Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-28-Speech-3-050"
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"en.20040128.5.3-050"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I wish to do as the Commissioner did and note that his area is one of the most important for European consumers. We have a number of current issues that, in actual fact, have a very great deal of bearing upon consumers: those of competition within the car sector, the decision concerning Microsoft and intellectual property rights.
We know that, in October 2002, the new regulation, with exemptions for sales and service, came into force within the motor vehicle sector. Our intention was that it should increase competition and give consumers more. Unfortunately, it has had quite the opposite effect in the country I know best, namely Finland. Qualitative selection criteria have become quantitative, and the number of repair workshops for all the large makes of car has declined by several dozen. In Lapland, in northernmost Europe, repairs of particular makes of car can only be obtained in the county government seat of Rovaniemi. At the service station in medium-sized Muonio, five makes could be serviced on 1 October 2002. Now, no such services can be provided. What does the Commission intend to do about this matter?
Where Microsoft is concerned, we heard yesterday that the Commission is close to reaching a decision on Microsoft, Media Player and the abuse of a dominant position. We again call upon the Commission to finish its investigation as quickly as possible and to take decisions that guarantee a genuine market and freedom of choice for consumers. As emerged from the parliamentary question to Commissioner Monti in December 2002, we expect you to look seriously at this issue so that all new businesses are given a genuine opportunity to operate and so that certain standards do not become
standards that reduce competition and the free flow of information.
Intellectual property rights, together with the monopoly and the standards that sometimes come about mean that much of the right to competition is rendered ineffective. That too is something I hope you will look at, so that there is no repeat of the situation we experienced in my own country when the Market Court had to find Gramex (the Copyright Society of Performing Artists and Phonogram Producers) guilty of abusing its dominant position. When shall we see a decision concerning Microsoft?"@en1
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