless of nationality; welcomes the Commission’s recent market investigations into cloud service providers, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure and its two proceedings against Google on Android interoperability and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to anonymised Google Search data;

Or. en

Amendment 124

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Supports enforcement under the DMA; welcomes the Commission’s recent market investigations into cloud service providers aimed at ensuring greater interoperability, fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to data, and strengthening effective competition in digital markets;

Or. en

Amendment 125

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Supports strong enforcement of the DMA; welcomes the Commission’s recent market investigations into cloud service providers, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure and its two proceedings against Google on Android interoperability and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to anonymised Google Search data;

Or. en

Amendment 126

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Stresses that increasing concentration in cloud services may undermine competition, innovation and the Union’s strategic autonomy; highlights, in this regard, that practices such as bundling, cloud marketplaces and contractual mechanisms including credits and spend commitments can reinforce vendor lock-in and limit effective switching or multi-cloud strategies; Urges the Commission, in the context of its ongoing market investigations into cloud services and the forthcoming DMA review, to assess whether additional measures are needed to address these risks;

Or. en

Amendment 127

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Calls on the Commission to use the cloud services market investigation to adjust DMA obligations and ensure they effectively address the barriers that prevent users from switching providers;

Or. en

Amendment 128

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 129

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 130

Pierre Pimpie

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 131

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA, while underlining its limited effectiveness given the ability of large digital platforms to absorb such costs; calls on the Commission to make full use of structural remedies especially in cases of systemic and persistent breaches, where they are best suited to ensure effective enforcement and restore competition;

Or. en

Amendment 132

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

11. Recalls that effective DMA enforcement requires adequate and sustainable resources; calls on the Commission and the budgetary authorities to ensure that the DMA enforcement unit within DG Competition is properly resourced through the EU budget; notes that any fee-based financing mechanism should be assessed carefully for its impact on legal certainty, market entry and administrative burden, particularly for smaller businesses;

Or. en

Amendment 133

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still far from being finalised; calls on the Commission to conclude non-compliance proceedings without undue delay and to ensure timely enforcement under the DMA, in particular by respecting both binding and indicative deadlines, and to keep the European Parliament duly informed of enforcement progress;

Or. en

Amendment 134

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; suggests stable funding through a ‘DMA fee’, similar to the DSA;

11. Recalls that enforcement of the DMA is still suboptimal; highlights the need to ensure adequate and stable resources for effective and timely implementation; calls therefore to explore sustainable financing solutions while respecting institutional balance;

Or. en

Amendment 135

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 a. Calls on the Commission to make full and proactive use of all enforcement instruments provided for under the DMA, further market investigations, including non-compliance proceedings, inspections, interim measures, fines and periodic penalty payments, in order to prevent circumvention and ensure effective compliance;

Or. en

Amendment 136

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 a. Recognises the importance of the DMA framework, calls for enhanced legal clarity and coherent implementation and underlines that any consideration of additional fees should avoid increasing regulatory burdens for businesses;

Or. en

Amendment 137

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and ambitious;

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, evidence-based, proportionate and ambitious; insists that the review assesses the effectiveness and practical impact of existing obligations, legal certainty for market participants, the cost of compliance, the DMA's interaction with sector-specific regulation, and the need for any adjustments to gatekeeper designation thresholds in light of market developments;

Or. en

Amendment 138

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and ambitious;

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and ambitious; while ensuring regulatory stability and avoiding unnecessary expansion of obligations for market participants;

Or. en

Amendment 139

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and ambitious;

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and targeted; calls on the Commission to include SMEs in the review consultations of the Digital Markets Act;

Or. en

Amendment 140

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and ambitious;

12. Calls for the DMA review process, expected to take place in May 2026, to be transparent, thorough and ambitious in its implementation;

Or. en

Amendment 141

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure consistent and future-proof application of the DMA to technological developments, by timely addressing AI-driven services and cloud-based infrastructures, in order to prevent new forms of lock-in, foreclosure or gatekeeping practices, including where gatekeepers leverage control over data, computing resources or integrated services to the detriment of emerging AI developers and innovative market entrants;

Or. en

Amendment 142

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Notes the vertically integrated ecosystems of the AI sector, acquired by controlling hardware, data, AI models and distribution; underlines that the Commission should not repeat the same mistakes as those with social media and the digital economy; calls on the Commission to take an ecosystemic approach towards this sector, inter alia by developing and applying new theories of harm to address the further entrenchment of the incumbents in the sector; urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA; requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 143

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Calls on the European Commission to assess which AI and cloud services, as Core Platform Services (CPS), should be designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Notes that the designation of cloud services and the adaptation of DMA obligations could support greater competition in the AI sector, given that cloud represents an essential input for developing and delivering AI services;

Or. en

Amendment 144

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Calls on the Commission to assess, within the DMA review, whether the current list of core platform services adequately reflects market realities, including in areas such as AI models and cloud services, and whether any additions would be proportionate and legally sound; calls on the Commission to ensure broad and inclusive consultations on the DMA review, including with SMEs, start-ups, industry associations and academic experts across all Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 145

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA; stresses that cloud computing services constitute a key input for the development and deployment of artificial intelligence; considers, therefore, that their possible designation under the DMA could contribute to enhancing contestability in AI markets; requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 146

Aurore Lalucq, Adnan Dibrani

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI, cloud services, main virtual assistant services and connected TV operating systems provided by gatekeepers as core platform services within the DMA; requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 147

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI, cloud services main virtual assistant services and connected TV operating systems as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 148

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Requests the Commission to include SMEs and consumer associations in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 149

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Calls the Commission to carefully assess which AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 150

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA;requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

13. Urges the Commission to consider AI chatbots and cloud services as core platform services within the DMA; requests the Commission to include SMEs in the DMA review consultations;

Or. en

Amendment 151

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 a. Notes the 2025 non-compliance decisions adopted under the Digital Markets Act against Apple and Meta; notes that the relatively modest fines imposed raise questions about whether the DMA is sufficiently powerful to ensure effective market opening and to enable European providers of accessories, wallets and alternative app stores to compete for end consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 152

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 153

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Stresses that DMA enforcement applies to all market participants regardless of nationality; notes Booking’s gatekeeper status and recalls that the French and Spanish authorities penalised the company over its parity clauses; observes with concern that Alphabet has leveraged its dominance in general online search to favour its own services in adjacent digital markets and notes that such practices risk undermining fair competition and limiting user choice in the Union; reminds that the 12-month benchmark set out in Article 29(2) DMA for adopting a non-compliance decision against Alphabet is approaching; calls on the Commission to escalate enforcement where necessary through interim measures and periodic penalties; notes Amazon’s use of price controls which may harm the fairness and contestability of online marketplaces in the EU and welcomes the decision by the German Federal Cartel Office to take action against Amazon’s abuse of market power under the expanded abuse supervision (§ 19a GWB), in conjunction with the European Commission; calls, in this context, for better coordination between the Federal Cartel Office and DG Competition in the enforcement of the DMA; urges the Commission to take decisive action accordingly;

Or. en

Amendment 154

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Stresses that DMA enforcement applies to all market participants regardless of nationality; notes Booking’s gatekeeper status and recalls that the French and Spanish authorities penalised the company over its parity clauses; notes Amazon’s price restriction practices which may harm the fairness and contestability of online marketplaces in the EU; notes the heavy use of behavioural techniques and non-neutral language in user interfaces which undermine the decision-making and free choice of end users across most end user interfaces; urges the Commission to take decisive action accordingly;

Or. en

Amendment 155

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Stresses that DMA enforcement applies to all designated gatekeepers regardless of nationality or origin, and calls on the Commission to apply DMA obligations consistently and without selectivity; welcomes the coordination between the Commission and national competition authorities on DMA-related conduct; urges the Commission to act decisively where parity obligations or other restrictive practices by gatekeepers harm market contestability;

Or. en

Amendment 156

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Stresses that DMA enforcement applies to all market participants regardless of nationality;

Or. en

Amendment 157

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Stresses that DMA enforcement applies to all market participants regardless of nationality; urges the Commission to take decisive action accordingly;

Or. es

Amendment 158

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 159

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 a. Calls on the Commission to examine, in the context of the implementation of the Digital Single Market Directive, potential abuses by gatekeepers under the DMA in their negotiations with press publishers, in particular whether such negotiations comply with the FRAND (fair, reasonable, andnon-discriminatory) obligations, ensuring equitable remuneration, transparent terms, and non-discriminatory access to online audiences;

Or. en

Amendment 160

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 a. Acknowledges the existence of a legal base for structural remedies against the abuse of market dominance; regrets the reluctance of the Commission to address market dominance through structural remedies; reiterates its invitation to make better use of structural remedies and end the primacy given to behavioural remedies;

Or. en

Amendment 161

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 a. Calls on the Commission to make use of the anti-circumvention tool set out in Article 13 of the DMA;

Or. en

Amendment 162

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 b. Emphasises that the effectiveness of the DMA also depends on maintaining robust regulatory frameworks for the digital economy, including the GDPR, the Data Act and the AI Act, and warns against a deregulatory rollback which could weaken those frameworks and negatively affect free competition in digital markets;

Or. en

Amendment 163

Adnan Dibrani, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 b. Calls on the Commission to make full use of Article 13 to address any circumvention by gatekeepers of their obligations under Articles 5 and 6;

Or. en

Amendment 164

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14 a. Calls for the enforcement of all competition rules to address gatekeeper practices and foster contestable markets and fair competition;

Or. en

Amendment 165

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Urges the Commission to use interim measures to stop any practices that harm competition, especially in fast-evolving digital markets; calls on the Commission to modernise Regulation (EC) 1/2003 and Implementing Regulation (EC) 773/2004 in its upcoming review, especially regarding the use of interim measures; welcomes the Draghi report’s proposal for a flexible market investigation tool (the “New Competition Tool”) to address market failures which cannot be tackled by effectively under the current Articles 101 and 102 TFEU; calls on the Commission to introduce such a tool to complement the existing framework;

Or. en

Amendment 166

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Calls on the Commission to address excessively long antitrust investigations during which companies continue to benefit from their anticompetitive practices; calls on the Commission introduce a time limit for antitrust cases in order to ensure the effectiveness of EU rules; Urges the Commission to use interim measures to stop any practices that harm competition, especially in fast-evolving digital markets; calls on the Commission to modernise Regulation (EC) 1/2003 and Implementing Regulation (EC) 773/2004 in its upcoming review, especially regarding the use of interim measures;

Or. en

Amendment 167

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Calls on the Commission to modernise Regulation (EC) 1/2003 and Implementing Regulation (EC) 773/2004 to improve the efficiency, legal certainty and proportionality of EU antitrust enforcement; supports a clarified framework for interim measures in cases of serious and irreparable harm to competition, with appropriate due process safeguards; calls for binding procedural time limits on antitrust investigations to prevent undue delays that harm legal certainty and the rights of defence;

Or. en

Amendment 168

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Urges the Commission to make appropriate use of interim measures to stop any practices that harm competition, especially in fast-evolving digital markets; calls on the Commission to modernise and improve efficiency of Regulation (EC) 1/2003 and Implementing Regulation (EC) 773/2004 in its upcoming review, especially regarding the use of interim measures;

Or. en

Amendment 169

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Urges the Commission to consider again to use interim measures to stop any practices that harm competition, especially in fast-evolving digital markets; calls on the Commission to modernise Regulation (EC) 1/2003 and Implementing Regulation (EC) 773/2004 in its upcoming review, especially regarding the use of interim measures;

Or. en

Amendment 170

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15 a. Urges the Commission to strengthen its ex-officio detection capabilities in both merger control and antitrust enforcement by increasing the human and technical resources dedicated to the preventive monitoring of markets; stresses the need to reduce reliance on external complaints or leniency programmes and to invest in advanced digital tools to identify market distortions independently and at an early stage;

Or. en

Amendment 171

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15 a. Notes that companies in food and energy supply chains reaped abnormally high profits during the period of high inflation between 2021 and 2023; notes that these profits were partly driven by high levels of monopolisation; calls for competition authorities to address market concentration in these sectors;

Or. en

Amendment 172

Pierre Pimpie, Enikő Győri

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15 a. Whereas the European Union is technologically lagging behind other major powers such as the United States and China; calls on the Commission not to adopt measures that could hinder innovation;

Or. en

Amendment 173

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15 b. Notes that competition policy should also play a role in situations where undertakings in dominant market position abuse their advantage and engage in price gouging; refers, in this regard, to Article 102 of the TFEU that prohibits abusive behaviour by companies holding a dominant position on any given market;

Or. en

Amendment 174

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network;

16. Reaffirms the need for strong and effective cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities (NCAs) within the European Competition Network (ECN); calls for enhanced convergence of enforcement standards, timely information-sharing, and clear allocation of competences to avoid duplicative proceedings; underlines that NCAs must remain politically independent and adequately resourced, and that the ECN+ Directive should be fully and consistently transposed and implemented across all Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 175

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network;

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network; stresses that the ECN needs to move from coordination to a fully integrated form of cooperation, with a view to enhancing cost efficiency and improving the handling of cross-border aspects, including by enabling joint investigations and joint decision-making; Calls the ECN to further guide companies, especially SMEs, in applying the competition rulebook;

Or. en

Amendment 176

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network;

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network; calls for enhanced coordination, joint investigations and information-sharing mechanisms specifically targeting cross-border digital platforms operating in the EU from third countries, including cooperation with customs authorities, market surveillance authorities and consumer protection authorities;

Or. en

Amendment 177

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network;

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network; as strengthened by Directive (EU) 2019/1 (ECN+ Directive); underlines that coordinated enforcement within the ECN should enhance, and not fragment, the effective application of the Union’s digital competition framework;

Or. en

Amendment 178

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network;

16. Reaffirms the need for strong cooperation between the Commission and national competition authorities within the European Competition Network, as well as with relevant stakeholders and consumer organisations;

Or. en

Amendment 179

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 a. Recalls that competition policy should not only address market power ex post, but also promote the conditions for market entry, scale-up and innovation; underlines that dynamic competition requires a framework that facilitates efficient reallocation of capital and resources towards more productive and innovative firms, while preventing entrenched incumbency and rent-seeking behaviour;

Or. en

Amendment 180

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 a. Calls on the Commission to establish a structured dialogue with key stakeholders, including chambers of commerce and industry, SME associations and consumer organisations, in order to systematically monitor and address competition distortions linked to third-country platforms;

Or. en

Amendment 181

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 a. Calls on the Commission to address excessively long antitrust investigations during which companies continue to benefit from their anticompetitive practices;

Or. en

Amendment 182

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 b. Calls on the Commission to evaluate the necessity of new ex-ante intervention tools in digital markets to prevent irreparable harm to competition; stresses that traditional ex-post mechanisms are often ineffective in addressing the speed of market tipping driven by network effects and data accumulation; further calls for enhanced guidance to undertakings based on rigorous ex-ante impact assessments to ensure legal certainty and foster a more predictable regulatory environment;

Or. en

Amendment 183

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 b. Recognises the important role of chambers of commerce and industry in identifying competition distortions affecting SMEs; calls on the Commission and national competition authorities to strengthen cooperation with these chambers for data collection and the early detection of anti-competitive practices;

Or. en

Amendment 184

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 c. Urges the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on the deterrent effect of its fines and to update its calculation methodology; insists that sanctions must be sufficiently high to surpass the illicit economic benefit derived from the infringement, ensuring that fines serve as a genuine deterrent rather than a mere 'cost of doing business' for large undertakings;

Or. en

Amendment 185

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 c. Encourages the conduct of joint investigations and coordinated enforcement actions between the Commission and National Competition Authorities, in order to effectively address complex cases affecting SMEs and consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 186

Georgios Aftias

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 d. Calls on the Commission and National Competition Authorities to establish easily accessible and SME-friendly complaint mechanisms for anti-competitive practices, ensuring the swift and effective handling of cases;

Or. en

Amendment 187

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Notes current investigations of US-based companies, including the Commission’s preliminary investigation into Visa and Mastercard fees; calls on the Commission to continue this investigation and act to preserve European competition; emphasises the need to review the Interchange Fee Regulation to address rising card scheme fees and ensure a competitive and transparent market for Europeans; emphasises that the digital euro is a crucial opportunity to create a truly competitive and sovereign European payments ecosystem, to reduce dependency on US-based providers and to lower high merchants fees affecting most of small businesses in Europe as a result of the current duopoly;

Or. en

Amendment 188

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Notes current investigations of US-based companies, including the Commission’s preliminary investigation into Visa and Mastercard fees; calls on the Commission to continue this investigation and act to preserve European competition; emphasises the need to review the Interchange Fee Regulation to address rising card scheme fees and ensure a competitive and transparent market for Europeans; upholds that the introduction of a digital euro as a public European payment infrastructure and the digital form of the single currency will reduce the overreliance on third country card schemes;

Or. en

Amendment 189

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Notes competition concerns in the European payments market, including issues relating to interbank and card scheme fees; calls on the Commission to ensure that the payments market remains competitive, transparent and accessible for consumers and businesses; emphasises the need to review the Interchange Fee Regulation to assess its effectiveness in addressing rising fees; calls on the Commission to conclude ongoing investigations in the payments sector without undue delay;

Or. en

Amendment 190

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Notes current investigations of third-country based companies, including the Commission’s preliminary investigation on payment systems' fees; calls on the Commission to continue this investigation and act to preserve European competition; emphasises the need to review the Interchange Fee Regulation to address rising card scheme fees and ensure a competitive and transparent market for Europeans;

Or. en

Amendment 191

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Notes current investigations of foreign companies, including the Commission’s preliminary investigation into payment network fees; calls on the Commission to continue this investigation and act to preserve European competition; emphasises the need to review the Interchange Fee Regulation to address rising card scheme fees and ensure a competitive and transparent market for Europeans;

Or. es

Amendment 192

Adnan Dibrani

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Notes with concern the high degree of market concentration in the European live music sector; notes with interest the investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority of Live Nation over alleged abuse of market dominance; notes with interest a similar announcement by the US Justice department to sue Live Nation over anti-competitive behaviour; calls on the Commission to evaluate the merits of an investigation of market abuse and dominance in the live music sector, including but not limited to ticket sales by Live Nation;

Or. en

Amendment 193

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Highlights, in light of the current structure of the European payments market and the growing dominance of a few operators in payment systems, the importance of advancing the introduction of the digital euro as a tool to strengthen competition in the payments sector and promote greater European strategic autonomy, while ensuring more balanced and efficient conditions for consumers and merchants in the single market;

Or. en

Amendment 194

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Calls on the Commission to assess the competitive structure of the European payments market, in particular the dominant position of non-EU card schemes, and to support the development of competitive pan-European payment solutions and infrastructures in order to strengthen the Union’s strategic autonomy in the payments sector and reduce excessive dependencies on third-country providers;

Or. en

Amendment 195

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Calls on the Commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the prevalence and abuse of mobility-restricting clauses—including non-competition, non-solicitation, and excessive non-disclosure agreements—in employment contracts; calls on the Commission to use both legislative and enforcement measures to tackle abusive practices to ensure that workers' right to fair mobility is protected;

Or. en

Amendment 196

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Expresses concern about the high concentration at certain levels of the agricultural and food supply chain; urges the Commission to assess the scale and impact of buying alliances, and further analyse their effects not only on prices but also on farmers’ and agri-food producers’ ability to supply healthy, safe, and sustainable products to consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 197

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Notes with concern the high degree of market concentration in the European financial sector, as well as its sustained over-reliance on non-EU service providers in numerous fields including ESG and credit rating activities, handling of payments, handling of derivative contracts, service providers for cyber security and auditing;

Or. en

Amendment 198

Thomas Bajada, Adnan Dibrani

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Calls on the Commission to launch an in-depth analysis of dynamic pricing in the EU, focusing on the transparency and fairness of dominant market players towards consumers; requests swift actions to protect the European market, especially consumers, from exploitative actions;

Or. en

Amendment 199

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 b. Notes with concern the emergence of an un-level playing field as a consequence of Regulation (EU) 575/2013 and Directive 2013/36/EU as updated by Regulation (EU) 2024/1623, in particular with regard to the prudential treatment of cross-sectoral participation ownerships under sectoral rules (so called “Danish compromise”); welcomes the measure adopted through Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2025/2, providing that the Commission is required to present, by December 31st, 2027, a report on the functioning on the mentioned mechanism under a competition point of view; calls for an extension of its scope to non-conglomerate financial subjects; stresses the importance and urgency of afore mentioned report and recommends to the Commission an anticipation of its presentation’s deadline to December 31st 2026; Commission an anticipation of its presentation’s deadline to December 31st 2026;

Or. en

Amendment 200

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 b. Points out that the audit market is one of the most concentrated markets in the Union, where the Big Four firms have a market share of over 90%; recalls that the high degree of market concentration in the audit market is a long acknowledged threat to financial market stability; calls upon the Commission to present a legislative proposal on audit market reform which strengthens the supervision regime, addresses loopholes and Member State exceptions and introduces rules to avoid conflicts of interests; urges the Commission to take measures to avoid closeness between public institutions and audit firms, including in its own operations;

Or. en

Amendment 201

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 b. Urges the Commission to actively advance efforts to detect and curb employer collusion, particularly in sectors that are known to be prone to such practices; calls therefore on the Commission to actively promote and protect collective bargaining as a critical tool for restoring fairness and equity in labour markets; underlines, in this regard, the importance of supporting trade unions and worker representatives in sectors where collusion is most prevalent;

Or. en

Amendment 202

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 b. Stresses the importance of effective actions for damages as a complement to public antitrust enforcement, ensuring that victims of infringements of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU can obtain full compensation; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure the effective implementation of Directive 2014/104/EU (Antitrust Damages Directive) and to remove remaining barriers to private enforcement;

Or. en

Amendment 203

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 b. Notes the growing adoption of satellite-based connectivity services by airlines and calls on the Commission to closely monitor developments in the provision of in-flight internet services with a view to preventing potential abuses of market power and preserving effective competition in this emerging market;

Or. en

Amendment 204

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 c. Notes the existence of oligopolies in the provision of certain services that are critical for the EU financial markets participants, such as market aggregators and connectivity providers characterised by limited number of providers and or a significant difficulty to switch from one provider to another one, asymmetrical pricing power to the benefit of the provider, which ultimately inflate costs for investors; urges the Commission to investigate existing oligopolies and take the appropriate measures to the benefit of EU competition;

Or. en

Amendment 205

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 c. Regrets that the three largest credit rating agencies still hold a market share of over 90% according to the ESMA 2025 CRA Market Share Report; calls for the creation of a European public credit rating agency as an impartial and trusted alternative to existing agencies;

Or. en

Amendment 206

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 d. Recalls that the ECB has noted that food prices remain stubbornly high, namely one-third higher than before the pandemic, and that the gap between food and overall prices has been growing persistently; is concerned that these developments have a direct and disproportionate impact on vulnerable consumer groups; calls on the Commission to investigate the causes of these persistent price hikes and whether part of the inflation can be explained by profits which might merit an intervention by the competition authority;

Or. en

Amendment 207

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 e. Notes with concern the market concentration in agri-commodity trading where four companies account for up to 90% of the global grain trade and 60% of the global trade in cereal, oilseeds and protein crops; recalls the November 2024 Commission Competition Merger Brief which speaks of an ‘hourglass shaped market’ in which a few companies ‘generate profits by buying agricultural products and reselling them, as such or in a processed format, at a higher price’; regrets that the Commission nonetheless conditionally approved the Bunge-Vittera merger (M.11204) despite competition concerns; asks the Commission to address excessive power accumulation in the hands of a few large players in this market to strengthen the bargaining position of farmers and consumers alike; highlights in this context the potential of a new competition tool to tackle structural competition problems in the food supply chain;

Or. en

Amendment 208

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 f. Notes the strong profitability of banks in the years following the inflation hike in 2022 and the subsequent rise in ECB interest rates, however laments that the rise in interest expenses of banks towards depositors was much slower, which may particularly have affected consumers and small businesses, in the context of a cost-of-living crisis that has significantly impacted European households; invites the Commission and the European Competition Network to assess whether structural features of banking markets may limit effective competition in retail lending and, where appropriate, to deploy the available competition instruments to ensure fair competition in the European banking sector;

Or. en

Amendment 209

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Takes note of the ongoing debate on the lack of large-scale companies in Europe; considers that competitive scale should result from fair competition, robust antitrust enforcement and deepening the single market, which are the foundation of the EU social market economy and remain the true driver for innovation and competing effectively on global markets, as highlighted by the Letta report; reaffirms that European competitiveness is best supported by ensuring that many firms can grow and compete in an open and contestable single market;

Or. en

Amendment 210

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies in numerous key strategic areas; considers scaling up within the single market as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, and that the completion of the internal market and the removal of internal barriers remains a key priority; highlights that the same report acknowledges that not all EU companies are in need of scaling up, and that the EU thrives on the vital link between big and small enterprises;

Or. en

Amendment 211

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe needs companies capable of competing at global scale; considers that merger control should take full account of global competitive dynamics, international market definitions and the ability of European firms to invest in innovation; recalls that the Letta and Draghi reports highlight the competitive disadvantage arising from the fragmentation of European markets; calls on the Commission to take a forward-looking, dynamic approach to market definition that reflects the international competitive context;

Or. en

Amendment 212

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; notes that structural barriers to scaling up within the Union may result in innovative European undertakings being acquired by non-EU players, with potential negative effects on long-term competition and innovation capacity in the Union; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

Or. en

Amendment 213

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets; points out that many European companies turn to other jurisdictions due to the lack of funding in the European Union and the heavy bureaucratic burdens;

Or. es

Amendment 214

Jonás Fernández, César Luena

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative to mobilise investments and drive competitiveness, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

Or. en

Amendment 215

Antonio López-Istúriz White, Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative to unlock investment and drive competitiveness , as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

Or. en

Amendment 216

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative to unlock investment and drive competitiveness, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

Or. en

Amendment 217

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale as a strategic EU imperative, as highlighted by the Letta report, for competing effectively on global markets;

18. Stresses that Europe lacks large-scale companies; considers scale and the creation of a true single market as a strategic EU imperative for competing effectively on global markets;

Or. en

Amendment 218

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18 a. Stresses that the need for European scale must primarily be addressed by deepening the single market and removing internal barriers, rather than by weakening competition rules to compensate for market fragmentation; recalls that a truly integrated market is the most effective framework for firms to grow and innovate, while competing globally and domestically;

Or. en

Amendment 219

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18 b. Calls on the Commission, in the context of the ongoing review of the Merger Guidelines, to provide greater legal clarity on the assessment of new theories of harm, notably where mergers may affect innovation incentives, ecosystem contestability or other non-price parameters of competition; stresses that the assessment should also better reflect verifiable and merger-specific efficiency gains, including those related to innovation, investment and the achievement of scale in integrated markets or with high network effects;

Or. en

Amendment 220

Antonio López-Istúriz White, Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, analysing the full concept of consumer welfare (quality, choice, innovation, price) in the competitive assessment, under a dynamic economic theory which allows to consider broader economic effects following a merger (including innovation, investment, growth capabilities, sustainability and competitiveness). This would allow to adapt competition policies to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations in the long-term;

Or. en

Amendment 221

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, analysing the full concept of consumer welfare (quality, choice, innovation, price) in the competitive assessment, under a dynamic economic theory which allows to consider broader economic effects following a merger (including innovation, investment, growth capabilities, sustainability and competitiveness). This would allow to adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations in the long-term;

Or. en

Amendment 222

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply merger policy dynamically, adapting it to new market realities including digital ecosystems, AI, energy and defence; calls for full analysis of both the anticompetitive effects and the pro-competitive efficiencies of concentrations, including innovation effects, and for the competitive constraints exerted by global rivals to be adequately reflected in market assessments;

Or. en

Amendment 223

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations with a forward-looking approach that takes into account future of competition, innovation, new players and the interaction with the regulatory framework;

Or. en

Amendment 224

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations, in parallel to the further integration of the single market; encourages the Commission to continue to monitor the evolution of market power in Europe;

Or. en

Amendment 225

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations; acknowledges, at the same time, that concentration can be to the detriment of EU consumers, delivering higher prices and inferior services;

Or. en

Amendment 226

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations of economic and financial power, including their impact on sustainability, innovation and long-term resilience;

Or. en

Amendment 227

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies dynamically, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

19. Calls on the Commission to apply competition policies effectively, adapt them to new market realities, and analyse the effects of concentrations;

Or. en

Amendment 228

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the adverse employment impacts of planned concentration are anticipated and mitigated;

Or. en

Amendment 229

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 b. Calls on the Commission, when assessing mergers under EU competition rules, to explicitly evaluate the potential harm to workers caused by mergers; underlines, in this regard, the importance of analysing the effects of increased employer concentration in labour markets, such as reduced job mobility, weakened collective bargaining power, and adverse impacts on wages and working conditions; calls on the Commission to integrate these elements into its theories of harm to prevent monopsonistic outcomes that undermine fair labour practices and have an adverse effect on workers;

Or. en

Amendment 230

Adnan Dibrani, Niels Fuglsang, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; notes ongoing discussions on the potential benefits and risks of larger European companies in global markets, so called ‘EU champions’; stresses that any such considerations must remain fully consistent with the preservation of effective competition; recalls in this regard the ‘innovation defence’ mentioned in the Draghi report; calls for matters of public interest, such as climate protection, sustainability and the impact on workers, to be taken into account when examining the impact of a concentration on the internal market, and notably cautions that increased employer concentration in labour markets could negatively impact wages, working conditions, job mobility and employment levels;

Or. en

Amendment 231

Matthias Ecke

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

Or. en

Amendment 232

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines to ensure they safeguard effective competition and a high level of consumer welfare; emphasises that EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives are best achieved through the enforcement and deeper integration of the single market and should be pursued through targeted tools, such as common EU financing instruments and coordinated strategic investments, as well as State aid and public procurement, rather than a relaxation of EU merger rules; insists that merger control should be applied rigorously and consistently on the basis of its competitive effects on consumers, workers and market structure, and should not be weakened to strengthen specific firms or favour industrial policy objectives;

Or. en

Amendment 233

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious and evidence-based revision of the EU Merger Guidelines to modernise the analytical framework, including by introducing a workable 'innovation defence', expanding the consideration of efficiency gains, resilience and security in strategic sectors, adopting a more dynamic approach to market definition that reflects global competitive constraints and providing greater legal certainty and predictability for market participants; insists that merger control must remain grounded in competition analysis while recognising that in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments, energy and defence, scale may be necessary for European firms to compete effectively at global level;

Or. en

Amendment 234

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

Or. en

Amendment 235

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy; stresses that merger guidelines should also adequately reflect the potential efficiency and innovation gains resulting from mergers;

Or. en

Amendment 236

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with new market realities and the EU’s priorities in fostering a more resilient and competitive Europe while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare and a competitive supply of input services and goods for industry and business; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

Or. en

Amendment 237

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; underlines that, while preserving effective competition, merger control should enable the emergence of competitive European players, driven by market dynamics and efficiency gains, by adequately evaluating their impact on innovation, investments and long-term competitiveness;

Or. en

Amendment 238

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better reflect innovation, investment and Europe’s need for scale in integrated markets or with high network effects while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating scale, especially in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

Or. en

Amendment 239

Antonio López-Istúriz White

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct European mergers creating scale in the relevant markets of key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

Or. en

Amendment 240

Tomáš Kubín

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Calls for an ambitious revision of the EU merger guidelines so they are better aligned with the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that while safeguarding fair competition, merger control should not obstruct pan-European mergers creating ‘EU champions’ in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, payments and energy;

20. Calls for a revision of the EU merger guidelines that remains mindful of the EU’s industrial and sectoral policy objectives while continuing to safeguard a high level of consumer welfare; insists that merger control should not be relaxed solely for the sake of creating artificial ‘EU champions’ but rather remain focused on ensuring fair competition which already enables European companies to grow globally;

Or. en

Amendment 241

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking efficiency gains into account, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience and security, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond prices and market shares;

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking both potential harms and benefits into account, stresses that merger assessment should take into due account the potential adverse impacts on climate and environmental protection and public health and evaluate sector-specific realities in particular the effects of monopsony power dynamics in labour markets, including adverse impacts on wages and fair working conditions, as well as the effects of common ownership structures; stresses that revised merger guidelines should remain focused on measurable and predictable effects on prices and market structure; underlines that any claims of efficiencies should carry less weight in highly concentrated markets where benefits are unlikely to reach consumers and be supported by strong evidence including greater use of financial evidence as well as behavioural economics and insights; underscores that improved merger control in digital markets should focus on concerns of leveraging and vertical harms; further calls on the Commission to ensure, where concentrations risk significantly impeding effective competition, the imposition of robust structural remedies on the merging parties;

Or. en

Amendment 242

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking and dynamic approach to merger assessment; calls for efficiency gains, innovation potential, resilience, security and defence considerations to be given appropriate weight alongside traditional competition metrics; stresses that merger assessment must provide legal certainty and predictability for businesses and must not discourage procompetitive joint ventures, alliances or mergers that strengthen European industrial capacity; calls on the Commission to develop clear guidance on how non-price effects will be assessed;

Or. en

Amendment 243

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking efficiency gains into account, while ensuring transparency and predictability and allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience and security, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond prices and market shares; stresses that the development of efficient scale should be primarily driven by market- based dynamics while avoiding undue distortions to competition;

Or. en

Amendment 244

Antonio López-Istúriz White

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking dynamic long-term efficiency gains into account, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation and investment, irrespective of whether they are in-market or out-of-market. For example, in relation to climate, resilience and security, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond short-term prices and market shares;

Or. en

Amendment 245

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking efficiency gains into account, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience and security, and which reflects an approach towards the assessment of market power and sector-specific realities beyond prices and market shares;

Or. en

Amendment 246

Christophe Gomart

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking efficiency gains into account, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience, security and to strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond prices and market shares;

Or. fr

Amendment 247

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking efficiency gains into account as early as possible in the procedure, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience and security, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond prices and market shares;

Or. en

Amendment 248

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Calls on the Commission to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, taking dynamic long-term efficiency gains into account, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience and security, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond short-term prices and market shares;

Or. en

Amendment 249

Adnan Dibrani, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21. Recognises the need to adopt a forward-looking approach to mergers, allowing companies to form alliances when they contribute to innovation, climate, resilience and security, and reflects sector-specific realities beyond prices and market shares;

Or. en

Amendment 250

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21 a. Expresses serious concern over the sharp spikes in energy prices in March 2026 in the context of the ongoing war in the Middle East; highlights in particular that, in petroleum markets, price increases are rapidly passed on to consumers; recalls that highly concentrated oligopolistic market structures, where a limited number of vertically integrated companies control large segments of the value chain, contribute significantly to this dynamic; further notes with concern that, in the aftermath of the 2022 energy crisis, rising energy costs fed into substantial food price inflation; calls on the Commission to strengthen and more rigorously enforce competition law in order to ensure fair pricing and better protect consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 251

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21 b. Stresses the findings of the German Monopolkommission1a raising serious competition concerns, particularly in view of the high concentration and increasing vertical integration in the food retail sector; recalls that prices have remained high even after some cost pressures have eased, suggesting sustained price increases; urges the Commission to conduct sector inquiries in the food sector at EU level to examine trends in the various components of end consumer prices; calls on the Commission to adopt guidelines under Article 102 TFEU not only on anti-competitive abuses but also on exploitative abuses, including excessive or unfair prices, in order to improve legal certainty and make enforcement more effective in highly concentrated consumer markets;

_________________

1a Monopolkommission (2025). Wettbewerb in der Lebensmittellieferkette (Sondergutachten 84). https://www.monopolkommission.de/de/gutachten/sondergutachten/sondergutachten-auf-eigene-initiative/484-84-sondergutachten-wettbewerb-in-der-lebensmittellieferkette.html

Or. en

Amendment 252

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 21 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

21 c. Warns against the increasing concentration, interconnectedness, and complex ownership networks of the European financial sector; notes in this context the voluntary takeover offer launched by UniCredit for Commerzbank, and warns that their potential merger could further weaken competition, reinforce “too big to fail” dynamics and increase systemic risks for financial stability; calls on the Commission to apply strict merger control and, where necessary, structural remedies, and to ensure merger assessment includes economy-wide impacts and the effects of cumulative consolidation; further urges the Commission to ensure that competition policy plays a central role in tackling excessive concentration and reducing systemic risk linked to excessive financial power;

Or. en

Amendment 253

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; notes Netflix’s and Paramount’s interest in acquiring Warner Bros and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice and affordable prices; notes with concern Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and the growing consolidation in the cultural sector and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

Or. en

Amendment 254

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; notes Netflix’s and Paramount’s interest in acquiring Warner Bros and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

Or. en

Amendment 255

Isabel Benjumea Benjumea

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; notes Netflix’s and Paramount’s interest in acquiring Warner Bros and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

Or. es

Amendment 256

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; notes Netflix’s and Paramount’s interest in acquiring Warner Bros and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

22. Recalls that competition policy safeguards consumer choice and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

Or. en

Amendment 257

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22. Recalls that competition safeguards consumer choice; notes Netflix’s and Paramount’s interest in acquiring Warner Bros and calls for a thorough review of future audiovisual mergers;

22. Recalls that competition policy safeguards consumer choice and market diversity; calls on the Commission to apply rigorous merger control in the audiovisual and media sector;

Or. en

Amendment 258

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22 a. Underlines that over recent years the EU telecoms industry has seen increasing consolidation; highlights that more consolidated markets in Europe tend to be characterised by low levels of investment and that increasing consolidation often leads to higher prices1a and lower-quality services for EU consumers; rejects, therefore, any changes to Merger Guidelines that would accelerate consolidation in the EU telecoms sector:

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 259

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23. Notes that online platforms under the scope of the DMA have acquired nearly 700 smaller companies since 2000, while only 19 of these transactions were notified to the Commission, as most fell below the turnover-based notification thresholds; calls on the Commission to detect and prevent ‘killer acquisitions’ (i.e. when a company acquires control of an innovative company to eliminate them as a possible source of future competition), particularly in AI and other strategic sectors; reiterates its call on the Commission to consider the possibility to review the EU Merger Regulation to be able to examine mergers that fall below EU or national thresholds; urges the Member States to give national competition authorities ‘call in’ powers so they can review mergers and acquisitions, if this is not already the case;

Or. en

Amendment 260

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23. Calls on the Commission to detect and prevent ‘killer acquisitions’ (i.e. when a company acquires control of an innovative company to eliminate them as a possible source of future competition), particularly in AI and other strategic sectors; urges the Member States to give national competition authorities ‘call in’ powers so they can review mergers and acquisitions, if this is not already the case; upholds that a single market legal base should be added to the EU Merger Regulation in case of a review, so as to fully involve co-legislators, in a manner similar to that of the Digital Markets Act;

Or. en

Amendment 261

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23. Calls on the Commission to detect and prevent ‘killer acquisitions’ (i.e. when a company acquires control of an innovative company to eliminate them as a possible source of future competition), particularly in AI, pharma and other strategic sectors; recalls that past merger approvals have, in certain cases, contributed to creating structural dependencies in the market, especially in payments sector; urges the Member States to give national competition authorities ‘call in’ powers so they can review mergers and acquisitions, if this is not already the case;

Or. en

Amendment 262

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23. Calls on the Commission to detect and adapt regulation in order to prevent ‘killer acquisitions’ (i.e. when a company acquires control of an innovative company to eliminate them as a possible source of future competition), particularly in AI and other strategic sectors;

Or. en

Amendment 263

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23. Calls on the Commission to detect and prevent ‘killer acquisitions’ (i.e. when a company acquires control of an innovative company to eliminate them as a possible source of future competition), particularly in AI and other strategic sectors; urges the Member States to give national competition authorities ‘call in’ powers so they can review mergers and acquisitions, while ensuring legal certainty and avoiding undue burdens on SMEs and start-ups;

Or. en

Amendment 264

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23. Calls on the Commission to ensure effective detection and review of acquisitions of nascent competitors, particularly in digital, AI and pharmaceutical sectors; supports the introduction of a transaction-value threshold at EU level to capture such transactions, ensuring a coherent EU-wide framework; recalls that not all acquisitions of innovative companies are anticompetitive and that a balanced assessment based on evidence is required;

Or. en

Amendment 265

Jonás Fernández, César Luena

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 266

Antonio López-Istúriz White

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 a. Calls the Commission to adopt a symmetric standard of proof for the recognition of efficiencies to the standard of proof for harm aligned with the EUMR; notes that a dynamic, holistic and long-term approach will contribute to fully capture the procompetitive effects of mergers and value the effects adequately. To fully capture all socioeconomic benefits arising from a merger, the analysis must take account of all efficiencies, including out-of-market efficiencies;

Or. en

Amendment 267

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 a. Stresses that any consolidation in the banking sector should be assessed not only from a competitiveness perspective but also in light of its potential implications for financial stability, systemic risk and consumer choice; recalls the lessons of the financial crisis regarding excessive concentration and the risks associated with institutions considered “too big to fail”;

Or. en

Amendment 268

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 a. Notes that since 2000, online platforms now in the scope of the DMA, have bought nearly 700 companies and only 19 of the attempted acquisitions were notified to the European Commission; underlines, in this regard, that power in the digital market is concentrating in a handful of American companies;

Or. en

Amendment 269

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 a. Calls on the Commission to pursue a genuine and forward-looking reform of the Merger Guidelines, a reform that goes beyond mere clarification and codification of past practices, and instead supports the growth of European productivity vis-à-vis third countries;

Or. en

Amendment 270

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Subheading 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Competition policy in the culture and sport sector

Or. en

Amendment 271

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 a. Observes with concern that professional football has evolved from a social institution into an increasingly commercial market; calls on the Commission to fulfil its role as guardian of the Treaties in one of the EU’s most important social and economic sectors by actively monitoring and combating, at all levels, threats to value-based football in line with the European Sport Model; calls on the Commission to provide clear guidelines to ensure fair competition, in order to safeguard the European Sports Model in professional football;

Or. en

Amendment 272

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 b. Underlines the need for the Commission to update the standard of proof for recognising efficiencies, bringing it in line with the standard required to demonstrate harm; notes that a dynamic, forward-looking, long-term approach will better capture the pro-competitive effects of mergers and assess them adequately. To fully account for all socio-economic benefits from a merger, the analysis should include all efficiencies, including those outside the market;

Or. en

Amendment 273

Antonio López-Istúriz White

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 b. Calls on the Commission to develop a new remedies practice focused on investment commitments and encourages the Commission to also review the EU Remedies Notice; underlines that remedies should form an integral part of a new approach to merger analysis, in particular recognising the benefits of investment remedies contributing to the objectives of the EU to the benefit of consumers;

Or. en

Amendment 274

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 b. Acknowledges the increasing trend of foreign investment and ownership in European sport, and calls on the Commission to take into account the implications of this development when supporting efforts to safeguard the financial integrity and competitive balance of European sport; calls on the Commission to ensure strong enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation and to carefully assess potential distortions of the internal market, as well as the impact on the European values-based Sport Model;

Or. en

Amendment 275

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 c. Highlights that merger assessments should be conducted on a basis reflecting the economic and technological realities of each sector, including the need for an appropriate time horizon to evaluate market evolution and the effects of the merger. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach does not work in sectors with long investment cycles and delayed returns;

Or. en

Amendment 276

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 c. Highlights the continued expansion of multi-club ownership (MCO) structures, with 345 clubs linked to 139 investors by 2025 (compared with 29 in 2011); emphasises that over 40% of clubs in the top five leagues are now linked to private equity investors; notes that the investors are predominantly wealthy individuals, with US investors strongly represented and a growing focus on lower-league clubs, whilst MCO models remain largely limited in the US; emphasises that MCO structures pose a threat to integrity, undermine the identity of clubs, and encourage oversized squads, excessive player turnover and opaque financial dealings; notes that existing instruments to control investors in European professional football have proven inadequate in the face of cross-border ownership structures, sophisticated legal arrangements and limited enforcement; underlines that national regulations, such as the 50+1 rule, should be protected;

Or. en

Amendment 277

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 23 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

23 d. Stresses the rise of dynamic ticket pricing in the sports sector, which can impede accessibility to sports events in Europe and raise concerns regarding fairness for consumers; underlines that, pursuant to Article 102 TFEU, any use of algorithmic pricing by dominant market players that leads to unfair pricing or distorts competition would constitute an abuse of a dominant position; calls for close monitoring of market practices and compliance with EU competition rules, and emphasises the need for comprehensive, evidence-based studies to assess the overall impact of dynamic pricing on consumers; urges the Commission and Member States, in the interim, to seriously consider all regulatory options, including the prohibition of dynamic pricing at live sports and cultural events in the Digital Fairness Act, with a view to protecting consumers and upholding the social and public value of sport and culture;

Or. en

Amendment 278

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24. Welcomes the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF); calls for CISAF to be implemented in a way that ensures minimum burden on Member States and prevents them from engaging in subsidy races;

24. Notes the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) as a targeted instrument to support the energy transition and European industrial competitiveness; insists that CISAF be implemented in a manner that prevents subsidy races between Member States, avoids the further fragmentation of the single market, and ensures a genuine level playing field within the EU; calls for strict monitoring of cumulation risks and for State aid transparency to be improved, including through clearer public reporting on aid amounts and beneficiaries, in line with the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors;

Or. en

Amendment 279

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24. Welcomes the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF); stresses that CISAF implementation must contribute to the Union’s climate neutrality and energy objectives and avoid locking in fossil fuel dependencies; calls for CISAF to be implemented in a way that ensures minimum burden on Member States, prevents subsidy races, preserves the integrity of the internal market and includes strong safeguards on transparency, proportionality and environmental effectiveness;

Or. en

Amendment 280

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24. Welcomes the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF), which delivers on simplifying and accelerating processes, and steering more money to decarbonisation and clean industries; calls for CISAF to be implemented in a way that ensures minimum burden on Member States and prevents them from engaging in subsidy races;

Or. en

Amendment 281

Marco Squarta

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24. Welcomes the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF); calls for CISAF to be implemented in a way that should remain targeted and proportionate and ensure minimum burden on Member States and safeguard them from preventive distortive subsidy races;

Or. en

Amendment 282

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24. Notes the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF); calls for CISAF to be implemented in a way that ensures minimum burden on Member States and prevents them from engaging in subsidy races or undermining level-playing-field;

Or. en

Amendment 283

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 a. Reiterates that State aid rules should ensure that any public support granted is consistent with Union law and principles enshrined in the Treaties and does not have harmful impacts on the climate, the environment or social rights; calls on the Commission to ensure the application of the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle to all forms of State aid and assess the introduction of measurable and enforceable social, environmental and tax conditionalities, including requirements on decarbonisation, biodiversity protection, and incentives in line with Union policy objectives; encourages Member States to consider, in a non-discriminatory way, including measurable and enforceable conditions related to environmental protection, workers’ rights and tax compliance, for granting aid; reiterates its call for companies that are based on third-country tax havens to be excluded from public procurement and from receiving State aid; stresses that greater transparency and accountability in the use of public funds are essential to ensure clarity on the allocation, beneficiaries and impact of State aid;

Or. en

Amendment 284

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 a. Points out that State aid is increasingly used to support industrial policy objectives; notes the divergent fiscal abilities of Member States and warns that fragmented State aid creates an uneven playing field; calls on the Commission to monitor these effects; calls on the Commission and Member States not to engage in a subsidy competition; concludes that temporary State aid frameworks have failed to prevent further fragmentation; calls for stricter State aid notification monitoring and enhanced State aid reporting and transparency in line with the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors;

Or. en

Amendment 285

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that any temporary crisis- or transition-related State aid framework remains strictly exceptional, targeted and time-limited; stresses that such frameworks should be accompanied by clear sunset clauses and ex post evaluations of their long-term effects on competition, investment location and the integrity of the single market; recalls, in this regard, the risk identified by the European Court of Auditors that such frameworks may encourage subsidy races between Member States and lead to distortions within the internal market4a;

_________________

4a Special report 21/2024: State aid in times of crisis – Swift reaction but shortcomings in the Commission’s monitoring and inconsistencies in the framework to support the EU’s industrial policy objectives, p.46-50

Or. en

Amendment 286

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 a. Considers that any State aid granted should be consistent with EU policy objectives such as the Green Deal and the Pillar of Social Rights; calls for companies that engage in tax avoidance using third-country tax havens to be excluded from public procurement procedures and barred from receiving State aid, as these companies are competing under unfair conditions with companies established in non-tax havens; calls on the Commission to investigate the lack of harmonisation of clawback mechanisms in Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 287

Pierre Pimpie

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 a. Recalls that the channelling of State aid towards green industries has contributed to the decline of European undertakings relative to their global competitors;

Or. en

Amendment 288

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 a. Recalls that moving into a low-carbon economy requires supportive industrial policies;

Or. en

Amendment 289

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 b. Notes that CISAF much like the Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 (CEEAG) continues to enable fossil fuel subsidies, notes that this is at odds with the 8th environmental action programme and the EUs international commitments, calls upon the Commission to continue its efforts to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies in view of reducing fossil fuel dependencies, notes that CISAF has missed the opportunity to increase environmental safeguards in State aid also compared to the CEEAG, notably because of the lacking horizontal applicability of the Do No Significant Harm Principle and the lacking requirement to organise national public consultations for large aid amounts for decarbonisation;

Or. en

Amendment 290

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 b. Underlines the need for a thorough analysis of State aid, particularly for companies operating in strategic sectors such as energy, technology, and innovation; stresses the importance of ensuring the effectiveness of State aid in agriculture, logistics, and transport;

Or. en

Amendment 291

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24 c. Highlights the role of State aid as a tool to reduce economic disparities between the most developed EU regions and islands, inland areas, outermost regions, economically disadvantaged zones, and all parts of the EU affected by natural constraints; calls for greater flexibility and fewer restrictions on State aid for the EU’s islands and more vulnerable regions;

Or. en

Amendment 292

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness;

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness, and ensure that exempted aid categories remain fully aligned with the European Green Deal objectives, in particularly supporting the ecological transition of the companies' beneficiaries of different kind of aid;

Or. en

Amendment 293

Andreas Schwab

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness;

25. Notes that more than three quarters of State aid is concentrated in only two Member States, highlighting risks of fragmentation and an uneven level playing field in the internal market; expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness;

Or. en

Amendment 294

Enikő Győri

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness;

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness; stresses that the review should be well grounded and duly take into account the feedback received during the public consultation and the call for evidence;

Or. en

Amendment 295

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness;

25. Expects the review of the General Block Exemption Regulation to modernise and simplify State aid rules in order to reduce red tape and boost the EU’s competitiveness; welcomes the opening of the public consultation to collect input on the scope and content of the review;

Or. en

Amendment 296

Jussi Saramo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25 a. Recalls that State aid should always be tied to social conditionality to ensure a just transition; underlines that State aid recipients must always engage in collective bargaining processes;

Or. en

Amendment 297

Pierre Pimpie

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 298

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support the provision of decent, sustainable, and affordable housing in a faster and more efficient way, while ensuring greater flexibility to support national investments; underlines that Member States, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, should have the discretionary power to support such measures according to their local, regional, or national needs; stresses the importance of an ex-ante, country-by-country impact assessment of any proposed changes to the rules SGEIs;

Or. en

Amendment 299

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised Decision on Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects; calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of the revised SGEI Decision and to assess whether the thresholds and conditions are sufficiently flexible to meet Member States' needs; calls for simplified notification procedures for SGEI-related State aid measures that do not present significant competition risks;

Or. en

Amendment 300

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable and sustainable housing projects, stresses that such support should prioritise energy-efficient, affordable and socially inclusive housing, contribute to the eradication of homelessness, reduction of energy poverty and vulnerability and comply with Union climate and environmental objectives;

Or. en

Amendment 301

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects also for middle-income households;

Or. en

Amendment 302

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26. Welcomes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

26. Notes the adoption of a revised SGEI Decision to enable Member States to support affordable housing projects;

Or. en

Amendment 303

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26 a. Stresses the importance of transparency and robust monitoring in State aid enforcement; notes the European Court of Auditors' findings (Special Report 21/2024) identifying shortcomings in the Commission's monitoring of State aid in times of crisis; calls on the Commission to strengthen ex-post monitoring and evaluation of State aid measures, to improve public reporting on aid beneficiaries and amounts, and to ensure that temporary crisis frameworks include clear sunset clauses and monitoring obligations; underlines that State aid must remain an exception, not the rule, and that its use must be anchored in competition-neutral public interest objectives;

Or. en

Amendment 304

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26 a. Notes that preferential tax arrangements, including so-called “sweetheart deals”, may distort competition and undermine the level playing field in the single market; invites the Commission to assess whether the current recovery and allocation framework provides appropriate incentives to prevent such practices, and recalls that addressing them contributes to broader efforts to combat aggressive tax planning and tax haven practices;

Or. en

Amendment 305

Thomas Bajada

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26 a. Requests the Commission to evaluate whether it is necessary to establish a minimum level of guaranteed aviation and maritime connectivity for peripheral island Member States and Regions to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people; notes that such guarantees may be facilitated through negotiated and mutually agreed state aid within the framework of a public service obligation concession;

Or. en

Amendment 306

Marco Falcone

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26 a. Invites the Commission to assess the impact of market concentrations in the real estate sector and related markets, such as construction and property management, to ensure that effective competition helps contain prices and improve access to housing;

Or. en

Amendment 307

Markus Ferber

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 27

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

27. Deplores the lack of information it receives on the revision and implementation of competition rules; insists it receives all the information it requires in a timely manner and is fully involved in the revision and implementation of competition rules;

27. Deplores the lack of engagement by the responsible Commissioner with the Parliament's responsible committee; calls for structured and regular dialogue between the Commission and the European Parliament on competition policy, including on the review and implementation of competition rules; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament's competent committee with timely and comprehensive information on significant enforcement decisions, legislative proposals, and major soft-law instruments; calls for the conclusion of a practical arrangement or interinstitutional agreement to formalise Parliament's role in competition policy oversight, including advance consultation on priority-setting for guidelines and frameworks;

Or. en

Amendment 308

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 28 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

28 a. Stresses that Parliament should be sufficiently involved in shaping competition policy and cautions for the over-reliance on soft-law instruments such as guidance and temporary frameworks in which the Parliament’s involvement is limited; calls on the Commission to enter into negotiation for an interinstitutional agreement on competition policy; invites the European Council to adopt a decision under Article 48(7)(2) TEU allowing for the adoption of legislative acts in the area of competition policy in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure;

Or. en

Amendment 309

Rasmus Andresen

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29. Promotes the exchange of best practice in international forums, such as the International Competition Network and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Competition Committee; deplores missed opportunities as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States, calls on the Commission to develop a strategy for the Union to take a leading role at international level in promoting effective competition and tackling concentrated market power;

Or. en

Amendment 310

Adnan Dibrani, Jonás Fernández, Niels Fuglsang, Aurore Lalucq, Eero Heinäluoma, Lara Wolters, Thomas Bajada, César Luena, Irene Tinagli, Nikos Papandreou

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 311

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 – indent 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– Other aspects

Or. en

Amendment 312

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 a. Stresses that unjustified geo-blocking and other restrictions on cross-border access to goods and services, like those associated with payment restrictions across borders, continue to fragment the single market, limit consumer choice, reduce competition and prevent businesses, in particular SMEs, from scaling up across the Union; underlines that effective enforcement of the Geo-blocking Regulation, together with efforts to reduce underlying regulatory fragmentation between Member States, is necessary to ensure a genuine level playing field and to support competition, market integration and European competitiveness;

Or. en

Amendment 313

Fernando Navarrete Rojas

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 b. Welcomes Mario Draghi’s proposal for a ‘new competition tool’ as a flexible market investigation tool designed to address structural competition problems where traditional case-by-case enforcement may be too slow or ill-suited; considers that such a tool should focus in particular on persistent barriers to entry and expansion, including harmful network effects, lack of interoperability, restricted data portability, closed ecosystems and exclusive control over key datasets, with the aim of restoring contestability, incentivising innovation and broadening market participation across value chains1a;

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1a The future of European competitiveness Part B | In-depth analysis and recommendations,Chapter 3-Sustaining Investment. p-283

Or. en