In its resolution drafted by Sophia in’t Veld (ALDE, Netherlands) and adopted by a show of hands, on 9 March, the European Parliament highlights the need to assess the effectiveness of the member states’ state aid activities during the crisis, scale back the protectionist reflexes that it triggered and update the Union’s competition rules, among others by revisiting the ‘fines only’ policy. Online advertising, and the telecoms, pharmaceuticals and dairy sectors are listed as requiring further action. Parliament must be given a bigger say in plans to reform the motor vehicle block exemption and all other competition policy areas, the economic crisis must not become a pretext for relaxing merger rules, and the Commission’s next competition policy report should devote a chapter to small and medium-sized enterprises, given the specific difficulties that they face, says the resolution.