The EU must guarantee affordable transport to its insular peripheral regions

Maltese MEP and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that the EU must guarantee affordable transport in all its regions, especially for the insular, peripheral and sparsely populated regions of the EU when submitting various amendments for the EP Annual Report on Competition Policy in his role as Shadow Rapporteur for the S&D. Dr Sant, speaking at the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), pointed out the issues of liberalisation in the transport sector, the issues of competition in the digital world and Google, freedom of online travel agents to sell flight tickets without imposed barriers to trade, transparent separation of powers within the Commission’s DG Competition, and competition in the food sector and agriculture.
The Maltese MEP expressed his satisfaction that important sectors are clearly getting recognition, through both the text proposed by the Rapporteur ALDE MEP Ramon Tremosa, together with his tabled amendments. The Report is expected to be voted in Plenary during the March session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
“Transport remains vital for the economic survival of the different regions and communities in Europe. We should be wary of pursuing the opening up of the markets, just for the sake of liberalisation. Allowing private entries should not be an end in itself. We need to assure that this service of basic economic interest is guaranteed at affordable prices, in all the regions of the EU. This applies especially for insular, peripheral, and sparsely populated regions of the EU, and is of course in my view being reflected in the compromises being drawn up by the Rapporteur. When analysing liberalisation options, we need to make sure that all social standards are respected, for the sake of those working in the sector, as well as consumers. Sadly, there are experiences that have very often shown other results.”

Dr Sant said amendments regarding Google feature prominently.
“We need to talk about it in a clear way, in a rational way. We cannot just ignore it because ignoring it would be ignoring the elephant in the room.”
The Maltese MEP said that online travel agencies are complaining of being ousted from the market. This is due to the imposition by certain airlines of surcharges or restricted access to information for those using booking channels other than their own. The current revision of the Regulation on safeguarding competition in air transport should also tackle this issue. Appropriate legislative vehicles should prevent anticompetitive behaviour in ticket distribution with the aim of having cheaper flights for air travellers in Europe.
Dr Sant referred to the issue of dedicating enough resources to the Commission’s DG Competition.
“I agree that attention should be given to reallocate the needed resources to the European Commission on this point. I also believe that this should go hand-in-hand with a strict and transparent separation between the departments that draw up guidelines, and those that have the responsibility to apply those guidelines in specific cases. We need to avoid a situation in which the Competition DG acts as the prosecutor, the judge, the jury and the executioner.”
The Maltese MEP also referred to the area of agriculture. “We are too often hearing of the huge discrepancy that exists, between the food prices being offered to the end consumer, and the price being offered to farmers for their products. I am glad that this is being tackled, both through my amendments and the compromises. I support EU action that keeps in mind the survival of small-scale farmers and the welfare of end consumers alike. From my side and the side of the S&D, the most crucial point is to safeguard the weakest link in the competition chain. This is being reflected in our amendments to this Report.” remarked the Maltese MEP.
You may view Dr Sant’s intervention in this link:

Maltese Version – ALFRED SANT FAVUR TRASPORT BI PREZZIJIET RAĠJONEVOLI FIR-REĠJUNI INSULARI U FIL-PERIFERIJA TAL-UE

L-UE għandha tiggarantixxi trasport bi prezzijiet raġjonevoli fir-reġjuni kollha tagħha, speċjalment f’dawk insulari, fil-periferija u f’reġjuni b’popolazzjonijiet żgħar fl-Unjoni. Dan qalu Alfred Sant waqt li ressaq l-emendi tiegħu tar-Rapport Annwali tal-Parlament Ewropew dwar il-Politika tal-Kompetizzjoni bħala Shadow Rapporteur għall-S&D fil-Kumitat Ekonomiku u tal-Affarijiet Monetarji tal-Parlament Ewropew (ECON). Dr Sant daħħal emendi dwar il-liberalizzazzjoni fis-settur tat-trasport, il-kwistjonijiet tal-kompetizzjoni fid-dinja diġitali, dwar Google, il-liberta` biex aġenti tal-ivvjaġġar ‘online’ ibigħu biljetti tal-ajru bla xkiel, is-separazzjoni ċara tal-poteri tad-Direttorat Ġenerali tal-Kompetizzjoni, u l-kompetizzjoni fis-settur tal-ikel u fl-agrikoltura.
L-Ewroparlamentari esprima s-sodisfazzjon li setturi importanti qed jingħataw rikonoxximent permezz tal-proposti tar-Rapporteur tal-Grupp Politiku ALDE Ramon Tremosa u bl-emendi li ressaq. Ir-rapport mistenni jitla’ għall-vot waqt il-plenarja ta’ Marzu fil-Parlament Ewropew fi Strasburgu.
“It-trasport jibqa’ vitali għall-għixien ekonomiku ta’ reġjuni u komunitajiet differenti fl-Ewropa. Id-dħul ta’ entitajiet privati ma għandux ikun għan fih innifsu biex sempliċiment niftħu s-swieq. Għandna niżguraw li dan is-servizz ta’ interess ekonomiku bażiku jkun garantit bi prezzijiet raġjonevoli, fir-reġjuni kollha tal-UE. Dan japplika speċjalment għal reġjuni insulari, fil-periferija u b’popolazzjoni żgħira. Fl-opinjoni tiegħi dan qed jiġi rifless fil-kompromessi li tfasslu mir-Rapporteur. Meta nanalizzaw l-għażliet waqt il-liberalizzazzjoni, irridu niżguraw li l-livelli soċjali kollha jkunu rrispettati, f’ġieħ dawk li jaħdmu fis-settur u f’ġieħ il-konsumaturi. Sfortunatament, kellna esperjenzi li spiss urew riżultati differenti.”

Dr Sant qal li l-emendi dwar Google jidhru b’mod prominenti.

“Irridu nitkellmu dwar Google b’mod ċar, b’mod razzjonali. Ma nistgħux ninjorawh għax b’hekk inkunu qegħdin ninjoraw l-iljunfant fil-kamra.”
L-Ewroparlamentari qal li l-aġenziji tal-ivvjaġġar ‘online’ qed jilmentaw li qed jitwarrbu mis-suq. Dan huwa dovut għall-impożizzjoni ta’ ċerti linji tal-ajru li jżidu ħlasijiet addizzjonali jew jillimitaw l-informazzjoni għal dawk li ma jibbukkjawx minn siti tagħhom. Ir-reviżjoni attwali tar-Regolazzjoni dwar il-ħarsien tal-kompetizzjoni fit-trasport tal-ajru wkoll għandha titratta din il-kwistjoni. Leġiżlazzjoni adattata għandha tevita aġir mhux kompetittiv fid-distribuzzjoni tal-biljetti bl-għan li l-biljetti tal-ajru jkunu orħos għall-vjaġġaturi kollha fl-Ewropa.
Dr Sant qal li d-Direttorat tal-Kompetizzjoni tal-Kummissjoni għandu jingħata biżżejjed riżorsi.
“Naqbel li l-Kummissjoni Ewropea tingħata r-riżorsi meħtieġa u jkun hemm separazzjoni stretta u trasparenti bejn id-dipartimenti li jfasslu l-linji gwida, u dawk li jimplimentawhom f’każijiet speċifiċi. Għandna nevitaw sitwazzjonijiet fejn id-Direttorat Ġenerali tal-Kompetizzjoni jkun il-prosekutur, l-imħallef, il-ġurija u dak li jeżegwixxi.”
Dr Sant tkellem ukoll dwar il-biedja. “Ta’ sikwit qed nisimgħu dwar id-diskrepanzi li jeżistu bejn il-prezzijiet tal-ikel li qed ikun offrut lill-konsumatur, u l-prezzijiet li qed jingħataw il-bdiewa għal prodotti tagħhom. Sodisfatt li dan qed ikun indirizzat, kemm permezz tal-emendi tiegħi kif ukoll permezz tal-kompromessi li sibna. Nappoġġja azzjonijiet tal-UE li jaħsbu fl-għixien tal-bdiewa ta’ skala żgħira u fil-ħarsien tal-konsumaturi bl-istess mod. Min-naħa tiegħi u tal-S&D, l-aktar punt kruċjali huwa dak li nħarsu lil min hu l-aktar dgħajjef fiċ-ċirku tal-kompetizzjoni. Dan huwa rifless fl-emendi tagħna f’dan ir-Rapport.” saħaq l-Ewroparlamentari.
Tista’ ssegwi l-intervent ta’ Dr Sant fuq din il-link.