Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-02-13-Speech-1-130-000"
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"en.20120213.17.1-130-000"2
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"Madam President, I will try to respond clearly and simply to each and every one of you.
Mr Martin mentioned the question of refunds for ordinary automatic direct debits. This text has already responded to this issue. What more can we do, Mr Martin? This is an issue that I am determined to examine, as you wished, within the framework of revising the directive on payments and their consequences.
Mr Gauzès, as always, asked very pertinent questions and one question in particular which angers people with regard to multilateral interchange fees. I think I can say that we have presented a text which offers a fair solution, which provides for the eventual removal of these fees, which are not favourable to consumers as they entail certain hidden costs and can result in causing retail prices to rise and which are often paid by direct debit — I am thinking about water and electricity.
At the same time, Mr Gauzès, the text recognises that banning these flat-rate multilateral fees applied in six Member States could represent a problem for some banks which have benefited from them up to now. That is why we have provided for a transition period, as you mentioned, up to 2017. I would like to say, so that we are completely clear, that this has no bearing on what will be done or what should or could be done with regard to bank cards, as you yourself hoped.
Mr Mölzer mentioned the regulation for consumers and the security that we owe them. I want to remind you that this regulation will strengthen consumers’ rights in order to allow them to limit the amount and periodicity of each automatic direct debit and block any direct debit which benefits specified individuals or companies.
Furthermore, the payment service provider will check each direct debit if the corresponding mandate does not provide for the right to a refund. What I have just said is a little complicated but it confirms, Mr Mölzer, the desire to establish better security for consumers.
I fully understood Mr Stoyanov’s question on the domestic case of internal direct debits within a country. Mr Stoyanov, as I have no answer to your question, I will send you a written answer after having investigated the point that you raised.
Mr Paška, Ms Băsescu and Mr Silvestris highlighted the savings this project represents for consumers and businesses and they are quite right. Ms Flašíková Beňová mentioned the framework in favour of competitiveness and I think that she too is right.
Lastly, I should like to thank Mr Karas for emphasising the added value it represents. This is now the third point we have discussed just today which represents progress and added value for the internal market, as Mr Karas said.
Finally, I would like to say to Mr Zemke that the project concerns all payments in euro within the European Union and not only in euro area countries. This project concerns all payments in euro within the European Union, not only countries that are currently part of the euro area.
I would like to finish, Madam President, by mentioning Ms Essayah’s work and I would like to thank her again for the quality of her report.
First of all, I would like to thank Ms Gebhardt for reminding us of the improvements made to the Commission’s initial text thanks to Parliament, particularly in terms of consumer protection.
Furthermore, I want to tell Ms Gebhardt and each and every one of you that, with regard to financial services, one of my main priorities for 2012 will be consumer protection. You will see in the revised directive that Mr Gauzès knows a great deal about financial products, UCITS and insurance mediation. Another second priority will concern ‘shadow banking’, but that is another issue. Consumer protection will be a priority.
Since I am talking about protecting consumers and information, I should like to say to Mr Cutaş, Mr Padar, Mr Chountis and Mr Terho — Mr Padar spoke about change — that it really is a change, even a cultural change that we are speeding up and facilitating. We must therefore inform some people and I think I can say that the banks are committed to this task of providing information, including for the security of consumers.
I would also say to Mr Padar, as well as to Ms Mazej Kukovič, who just spoke, that I will follow and that we will follow the implementation of this regulation with great attention, with our desire to work with the banks and ensure proper implementation.
I also want to say that I am very interested in improving the governance of the SEPA system, particularly so that consumers have their place and they know that I am concerned about this issue. Ms in 't Veld said: why does it need so much time? You know, Ms in’t Veld, that the Commission wanted to move faster and we three (the Commission, Parliament and the Council) are working together. We therefore had to find a compromise which I believe is fair but nonetheless dynamic. Mr Giegold recalled that we have set an end-date for the euro area for 2014, as did Mr Karas just a moment ago.
I would also like to say to Mr Giegold and Ms Ţicău that this task that we are speeding up for SEPA is linked to another task on which the Commission has just presented an action plan with regard to e-commerce. This gives me the opportunity to tell Ms Ţicău that we will work on some extremely technical issues which concern online consumers in terms of e-invoicing, electronic signatures and payment security. I am currently working in great detail with my colleagues Mr Dalli and Ms Kroes on all of these technical obstacles to encourage the development of e-commerce.
Mr Chountis made a reference, which I understand, to the serious situation and difficulties facing his fellow Greek citizens. I will not, at this stage, return to today’s debate on the efforts we must all make to turn things around. I believe simply, Mr Chountis, that your country, which I know well and which I respect, is one of those countries in the EU which is most interested in good economic integration so as to facilitate payments.
Your country has foundations and that is why we must trust its ability to recover from its difficulties through its own effort and through the very important solidarity effort led by all European countries. However, when we look at Greece’s economic fundamentals, particularly in terms of tourism, tourism development and trade, it can be seen that Greece is one of the countries which is most interested in proper integration into the single market."@en1
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