Report on Competition policy

European Economic and Social Committee opinion on the Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Report on Competition Policy 2021 - COM(2022) 337 final

Key points

The EESC:

• firmly believes that the EU's agenda for a green and digital economy based on the foundations of a social market economy should not change because of the war in Ukraine;

• recommends the application of State aid as allowed under EU legislation to counteract the socio-economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, with special attention given to gender equality and the broader gender perspective, particularly in the case of refugees in Member States that neighbour Ukraine;

• supports the Commission's proposed regulation on market-distorting foreign subsidies granted to non-EU firms operating in the EU, but calls on the Commission to also focus its attention on market-distorting subsidies and other anti-competitive practices in both State-run and private companies outside the EU;

• warns against possible anti-competitive agreements or abuses of a dominant position in the hypermarket and grocery store industry, impacting consumers by way of higher prices, and producers by way of lower supply prices;

• calls for competition on equal terms across the aviation sector. However, it would caution against the development of an aviation market that might in time be dominated by a small number of airline companies.