This week of October was due to be very busy at the European Parliament, with a series of parliamentary committees' votes on a number of single digital market dossiers. In the end, only the vote on parcel deliveries has been kept on the calendar. The other votes have been postponed because the difficulties between political groups were too significant.
Postponements
CabSat. On 10 October, MEPs at the judicial affairs committee (JURI) should have given their views on the draft regulation to facilitate the broadcasting of copyright protected audiovisual content (see EUROPE 11624). The EPP, ALDE, ECR and ENF called for the text to be postponed mainly because no solution had been found on the country of origin principle (see EUROPE 11879). The vote is expected to be postponed until the session on 20-21 November.
Tangible goods. The judicial affairs committee (JURI), which is involved with the single market and consumer protection committee (IMCO), should have held a vote on 10 October on the report by Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA, Finland) on the online sales of tangible goods. The single market committee responsible was supposed to hold a vote on 21 November. Nonetheless, according to several parliamentary sources, the European Commission intended to present an amended proposal by the end of the month in an effort to include off line sales. It will not, however, proceed to another impact assessment and will draw on the work carried out by Europe Economics on behalf of the European Parliament (see EUROPE 11814). During the Parliamentary committee on 10 October, Heidi Hautala did not attempt to conceal her puzzlement with the exceptional situation that has arisen. Addressing an almost empty European Parliament, she proposed to freeze the parliamentary calendar, so the Commission had the time to submit its new proposal. Despite the questions we have raised, Ms Jourova was unwilling to express an opinion on this dossier.
Digital content. The report by Axel Voss (EPP, Germany) and Evelyn Gebhardt (S&D, Germany) on the contracts for providing digital content (the counterpart to the proposal on tangible goods) is expected to be put to a vote on 12 October in the joint single market (IMCO) and judicial affairs (JURI) committee. The vote was ultimately postponed until 20 November in order to allow the negotiating team time to finalise the compromise amendments on articles 17 to 23. At this stage, the introduction of a guarantee linked to the duration of product life-cycles, on which the Socialists are very keen, is therefore not yet totally acquired. According to the information we have received, the shadow rapporteurs are expected to meet up again during the October plenary to discuss the matter.
E-privacy. It is the same scenario in this domain: the vote should have taken place on 12 October at 11 o’clock during the civil liberties committee but has been delayed by at least a week. La Quadrature du Net has suggested 19 October as a date for another vote. According to the Contexte newspaper, the political groups do not agree on the confidentiality parameters for web browsers, “cookie walls” or the subsequent processing of communications without consent. This delay is also expected to provide MEPs with the time to analyse the very latest opinion expressed by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) published on 5 October (see EUROPE 11878).
Parcel deliveries
Ultimately, the only “digital” dossier to remain on the European Parliament agenda is the one on cross-border parcel deliveries. This proposal dates back to May 2016 and seeks to increase price transparency and enhance efficiency and coherency in the regulatory monitoring of the parcel delivery market. A first vote had been arranged for 11 July last but despite the majority adoption of the compromise amendments, the final report was rejected by the transport committee (TRAN).
The European Parliament negotiating team has therefore reworked certain compromise amendments, particularly those on the “assessment of the affordable nature” of universal service providers’ prices, which will be put on the MEPs table. This proposes to limit assessments to cases the national regulatory authority deems necessary (rather than the mandatory once a year). It recommends that they take into account the following in their assessment: the prices in the member state of origin and expeditor member state, the application of a uniform price between several member states, and the probable impact of these cross-border prices on users and SMEs, national legislation and potential abuses of dominant market position. The vote will take place between nine and 10 o’clock on Thursday morning 12 October. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)