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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-01-16
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Spokesman's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Porte-Paroleb
16/01/1997
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[I] R�sultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission
meeting
[01] Europe press for clearer world rules on regional blocs
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[02] Jacques Santer devant la commission d'enqu�te ESB: "La Commission
entamera les r�formes indispensables, mais elle n'a ni d�sinform�, ni
privil�gi� le march� au d�triment de la sant�"
[03] EU and Japan resolve music copyright dispute
[04] Competitiveness and adaptation are crucial for growth in agriculture
[05] Equitable wage - Commission adopts a progress report
[06] Energie - Proc�dures d'infraction pour non-communication des mesures
nationales de transposition
[I] R�sultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission
meeting
[01] Europe press for clearer world rules on regional blocs
The European Commission has taken a fundamental look at the European
Union�s (EU) preferential agreements with third countries and the
implications of world trading rules for the future development of trading
blocs. In a Communication sent to the Council of Ministers today, the
Commission has concluded that the EU has a strong interest in the
development of clearer rules within the World Trade Organisation,
particularly where Free Trade Areas are concerned. There is an unwelcome
level of uncertainty in WTO rules which do not mesh well with the WTO's
binding rules for settling disputes. Claims that there is a proliferation
of regional integration agreements posing a threat to the multilateral
system are exaggerated and misleading, although there has been an increase
in the number of agreements notified to the WTO and their operation does
therefore have an increasing impact on world trade. The EU has a real and
growing market access interest in third countries. This could be adversely
affected by trade distortions resulting from preferential agreements,
whoever the participants may be.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[02] Jacques Santer devant la commission d'enqu�te ESB: "La Commission
entamera les r�formes indispensables, mais elle n'a ni d�sinform�, ni
privil�gi� le march� au d�triment de la sant�"
Devant la commission d'enqu�te du Parlement europ�en sur l'ESB hier apr�s-
midi, Jacques Santer a estim� qu'un certain nombre des critiques �mises
sont "non seulement fond�es mais aussi tr�s utiles". Il a cependant tenu �
"r�cuser tr�s fermement l'id�e selon laquelle nous aurions privil�gi� le
march� au d�triment de la sant� humaine ou pratiqu� une politique d�lib�r�e
de d�sinformation". Pour Jacques Santer, des le�ons doivent �tre tir�es de
la crise de la vache folle dans deux domaines: la prise des d�cisions et le
contr�le de leur application. "Il faut s�parer dor�navant, � la Commission,
l'autorit� qui g�re la pr�paration et le suivi des avis scientifiques de
celle qui �labore, sur la base de ces avis, la l�gislation". Le Pr�sident
de la Commission a ainsi annonc� qu'il demanderait au Coll�ge de regrouper
les comit�s scientifiques sous l'autorit� d'une direction charg�e des
aspects de s�ret� des produits, rattach�e � la Direction g�n�rale de la
politique des consommateurs. "Je souhaite profiter de l'occasion de cette
r�organisation pour revoir de fond en comble la composition, le
fonctionnement, la transparence et le suivi des travaux des comit�s
scientifiques," a dit Jacques Santer. Concernant les contr�les, le
Pr�sident de la Commision a estim� que l� aussi il fallait une s�paration
claire entre l'autorit� qui est charg�e de la l�gislation et celle qui est
charg�e d'en v�rifier et d'en contr�ler la bonne application. Il s'est dit
personnellement en faveur de la cr�ation, � terme, d'une agence sur le
mod�le de la Food and Drug Administration am�ricaine. Cependant, il a
remarqu� que l'Agence v�t�rinaire propos�e d'ores et d�j� par la Commission
rencontre de fortes r�ticences au sein du Conseil. A d�faut d'une telle
agence, la Commission placera l'office des inspections et des contr�les
sous l'autorit� de la Direction g�n�rale charg�e de la politique des
consommateurs et de la protection de leur sant�. En tout �tat de cause, a
rappel� le Pr�sident de la Commission, le renforcement des contr�les
n�cessitera l'appui du Parlement europ�en en tant qu'autorit� budg�taire.
[03] EU and Japan resolve music copyright dispute
Some of Europe's biggest musical names will enjoy better copyright
protection in Japan for the hits they produced during the 50s and 60s,
avoiding lost royalties of up to ECU 100 million a year, following new
rules agreed by Japan after a year of tough negotiations with the European
Commission. The Japanese Parliament (Diet) has agreed to backdate to 50
years ago the intellectual property protection it grants to performers and
producers of sound recordings, giving the full fifty-year cover required
under world trade rules. Japan's previous rules only extended Intellectual
Property cover back to 1971, missing out some of Europe's most successful
music exports, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jacques Brel, Rod
Stewart, and classical performers such as Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg
Solti and Karl Bohm.
[04] Competitiveness and adaptation are crucial for growth in agriculture
(!!! embargo 3 pm !!!) "The standard reaction of agricultural interests of
suspicion, total opposition and the presumption of an ulterior motive
everytime mention is made of the need to adjust or even consider adjusting
some aspect of agricultural policy has to stop". This was stated by
Agriculture and Rural Development Franz Fischler today when he addressed an
International Press Corp in Berlin on the occasion of the opening of the
Green Week Agricultural Fair. One would have hoped that over three decades
of experience of the CAP would have clearly demonstrated that it is less
painful and expensive to anticipate and prevent market chaos than to
rectify the situation after it has deteriorated. "Agriculture and
agricultural markets evolve and so also must agricultural policy", he said.
(!!! embargo 3 pm !!!)
[05] Equitable wage - Commission adopts a progress report
According to a progress report recently adopted by the European Commission,
most Member States had the basic planks of legislation towards an equitable
wage in place before the Commission issued an opinion on this subject in
September 1993. In some Member States, there had been a widening of wage
inequalities exacerbated by developments in industry such as downsizing.
Transparency in wage information remains a problem area for all Member
States. Equitable wage which is defined as "a wage sufficient to enable
them (i.e. workers) to have a decent standard of living" is a principle
enshrined in the Community Charter of Fundamental Rights for Workers.
Commenting on the report's findings, Employment and Social Affairs
Commissioner Padraig Flynn said that, as labour markets fragment and new
forms of working begin to predominate, "the most realistc way of
encouraging an equitable wage will be through the demonstration of good
practice, principally at the level of the employer. The Commission can
foster the use of this experience by, for example, disseminating good
practice on employment conditions, throughout the EU."
[06] Energie - Proc�dures d'infraction pour non-communication des mesures
nationales de transposition
La Commission europ�enne a d�cid� de saisir la Cour de Justice et d'envoyer
des avis motiv�s dans neuf cas dans lesquels les Etats membres ont manqu� �
l'obligation de transposer des directives dans le domaine de l'�nergie dans
les d�lais requis. Il s'agit de directives concernant la consommation
d'�nergie des r�frig�rateurs, cong�lateurs et appareils combin�s
�lectriques, des conditions d'octroi et d'exercice des autorisations de
prospecter, d'exploiter et d'extraire des hydrocarbures, et de la
limitation d'�missions de dioxyde de carbone pour une am�lioration de
l'efficacit� �nerg�tique (Save). En ce qui concerne les avis motiv�s, en
l'absence de r�ponse satisfaisante dans un d�lai de deux mois suivant
r�ception de l'avis motiv�, la Commission pourrait saisir la Cour de
justice de ces affaires. Suite � des notificaitons de mesures nationales
de transposition de directives, la Commission a aussi class� 12 proc�dures
d'infraction.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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