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European Economic and Social Committee
CES2379-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD
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Brussels, 6 May 2013
PLENARY SESSION17 AND 18 APRIL 2013
SUMMARY OF OPINIONS ADOPTED
This document is available in the official languages on the Committee's website at:
The opinions listed can be consulted online using the Committee's search engine:
CES2379-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD
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Contents:
1.ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE/FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
2.INTERNAL MARKET/RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
3.AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT AND FISHERIES
4.TRANSPORT
5.ENERGY
6.EXTERNAL RELATIONS
The mid-term renewal (2013–2015) of Committee bodies and structures and the election of its president, Mr Henri Malosse, and its two vice-presidents, Ms Jane Morrice and Mr Hans-Joachim Wilms, took place during the plenary session.
The following opinions were adopted at the session:
1.ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE/FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
- The fight against tax fraud and tax evasion
Rapporteur:Petru Sorin Dandea (Employees–RO)
Reference: COM(2012) 722 final – CES101-2013_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The EESC:
- endorses the Commission's plan and supports its efforts to find practical solutions as regards reducing tax fraud and tax evasion;
- finds that real progress is possible only if the Member States devote more attention to enhancing the efficiency of their tax administrations, equipping them with sufficient financial and human resources, while ensuring better coordination between them;
- recommends that the Commission and the Council include the issues of tax fraud, tax evasion and aggressive tax planning in the annual growth surveys and the European semester;
- welcomes the Commission’s proposals to blacklist jurisdictions that operate as tax havens and calls for common criteria to be established at EU level for identifying such jurisdictions. Such blacklisting should also cover jurisdictions belonging to Member States and companies operating in those jurisdictions;
- believes that the Commission could complement the blacklisting proposals with sanctions for companies such as exclusion from public contracts, EU funding and state aid;
- believes that aggressive tax planning is an inherently immoral practice that significantly affects the functioning of the internal market and distorts the fairness of tax systems vis-à-vis taxpayers;
- recognises the importance of the efforts made by the Commission to negotiate agreements on good tax governance with neighbouring countries welcomes the Commission's decision to explore the possibility of introducing a European TIN (tax identification number);
- reiterates its call to the Member States to harmonise the indirect taxation system and encourages the Commission to put forward proposals in this area.
Contacts:Gerald Klec
(Tel: 00 32 2 546 9909 - email: )
Siegfried Jantscher
(Tel: 00 32 2 546 8287 - email: )
2.INTERNAL MARKET/RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
- Technical textiles
Rapporteur: Emmanuelle Butaud-Stubbs(Employers–FR)
Co-rapporteur: Ingeborg Niestroy (Cat. 3–DE)
Reference: Own-initiative opinion – CES1966-2012_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The sector of technical textiles which registered positive economic and employment trends in the EU is an example of "traditional sectors" able to "reinvent itself" on new business model fully suited to the needs of the new industrial revolution (more smart, more inclusive and more sustainable).
Textile Materials and Technologies are key innovations that could respond to a huge variety of societal challenges. Technical textiles are enablers in other industries by proposing and offering:
alternative materials: light-weight, flexible, soft, (multi) functional, durable;
new technologies: flexible, continuous, versatile;
functional components reliable, multi-functional, cost-effective, user-friendly parts of larger technology systems and solutions.
The European Economic and Social Committee draws the attention of the European Commission and of the European Parliament to the major factors of success that need to be encouraged in order to foster the growth of this promising sector:
to put in place at national and EU levels simple and efficient means aiming at encouraging and financing technological and non technological innovation;
to support all the necessary efforts enabling the work force to upgrade its qualification and to adapt its skills to the growing markets (health, construction, transports, cosmetics ...);
to include in relevant EU R&D programmes a textile component, with the aim offostering the substitution of traditional materials such as steel and cement by more sustainable textiles materials, and to strengthen research of recycling of these materials as well as in the evolving area of the "CO2 economy" (CO2 as resource);
to take into account the effect of any increase of energy cost on high energy intensive companies in the EU operating for instance in the non woven and composites manufacturing;
to support industry in conducting life-cycle assessments in order to demonstrate the environmental sustainability of the products.
Contact:Eleonora di Nicolantonio
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 9454 - email: Eleonora.diNicolantonio @eesc.europa.eu)
- Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council – Strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises
Rapporteur:Aurel Laurentiu Plosceanu (Employers–RO)
Co-rapporteur:Enrico Gibellieri (Cat. 2–IT)
Reference:COM(2012) 433 final – CES2295-2012_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The EESC considers the construction sector to be a vital player in bringing down the EU's demand for energy. The construction sector does not need direct financial support such as subsidies, but a proper policy and regulatory framework. Investment in sustainable buildings and infrastructure is necessary in order to secure Europe's future growth and job prospects.
Investment in sustainable buildings and vital infrastructure should be seen as a strategic contributor to future economic growth and jobs.
There is a huge potential to reduce demand for energy through renovating the EU's ageing building stock. Countries have to ensure that adequate financial and fiscal incentives are in place to drive the market towards greater energy savings.
Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment in commercial transactions must be properly enforced to ensure the survival of companies. The EESC recommends that a 30 day payment period should be the maximum permitted for invoice payments (including acceptance and verification).
Financial prudential rules such as those put forward under the Basel III agreement should not lead to a further curb in lending by banks to the real economy.
The Action Plan should also include strategies to stabilise employment and fight unlawful practices such as false self-employment in the sector.
Circumventing the rules and social obligations distorts the construction market. A level playing field for competition must therefore be secured.
The EESC calls on the European institutions and the Members States to strengthen policies and take concrete actions against the influence of corruption and criminal organisations on public tenders mainly on large infrastructure projects.
The promotion of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (instead of the "lowest price"), as well as a consistent approach to rejecting abnormally low tenders are essential pillars of efficient and fair competition.
Contact:
(Tel. : 00 32 2 546 8628 - email: )
- Promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU
Rapporteur: AntonelloPezzini (Employers–IT)
Co-rapporteur: Nicola Konstantinou (Cat. 2–EL)
Reference: Referral – COM(2012) 537 final – CES2377-2012_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The Committee believes that for Europe culture and creativity are:
the cornerstone of the values underpinning EU identity and its social market economy model;
a winning combination in terms of high-quality local, regional, national and EU economic, social and production-related development;
key elements of comparative advantage in terms of European added value in the design;
development, production and consumption of tangible and intangible assets;
a key contributor to competitiveness across all economic and social sectors;
a source of rich potential in terms of more, better jobs;
an international calling card advertising the EU's prestige and originality throughout the world.
The EESC believes that a medium-to-long-term strategy is needed to provide the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) with a sound and well-integrated social dimension.
The Committee also calls for:
a technological dimension with creative added value;
a dimension relating to territorial dialogue with civil society;
an international dimension to a creative and cultural Europe;
a financial and credit access dimension.
The EESC calls on the Commission to carry out a detailed review of the application of the Community acquis to the CCS, and proposes that the Commission look into possibilities and arrangements for holding a broad creative and cultural stakeholders forum in order to better identify all those operating in the field and set out the key points of a medium-to-long-term strategic action plan. The Committee calls for specific initiatives to be launched forthwith to combat precarious forms of work in the CCS, to ensure fair working conditions for all workers in the sector, particularly those carrying out freelance or atypical subcontracted activities, especially intermittent work, and to secure safe and equal access to digital networks for all.
The EESC draws the Commission's attention to the need to adapt the regulatory framework to the specific needs of the CCS, particularly in the area of intellectual property, cutting red tape in the fields of administration and taxation, and equal VAT treatment of print and digital communications, especially for the sector's small businesses.
The EESC calls for reflection on the need to put in place citizen-centred structures for dialogue with civil society, taking advantage of the European Year of Citizens.
Contact:Eleonora di Nicolantonio
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 9454 - email: )
3. AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT AND FISHERIES
- Ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy/Community control system (amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 )
Rapporteur-general: Gabriel Sarró Iparraguirre (Various Interests–ES)
Reference:COM(2013) 9 final – 2013/0007 (COD)
CES1637-2013_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
Having analysed the proposal, the EESC considers that at least the aspects of any measure on:
prior notification and transhipment;
the adoption of changes to the way and frequency for data transmission to the Commission for quotas and fishing effort;
exemptions for certain fleets from the obligation to submit sales notes;
the adoption of rules on stowage plans and;
the determination of fisheries subject to specific control and inspection programmes.
should not, given their importance, be adopted by delegated acts but by implementing acts.
Contact:Arturo Iniguez
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 8768 – email: )
- Classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (category C)
Reference: COM(2013) 102 final -2013/0062 (COD)
CESE 2472 fin -2013/0062 (COD)– CES2472-2013_00_00_TRA_AC
Contact:Jakob Andersen
(Tel.: 00 322 546 9258 – email: )
4.TRANSPORT
- The EU's external aviation policy – Addressing future challenges (communication)
Rapporteur:Thomas McDonogh (Employers–IE)
Reference:COM(2012) 556 final – CES12503-2012_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The Committee welcomes the proposal of the Commission and is fully supportive of an ambitious agenda in the area of aviation. In particular, the EESC is keen to see rapid progress towards an enlarged Single Aviation Area encompassing the Union's neighbourhood countries as this would offer development opportunities to secondary and regional EU airports due to the geographical proximity of these markets and their significant economic growth.
The Committee also supports the Commission's call for an equal level playing-field and the abolition of distortive factors in the worldwide airline industry. Finally, there is real urgency for a European policy action in favour of new investments in airport capacity, if the EU is to avoid losing even more of its competitiveness by comparison with other regions experiencing higher growth figures in the aviation business.
Contact:Martin Schneider
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 8270 – email: )
- European GNSS Agency (amending Regulation (EU) No 912/2010)
Rapporteur:Antonello Pezzini (Employers–IT)
Reference:COM(2013) 40 final – 2013/0022 (COD)
CES1282-2013_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The Committee welcomes the initiative to adapt the structures of the EU's global navigation satellite system agency in order to ensure the full independence of its bodies and a clear separation of accreditation and security activities from other activities. The Committee thinks that the new framework of independence and cooperation within the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is adequate, and believes that construction of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centres should be accelerated. The Committee thus deems it important, in order to assess whether the solution adopted is in fact the best one possible, that the actual implementation of the functional structures put in place be monitored on an ongoing basis and that the Commission present regular substantiated reports in this regard.
The Committee highlights again the key role played by the European satellite navigation programmes EGNOS and Galileo as a driver for innovation and competitiveness for the benefit of the public. Strong leadership and strategic independence should be maintained for the future of Europe. In the Committee's view, the EU should realise that the objectives achieved in terms of the sustainable and peaceful integration and development of the Member States should enable the resources saved to be devoted to the accelerated development of major joint projects such as Galileo, GMES and ITER, which are competitive at global level. The Committee expresses therefore its deep disappointment regarding the European Council's decision on 19 February 2013 to reduce the financial allocation for Galileo in the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020, and urges the EU institutions, and in particular the European Parliament, to review this decision, and at the same time to step up their commitment to GMES and ITER.
The Committee expresses strong reservations about offloading existing research and innovation support activities – carried out to date by the Commission – onto agencies, and calls on it to take more account of the positive experiences here to date.
Contact:Nuno Quental
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 9347 – email: )
- Single European Sky II+ (exploratory opinion at the request of the Commission)
Rapporteur:Jacek Krawczyk (Employers–PL)
Reference:CES12504-2012_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The EESC is pleading for the full and swift implementation of the Single European Sky (SES) as an inherent part of European policy action for further strengthening the European single market and improving the EU's competitiveness and growth. The continuing crisis in the aviation sector and particularly in the airline industry calls even more for bringing European Air Traffic Management (ATM) services to an efficiency level that is comparable with global best practices.
The EESC regrets that most Member States have so far failed to comply with the SES performance targets and that most of the Functional Airspace Block (FAB) initiative failed to deliver by the legally binding deadline of 4 December 2012.
In this difficult context, the Committee welcomes the Commission's plan to give further impetus to the SES through a new so-called SES II+ initiative. While the EESC considers the existing EU Regulations from 2004 and 2009 sufficient and would like to see the Commission focusing on implementation and enforcement measures rather than issuing new legislation, the Committee proposes to add stronger top down components to the current inefficient bottom-up approach, strengthen and enlarge social dialogue in aviation, define penalties for non-compliance, open ancillary ATM services to competition and market forces, and better involve airspace users.
Contact:Martin Schneider
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 8270 – email: )
- Occurrence reporting in civil aviation amending Regulation (EU) No996/2010 and repealing Directive No 2003/42/EC, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1321/2007 and Commission Regulation (EC) No1330/2007
Rapporteur:Raymond Hencks (Employees–LU)
Reference:COM(2012) 776 final – 2012/0361 (COD)
CES926-2013_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The Committee congratulates the Commission on the proposed measures to prevent accidents in civil aviation and on strengthening flows of information on occurrences or incidents. The EESC considers that for the new reporting system to function its sole objective should be the prevention of accidents and incidents, and not the attribution of blame or liability, and it should be implemented in the context of a "Just Culture" which shields the employees concerned from any proceedings brought against them by their employer and protects them from any prejudice or legal action for involuntary errors, except in the case of willful gross negligence.
The Committee has reservations about the new measure whereby reporters would be able to forward their report either to their employer or to the competent public authority as it sees a potential danger to ensuring neutrality and avoiding any interference by the employer in the record of facts drawn up by the reporter. Finally, the EESC proposes that procedures be established to integrate passengers into the flow of information on occurrences to be reported.
Contact:Martin Schneider
(Tel.: 00 32 2 546 8270 – email: )
5.ENERGY
- Quality of petrol and diesel fuels/promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (amending Directive 98/70/EC and 2009/28/EC)
Rapporteur:Lutz Ribbe (Various Interests–DE)
Reference:COM(2012) 595 final – 2012/0288 (COD)
CES2363/2012_00_00_TRA_AC
Key points:
The EESC welcomes the Commission's proposal to limit "conventional biofuels" to a share of 5%, but does not think that the overall approach is consistent as it appears to pose several risks in relation to the policy goal of a greater use of residual products, by-products and waste products in fuel production. In particular, the EESC disagrees with the Commission's decision to base the measuring of land-use change (ILUC) exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions. Issues such as security of supply and the finite nature of fossil resources do not seem fit into this equation and, as a result, ILUC does not measure up as a policy of sustainability.
The EESC also considers that biofuels cannot be a lasting solution for the current widespread over-consumption of energy as their limited availability does not make them more than a temporary solution and they should not distract attention from the unavoidable need to reduce the amount of energy we consume, regardless of where that energy comes from.
The Committee pleads for an enhanced cultivation of oil plants in Europe as they produce both protein feed and plant oil. It calls on the Commission to take into account the energy loss in conversion processes and to promote electromobility as a transport alternative clearly in sight.