Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-11-Speech-2-416"
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"en.20071211.42.2-416"2
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".
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the liberalisation of the market in visible vehicle spare parts is to be welcomed for three reasons. The first is that consumers will benefit from more choice and competition. The second is that we might perhaps see a fall in prices and that we can certainly expect pricing to become transparent, for design costs should be factored into the cost of new vehicles and not recouped through a downstream monopoly in the market for spare parts.
The third reason is that the job market in the European Union will benefit, as European parts manufacturers will also be able to produce spare parts for vehicles imported into the EU. So far that has only been possible for manufacturers outside Europe. During the 2004 election campaign I visited a parts factory near Gütersloh. That company will be pleased with these new rules.
I also welcome the fact that important elements of the Commission’s proposal, such as the repair clause, are contained in the draft adopted by the Committee on Legal Affairs. As shadow rapporteur for my Group on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I had advocated the retention of that clause. I believe the draft brings us another step closer to a genuine single market.
There are two major defects, to which some of my fellow Members have already referred. One of them is the fact that the former rapporteur delayed the report. In so doing, Mr Radwan did not act as the representative of the European people but as the representative of the Bavarian Motor Works – BMW for short. That was a rather unsavoury episode.
The second defect is that the grace period of five years creates rather a long delay. Five years until liberalisation takes effect is a long time; it will delay competition and the beneficial effects of liberalisation. I have heard that the German Government intends to keep stonewalling. That is anti-competitive stupidity. The sad thing is that it has become a trade mark of the German Government. I hope they will desist from such action in the Council.
The bottom line is that we have a compromise with which we can live and which we ought to adopt. I can only echo the words spoken by Mr Lehne, who I wish to thank at this point for all his work: we should bring this matter to a conclusion now and avoid any further delay at second reading."@en1
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