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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-02-03
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
03/02/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Financial services: Germany referred to Court over investment trust
restrictions
[02] La Commission lance le programme Leonardo da Vinci 1997
[03] EU to seek fair access to Japanese ports
[04] Franz Fischler: "The EU's agricultural sector must adapt to meet
future challenges"
[05] Christos Papoutsis: "Tranfer of SMEs is vital for their survival"
[06] L'inflation de l'UE se maintient au taux minimum record de 2,2%
[07] Eurostat tranche sur des op�rations comptables
[01] Financial services: Germany referred to Court over investment trust
restrictions
The European Commission has decided to refer Germany to the Court of
Justice under EC Treaty infringement procedures (Article 169) because of
restrictions imposed on investment trusts established in other Member
States. The European Commission considers the restrictions violate EC
Treaty rules on the freedom to provide services (Article 59) and the free
movement of capital (Article 73b). The German legislation in question, the
AuslandsInvestmentGesetz (AIG), imposes an absolute ban on marketing to the
public of units in investment undertakings of the closed-end type (i.e.
with no obligation to buy back units from the investor). Even though it
applies to both domestic and foreign undertakings, the European Commission
considers that it obstructs the activity of suppliers which are established
in other Member States and which lawfully provide their services there.
Moreover, holders in Germany of units in investment funds of the closed-end
type do not enjoy the same tax advantages as holders of other investment
fund units.
[02] La Commission lance le programme Leonardo da Vinci 1997
La Commission europ�enne a lanc� l'appel � propositions 1997 pour le
programme de formation professionnelle Leonardo da Vinci. L'appel �nonce
les cinq priorit�s de l'ann�e 1997, auxquelles les propositions des
promoteurs devront r�pondre: l'acquisition de comp�tences nouvelles; le
rapprochement entre �tablissements d'enseignement ou de formation
professionnelle et les entreprises; la lutte contre l'exclusion;
l'investissement dans les ressources humaines; la g�n�ralisation de l'acc�s
aux connaissances et la promotion des capacit�s professionnelles par les
outils de la soci�t� de l'information dans la perspective de la formation
tout au long de la vie. Afin d'informer les promoteurs potentiels et de
permettre des contacts entre eux dans le but de monter des partenariats
transnationaux, la Commission organise des journ�es d'information et de
contact, qui se d�rouleront, du 3 au 6 f�vrier 1997, � l'h�tel Pr�sident
WTC, � Bruxelles.
[03] EU to seek fair access to Japanese ports
The European Commission will hold consultations with the Japanese
Government on Wednesday February 5 in an attempt to facilitate access of
imports to Japan. This follows an European Union complaint to the World
Trade Organisation last October that the loading and unloading of ships in
Japan is controlled in a way that effectively restricts competition in
Japanese ports and creates unnecessary obstacles to imports. Under the
Japanese port system, "stevedoring companies", contracted to load and
unload ships, are organised through the Japan Harbour Transportation
Association (JHTA) which controls most cargo activities in Japan through an
opaque "prior consultation system". The JHTA can exercise unwarranted
power over shipping lines by demanding burdensome prior consultation of any
changes in carriers' schedules and use of port services. The Commission
hopes the discussions next Wednesday in Tokyo will form the basis for the
resolution of the problem so as to reduce the complexity of import
formalities in Japanese ports.
[04] Franz Fischler: "The EU's agricultural sector must adapt to meet
future challenges"
Speaking to the New Zealand Crop and Food Research Institute in Canterbury,
Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Franz Fischler rejected the
idea of total liberalisation of trade in agriculture in the next World
Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations. Given the broad differences between
the WTO partners in terms of objectives, political priorities and economies
of scale it is impossible, he said, to contemplate free trade in
agriculture. He expressed the hope however that future adaptations to the
Common Agriculture Policy would facilitate the constructive and progressive
participation of the EU in future WTO negotiations with a view to
concluding a balanced agreement which recognised the differences in
priorities and objectives of the different trading partners in relation to
the agricultural sector.
[05] Christos Papoutsis: "Tranfer of SMEs is vital for their survival"
"The European Commission is determined to make every effort to assist in
facilitating the transfer of businesses and ensuring their survival",
stated Commissioner for Enterprise Policy Christos Papoutsis, at his
opening address of the Forum on the Transfer of Ownership in Small and
Medium-sized Enterprises, which is organised at the initiative of the
European Commission, in Lille, today. He emphasised that transfer of SMEs
is "vital for their survival" and that "coordinated efforts are essential
for achieving success at both Member State and European Union level" and he
called all "to respond to the challenge of improving the environment for
the transfer of enterprises". "It clearly makes no economic sense to let
obstacles of any kind, including legal and taxation ones, stand in the way
of successful transfers". There is an imperative need to improve the
business environment "so that we will be able to strengthen competition and
contribute to the creation of employment".
[06] L'inflation de l'UE se maintient au taux minimum record de 2,2%
En d�cembre 1996, l'inflation de l'UE s'est maintenue au taux minimum
record de 2,2% atteint en novembre, selon Eurostat, l'Office statistique
des Communaut�s europ�ennes � Luxembourg. C'est une nouvelle fois le taux
le plus bas depuis 1983, date � laquelle Eurostat a commenc� � compiler ses
chiffres pour les 15 Etats membres actuels. En d�cembre 1995, le taux
s'�tait �lev� � 3,0%. En d�cembre dernier, le taux d'inflation a atteint 3,
3% aux Etats-Unis et 0,2% au Japon. Au sein de l'UE, six Etats membres ont
enregistr� des taux d'inflation se situant en-dessous de la moyenne, tous
inf�rieurs � 2,0%. Le taux le plus bas a �t� constat� en Su�de, o� le taux
a diminu� une nouvelle fois de 0,2%, suivie de la Finlande (0,8%). La
Gr�ce d�tenait le taux le plus �lev�, avec 7,5%. Elle �tait pr�c�d�e par
le Portugal et l'Espagne, avec des taux consid�rablement inf�rieurs (resp.
3,3% et 3,2%). Dans les autres Etats membres, les taux �taient bien
inf�rieurs � 3,0%.
[07] Eurostat tranche sur des op�rations comptables
Eurostat, l'Office statistique des Communaut�s europ�ennes � Luxembourg, a
pris des d�cisions sur huit types d'op�rations comptables pour fixer les
r�gles permettant d'assurer une meilleure comparabilit� dans la proc�dure
d'�valuation du d�ficit et de la dette dans les Etats membres. Suite � des
demandes d'�claircissement pr�sent�es par plusieurs Etats membres, Eurostat
a entam� de larges consultations au niveau de l'UE avec le concours des
groupes techniques comp�tents. Apr�s avoir entendu leur avis, Eurostat a
arr�t� les r�gles m�thodologiques qui devront �tre d�sormais appliqu�es par
les Etats membres et mises en oeuvre d�s le 1er mars 1997. La fa�on
d'enregistrer les int�r�ts sur les Bons postaux italiens, les ventes d'or
par la Banque nationale de Belgique, le traitement de "coupons courus" sur
obligations assimilables en France, le cr�dit-bail au Royaume-Uni et les
"swaps" en Finlande constituent quelques exemples de cas pratiques sur
lesquels des d�cisions de port�e g�n�rale viennent d'�tre prises.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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