It is the European Parliament which should be more sensitive to the social impact of competition policy. Especially as, even though we have the most stringent fair trading legislation, the real world in which we live is a world in which large monopolies abuse dominant market positions, in which mergers, take-overs and acquisitions by corporate behemoths are a daily occurrence, giving rise to monopolies of global proportions which almost always lay off thousands of workers and have a huge impact on employment and which then monopolise wealth-producing re ...[+++]sources, markets and consumers.

In view of the fact that a monopoly with a dominant position has been formed and that ferry services to the Cyclades have already been cut by 30% during the first quarter of 2000 compared with 1999, and bearing in mind the social aspect of ferry services, what measures will the Commission take in the context of competition policy - ahead of the tourist season and the significant increase in passenger and commercial traffic - to put an end to this dominant monopoly which is fraught with danger for the economic development of the island regions and infringes basic civil rights such as the right to high-quality, safe transport services whic ...[+++]h operate freely and without hindrance?

In view of the fact that a monopoly with a dominant position has been formed and that ferry services to the Cyclades have already been cut by 30% during the first quarter of 2000 compared with 1999, and bearing in mind the social aspect of ferry services, what measures will the Commission take in the context of competition policy - ahead of the tourist season and the significant increase in passenger and commercial traffic - to put an end to this dominant monopoly which is fraught with danger for the economic development of the island regions and infringes basic civil rights such as the right to high-quality, safe transport services whic ...[+++]h operate freely and without hindrance?

In view of the fact that a monopoly with a dominant position has been formed and that ferry services to the Cyclades have already been cut by 30% during the first quarter of 2000 compared with 1999, and bearing in mind the social aspect of ferry services, what measures will the Commission take in the context of competition policy - ahead of the tourist season and the significant increase in passenger and commercial traffic - to put an end to this dominant monopoly which is fraught with danger for the economic development of the island regions and infringes basic civil rights such as the right to high-quality, safe transport services whic ...[+++]h operate freely and without hindrance?

Promoting fair competition between transport modes becomes difficult where incumbent operators have a high degree of monopoly power or where concessions can lead to temporary monopolies.

In addition, the competition rules of the Treaty establishing the European Community entrust the Commission with the task of preventing anti-competitive behaviour to the detriment of the consumers, notably the abuse of dominant positions and, on the basis of merger control, the creation of oligopolistic or monopolistic market structures.