Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-04-Speech-4-023"
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"en.20000504.2.4-023"2
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"Mr President, I would like to start by saying, on behalf of the Commission, how delighted I am with the very detailed and well thought through report that Mrs Fourtou has compiled and which, as the Commission sees it, adopts a stance on many of the points which supports the solutions put forward in the Green Paper. Mr De Clercq has just said that it is a sound report. I would like to echo that, and so, on behalf of the Commission, I would like to thank Mrs Fourtou.
It is to be welcomed that the Commission can count on Parliament’s support when it comes to taking concrete measures pursuant to the Green Paper. I would like to briefly go into the context and the most important phases of the consultation procedure and would like to say, in this connection, that the Green Paper on combating counterfeiting and piracy is of great importance to the smooth functioning of the single market. An amendment has been tabled to this effect, Amendment No 6 that is, and I would like to go into this in greater detail. As far as Amendment No 6 is concerned, I would like you to know that the Commission does not support the reintroduction of controls at the Community’s internal borders. The single market is now an unqualified success and there is no reason to impede the smooth functioning of the single market. The Commission does agree, however, that we must step up and improve the fight against counterfeiting and piracy, although it takes the view that there are other ways of achieving this goal rather than through the reintroduction of controls at the internal borders. Mrs Fourtou’s report contains a number of interesting measures, for example, for strengthening mutual assistance between the Member States, imposing heavier penalties and improving civil measures and procedures. I say that with particular reference to the comments made by Mrs Thomas-Mauro, who defended Amendment No 6 on this matter, and I am bound to advise her that the Commission cannot support the amendment.
Mr President, as you are aware, counterfeiting and piracy have become a widespread phenomenon over the past ten years, with a global impact, and this has been echoed by various speakers this morning. Such activities damage recognised trade and distort competition, particularly when, at the same time, advantage is taken of the disparities in protective measures between the Member States. What is more, criminal organisations seem to be becoming increasingly involved in the trade in counterfeit products and those obtained through piracy, and this is causing the business community to lose confidence in the single market, leading, in turn, to a decline in investment. If we want the single market to be successful, then it is absolutely essential for inventors, research institutes, artists and large and small enterprises to have confidence in the Community’s ability to safeguard their interests effectively. We need to tackle counterfeiting and piracy for the sake of innovation, employment and competitiveness in Europe, and that too has been emphasised more than once by those attending your sitting, Mr President, and also by Mrs Fourtou in her report. It is also important from the point of view of public health and safety. Counterfeiting can have serious consequences where pharmaceutical products, toys and automobile spare parts are concerned, and that is why the Commission has decided to tackle this problem and propose a number of solutions for bringing about an improvement in the current situation.
The consultation procedure initiated by the Green Paper has proved successful. The interested parties confirmed unanimously that we are dealing with an important subject. The business community subscribes to the proposals in the Green Paper and is asking the European Union to come up with an initiative for tackling the problem. The Economic and Social Committee, which also has a role to play here of course, produced a positive opinion on the Green Paper in February 1999 and various proposals from the Green Paper were incorporated in this opinion. The parliamentary recommendations Mrs Fourtou has included in her report are extremely interesting. Needless to say, the Commission’s services will look into them more closely and I am assuming that the Commission will react favourably to the majority of these proposals. In addition, I am planning to draft a communication, pursuant to the Green Paper, which will require the Commission’s approval in the very near future. An inventory will be made of the consultation procedure in this communication and an action plan will also be presented. I have the following to say to Mrs Fourtou on the subject of the action plan, particularly as she made a point of asking me about it."@en1
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