What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

5 unchanged paragraphs

on competition policy – annual report 2025

(2025/2134(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), in particular to Articles 101 to 109 thereof,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act)1,

Added:– having regard to the Commission report of 28 April 2026 on the review of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act), in accordance with Article 53 thereof (COM(2026)0178),

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act)2,

– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (the EC Merger Regulation)3,

Changed:– having regard to the Guidelinesguidelines on the assessment of horizontal mergers under the Council Regulation on the control of concentrations between undertakings4,

Changed:– having regard to the Guidelinesguidelines on the assessment of non-horizontal mergers under the Council Regulation on the control of concentrations between undertakings5,

– having regard to the report of 9 September 2024 by Mario Draghi entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness’ (Draghi report),

– having regard to its resolution of 10 September 2025 on facilitating the financing of investments and reforms to boost European competitiveness and creating a Capital Markets Union (Draghi Report)6,

Changed:– having regard to the report by Enrico Letta of 1017 April 2024 by Enrico Letta entitled ‘Much more than a Marketmarket – Speed, Security,security, Solidarity:solidarity: Empowering the Singlesingle Marketmarket to deliver a sustainable future and prosperity for all EU Citizens’citizens’ (Letta report),

Changed:– having regard to the report of 19 January 2026 by Jörg Kukies and Christian Noyer entitled ‘Financing Innovativeinnovative Venturesventures Inin Europe’,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 29 January 2025 entitled ‘A Competitiveness Compass for the EU’ (COM(2025)0030),

Changed:– having regard to the Commission proposal of 21 January 2026 for a regulationRegulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on digital networks, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, Directive 2002/58/EC and Decision No 676/2002/EC and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1971, Directive (EU) 2018/1972 and Decision No 243/2012/EU (Digital Networks Act) (COM(2026)0016),

Changed:– having regard to the factualreport of 29 October 2025 entitled ‘Factual summary of the contributions received in the context of the public consultation on the review of the horizontal and the non-horizontal Merger Guidelines, published on 29 Octobermerger 2025,guidelines’,

Changed:– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 13 October 2025 entitled ‘Evaluation of the Commission Notice on the application of Articles 87 and 88 on the EC Treaty to State aid in the form of guarantees’ (SWD(2025)0330),

– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 13 October 2025 entitled ‘Executive summary of the evaluation of the Commission Notice on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid in the form of guarantees (SWD(2025)0331),

– having regard to the Commission study entitled ‘Ex post evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of EU antitrust remedies’7,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2560 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market8 (Foreign Subsidies Regulation),

Changed:– having regard to the Commission communication of 9 January 2026 entitled 'Guidelines‘Guidelines on the application of certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2022/2560 of the European Parliament and of the Council on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market' (C(2026)0042),market’9,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2025 entitled ‘The Clean Industrial Deal: A joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation’ (COM(2025)0085),

Changed:– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 July 2025 entitled ‘Framework for State Aid measures to support the Clean Industrial Deal (Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework)’ (C(2025)7600),Framework)’10,

Changed:– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 4 November 2025 accompanying the Commission communication on a Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (SWD(2025)0850),

Changed:– having regard to Commission Decision (EU) 2025/2630 of 16 December 2025 on the application of Article 106(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest and repealing Decision 2012/21/EU92012/21/EU11 (SGEI Decision), and the Annexannex thereto,

Added:– having regard to the Commission report of 5 May 2026 entitled ‘Report on Competition Policy 2025’ (COM(2026)0180),

Added:– having regard to the report of 18 December 2025 by the European Securities and Markets Authority entitled ‘CRA Market Share Report: 2025 edition’,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

Changed:– having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A10-0000/2026),(A10-0171/2026),

Change 1

Added:A. whereas fair and open competition is an essential element for the proper functioning of the single market, job creation, consumer protection and the development of businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); whereas competition policy should primarily aim at ensuring effective competition and consumer welfare, while remaining consistent with other EU policies;

B. whereas EU competition policy must be forward-looking, foster EU solutions and innovation, and protect consumers;

Change 2

Removed:B. whereas safeguarding the single market requires uncompromising competition rules, and resistance to external influence, particularly from the United States;

Added:C. whereas SMEs form the backbone of the European economy, and competition policy must take into account their specific needs, ensuring that compliance obligations and enforcement procedures do not place disproportionate burdens on them;

Added:D. whereas safeguarding the single market requires strong, robust, predictable and non-discriminatory competition rules that are applied equally to all market actors, who must be insulated from undue political interference of any kind;

Added:E. whereas increasing market concentration has an impact on income distribution, while competitive markets help ensure that productivity gains are more broadly shared across the economy and support sustainable competitiveness by strengthening purchasing power, internal demand and human capital formation;

Added:F. whereas the institutional and operational independence of national competition authorities (NCAs) and EU enforcement are prerequisites for the credibility and effectiveness of competition policy; whereas safeguarding their decision-making processes from political interference or private-sector pressure is essential to ensure legal certainty, uphold the rule of law and maintain a level playing field across the single market;

Added:G. whereas the Draghi report identifies three main areas for action: first, closing the innovation gap, second, establishing a joint plan to ensure both decarbonisation and competitiveness, reflecting the EU’s strong industrial and innovation base and its comparative advantage in green technologies, and, finally, increasing security and reducing dependencies;

Added:H. whereas in this context the fragmented energy market drives up prices and weakens competition, while current geopolitical tensions may further increase vulnerabilities; whereas deeper integration of the internal energy market, stronger interconnections and effective enforcement of competition law can increase efficiency, resilience and cross-border participation, reduce dependencies on non-EU suppliers and reduce costs to consumers;

Added:I. whereas in parallel, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI systems, is significantly reshaping competitive dynamics, market structures, value chains and user access to digital services across the EU, with potential implications for competition within digital markets;

Reclaiming the EU’s strategic autonomy through competition policy, innovation and digital sovereignty

Change 3

Changed:1. Recalls the EU’s strong competition framework and its due enforcement as a tool to step up competitiveness across all industries; underlines that EU policies should not be pursued in isolation and that competitiveness concerns cannot be interpreted as shortcomings in competition policy; recalls that EU competition rules must be consistent with the principles enshrined in the Treaties and should support the implementation of EU policies, such asincluding those covering industry, trade, consumersconsumers, financial services and financialdefence, services;while ensuring a stable framework that fosters investments, growth and the ability to scale under fair conditions; underlines that competition policy should contribute to the integration and deepening of the European capital markets and support the objectives of the savings and investments union;

Change 4

Removed:2. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should be used as a base for setting priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on;

Added:2. Highlights that well-functioning competition is a key driver of productivity growth and long-term competitiveness in the EU; notes that stronger competition policy enforcement is associated with higher total factor productivity and a more efficient allocation of labour and capital; stresses therefore that effective competition policy and enforcement contribute to fair employment conditions;

Removed:3. Emphasises the key role competition plays in creating digital market alternatives and reducing dependence on non-EU providers; encourages key infrastructures to be built to boost Europe’s autonomy and innovation, including cloud services, AI infrastructures (data centres and connectivity), and financial market infrastructure to support the EU’s digital sovereignty;

Added:3. Firmly believes that the Draghi and Letta reports should contribute to shaping priorities in the competition field, and calls for these reports to be followed up on as a matter of urgency; takes note of Mario Draghi’s estimate that, in order to protect our EU competitiveness, an additional EUR 800 billion per year is needed; emphasises that consumer interests should remain central, while taking into account the need for competition policy to contribute to key objectives, such as competitiveness, resilience, security, strategic autonomy and sustainability; welcomes the Draghi report’s proposal for a flexible market investigation tool (the ‘new competition tool’) to address market failures which cannot be tackled effectively under the current Articles 101 and 102 TFEU; notes that similar tools have already been successfully implemented at Member State level and suggests that an EU-level new competition tool could help address structural competition issues across the EU; calls on the Commission to introduce such a tool to complement the existing framework;

Removed:4. Calls for a European preference in strategic sectors;

Added:4. Recognises the need to strengthen the European defence industrial base; stresses that competition policy must ensure fair access for SMEs and prevent excessive concentration in defence supply chains that could reduce resilience and increase dependency;

Removed:5. Underlines the importance of important projects of common European interest for financing large strategic EU projects; calls on the Commission to shorten or fast-track notifications as they are burdensome for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);

Added:5. Reiterates the fundamental role of SMEs in strengthening European competitiveness, promoting innovation and creating jobs; calls on the Commission to ensure that the enforcement of competition rules and digital policies takes into account their impact on SMEs;

Removed:6. Welcomes the enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) in order to address distortions caused by foreign investments; welcomes the FSR Guidelines; suggests addressing trade distortions via the FSR and the screening of foreign direct investment alongside traditional trade defence instruments;

Added:6. Underlines the importance of reducing energy costs to safeguard EU competitiveness, promoting net-zero energy sources in line with the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act12 and the Taxonomy Complementary Climate Delegated Act13, while ensuring that an open, competitive and sustainable single market is balanced with supply security and increased EU energy autonomy; stresses that fair, well-functioning, competitive, integrated and interconnected electricity markets are essential for strengthening the EU’s industrial competitiveness and supporting more stable and affordable energy prices; underlines the importance of the effective enforcement of competition rules in energy infrastructure and network access in order to safeguard the proper functioning of the single market and to ensure fair pricing and better protect consumers;

Removed:An independent European competition authority

Added:7. Notes the strategic role of critical raw materials for the energy transition and the objectives of the Critical Raw Materials Act14 in reducing geopolitical dependencies and strengthening supply chain resilience, and calls for competition policy to support competitive markets across the value chain and pan-European investments;

Removed:7. Calls for a real independent European competition authority under democratic oversight, which is separate from the executive branch to ensure no political interference, and integrates antitrust, merger control, State aid, consumer policy and digital enforcement; stresses the need for adequate staffing, expertise and powers;

Added:8. Emphasises the key role competition plays in creating digital market alternatives and reducing dependence on and dominance of non-EU providers; encourages key infrastructure to be built to boost Europe’s autonomy and innovation, including cloud services, AI infrastructure (data centres and connectivity), financial market infrastructure and resilient, interoperable and competitive European payment systems, in order to ensure open and contestable markets and reduce strategic dependencies; observes evolving business practices and market structures, and potential new forms of harmful conduct like tacit collusion and algorithmic collusion on prices, and emphasises the need to align enforcement priorities with this evolving landscape, supported by data-driven analysis and evidence;

Removed:Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) amid global challenges

Added:9. Calls for a level playing field in strategic sectors and for the EU to use all available tools, including the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), public procurement rules and a robust merger review framework, to ensure that EU companies can compete on merit and that non-EU market participants are not advantaged by foreign state subsidies; stresses the importance of strengthening the resilience, diversification and security of European supply chains in strategic sectors promoting European capabilities and solutions, where appropriate, without compromising open markets;

Removed:8. Urges the Commission to fully enforce the EU competition rulebook to safeguard Europe’s regulatory autonomy against political pressures, particularly from the United States;