Mr President, for British Conservatives the efficient and uniform application of European competition policy is at the core of achieving an effective single market across the whole of the European Union. It therefore follows that any proposal which suggests major reform of the machinery for competition policy enforcement must be closely and carefully examined. The truth is that the single market is not yet complete. During my six months as a Member of this Parliament, I have become acutely aware of the determination of many Members to drive forward what is described as the European project. We daily hear the need to promote a wider and deeper Europe. But all this, in effect, is so much rhetoric when we look at the national, regional and local obstacles which continue to block the operation of a true European single market. That is the context in which I want to consider the Commission's proposals. I should like to make it clear that we have the greatest confidence in and respect for Commissioner Monti. We look to him as the man to root out cartels. But he would recognise that, as for everybody else, we have to consider his particular proposals and subject them to rigorous examination. That is something that has been done by our rapporteur on the Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Mr von Wogau. I want to congratulate him, sadly in his absence, for the thorough and rigorous way in which he has undertaken the preparation of his report – and also for putting up with my being such a thorn in his side! He mentioned earlier that the report was carried with a significant majority but not with my support. So although I may not share his conclusions, I believe he has illustrated in his report many of the issues which the Commission must address. The first is the potential for renationalisation of competition policy. I know that the Commission is set against this, but the potential exists. I remain worried about the capacity of national courts and the capacity of the national competition authorities. I remain worried about the whole operation of the judicial process. I asked Commissioner Monti the other day what happens if he proves to be wrong and there is an effective renationalisation. Mr von Wogau said we can look to the European Court. Well, we in Britain are looking to the European Court at the moment. We find that the European Court is not able to provide us with interim measures in a certain dispute that we have with France at the moment, in which we have the support of the Commission. Unless anybody thinks that this is merely a nationalistic point, in the Factortame case, in which the British Government was the defendant, it took ten years for the European Court to give a ruling. So, judicially, something needs to be done. I ask the Commission what can be done to speed up implementation in this particular area. In relation to legal certainty, I endorse the point made by Mrs Thyssen. It is important that business has legal certainty. I mentioned this again to Commissioner Monti recently. He said we must not always be carried along by lawyers. I must declare an interest as a lawyer but also as a former competition minister in the United Kingdom. We all have, as it were, our histories to live with, but it is important that business has legal certainty. I would also ask the Commission whether an analysis has been undertaken of the implications of this change for business: a cost-benefit analysis of the sort that is now becoming so much more European policy. I know there has been an analysis of the implications for the Commission of the change. We have been told how, currently, people's time is being wasted and that the changes, therefore, could be beneficial. But I really feel that, in the circumstances, we want to know what the implications would be for business. Finally, we, as British Conservatives, are looking for a change in direction, towards the development of an independent competition authority. I would like to hear what Commissioner Monti has to say about that.

Political group: PPE-DE