8. Wahlperiode Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ

I voted in favour of the resolution on the European Border and Coast Guard. Two years ago, Frontex was expanded to become the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) Agency that it is today. The Agency’s new mandate and increased resources are a clear and strong response to the challenges faced at the EU’s external borders as a result of the migration crisis, but also relate to the difficulty in encouraging greater solidarity among Member States.
The EBCG proposal addresses the need to ensure proper control of the Schengen external borders as a precondition to managing migration effectively, to ensure a high level of security within the system while safeguarding free movement of persons within the Union. The necessary operational support has to be provided to ensure that EU solidarity is effectively delivered whenever it is needed.
I support the rapporteur that this will enhance solidarity between the Member States, reinforce integration regarding border management and contribute to preventing crisis situations at the external borders. The proposal responds to the weaknesses identified due to insufficient contributions of border guards and technical equipment by Member States and hence the lack of flexibility in redeployment by the Agency.

. ‒ I voted in favour of the resolution on market surveillance and compliance of products. Free movement of goods is the most developed of all the four fundamental freedoms. This pillar rests on consumers’ trust: European consumers must be able to trust that the products they buy are safe and compliant, irrespective of who the manufacturer is, in which Member State they may buy it, and by which means (traditional or online sale).
Growing imports to the EU, the increasing complexity of the value chains, the increased number of products circulating within the single market, and the increase in e-commerce activities, as well as the new technologies pose new challenges for Member States’ market surveillance authorities and for the EU institutions. There is a clear evidence that only proper, effective and coordinated market surveillance in the EU could respond to these challenges and ensure that only safe and compliant products are reaching the final consumers.

. ‒ I voted in favour of the resolution on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services. I support the rapporteur that there is an apparent need for a uniform and targeted set of mandatory rules to ensure a viable business environment in the future. In today’s online platform environment several critical imbalances exist between platforms on the one hand and business users on the other hand. These imbalances are ultimately to the detriment of the consumer as they can lead to reduced competition, which in turn leads to a narrower variety of goods and services as well as higher consumer prices.
The Commission’s proposal does in many ways adequately address the lack of transparency concerning many online platforms, but it does too little to address the issues of the lack of fairness in the same online platform environment. Therefore, it is crucial that the current deficit of fairness is addressed in greater detail than in the Commission’s proposal and that more measures are taken to better address the issue.