mr president on behalf of vice-president almunia who is unable to be here this morning i would firstly like to thank the rapporteur mr eppink for his work on the report on competition policy two thousand and nine
i would also like to thank the rapporteurs in the committee on industry research and energy the committee on the internal market and consumer protection and the committee on transport ms koch-mehrin mr <unk> and mr cramer
the commission welcomes the positive tone of the report and the support expressed for our actions in the field of competition policy in two thousand and nine in particular in the context of the economic and financial crisis
we share your view that competition is essential to ensure a level playing field in the single market and to promote a sustainable exit from the crisis
this is why the commission remains committed to enforcing its firm stance on anti-competitive behaviour and mergers
the commission takes note of the many requests for specific reports or studies more than ten of them
it is not feasible for the commission to produce all these reports due to our priorities and limited resources
however as vice-president almunia announced to the committee on economic and monetary affairs in november the commission will analyse the effects on competition of the temporary state aid measures taken in the context of the crisis
this work will be difficult but the crisis is a learning opportunity we simply cannot miss
secondly i would like to restate here that these measures are indeed temporary
the commission prolonged the crisis framework for state aid until the end of twenty eleven because the economic conditions are still uncertain
however the gradual phasing out of these measures has already started
some measures have been terminated and others have been maintained under stricter conditions
thirdly as regards private enforcement of competition rules the commission takes note of parliament's support for the creation of a european form of collective redress and of its request for specific eu legislation to ensure compensation for victims of infringements of eu antitrust law
the commission will launch a public consultation at the beginning of twenty eleven on a european approach to collective redress
it then plans to adopt a communication based on the results of this
finally i would like to refer to the concerns expressed about competition in specific sectors such as energy transport the food supply chain and emerging digital industries
the commission shares your concerns and we will maintain our strong enforcement activities in these fields in close cooperation with the national competition authorities
