Competition policy. 33rd report 2003

 The committee adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Jonathan EVANS(EPP-ED, UK) in response to the Commission's 33rd annual report on competition policy (2003). The committee congratulated former Commissioner Mario MONTI for the progress made during his time in office and welcomed many of the steps aimed at modernising EU competition policy.

MEPs urged that the limited number of cases in which the Commission's decisions have been set aside by the Court of Justice should not be seen as undermining confidence in the overall system of analysis and enforcement. They were concerned, however, at the continuing failure to achieve full liberalisation of the EU gas and electricity markets, and called for further progress in relation to the motor vehicle repair market.

The committee set out its belief that the effective application of competition policy is an essential tool to achieve an efficient market structure which operates in the interests of consumers and has a positive and significant impact upon their daily lives. It also suggested that the Commission should produce clearer guidelines on when to consider the state of competition in a particular sector across the internal market as a whole rather than particular parts of it.

MEPs added that the European Parliament should have a more proactive role in the development of competition policy through codecision, and regretted that this had not been included in the draft Constitution.