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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-02-14
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
14/02/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Neil Kinnock expresses strong concern about the situation in the road
haulage dispute in Spain
[02] Prix de vente des voitures neuves dans l'UE au 1er novembre 1996: les
plus bas aux Pays-Bas, les plus �lev�s en Allemagne
[03] Commission approves management buy-in of Finnish Chemicals Oy
[04] Information society: The Global Inventory Project launches a web site
[05] Parution du rapport g�n�ral sur l'activit� de l'Union europ�enne en
1996
[06] Hans van den Broek meets the Slovak Deputy Prime Minister, Katarina
Tothova
[07] Franz Fischler in Bonn: prospects for European agricultural policy
[01] Neil Kinnock expresses strong concern about the situation in the road
haulage dispute in Spain
The European Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock expressed concern
yesterday about the deterioration of the dispute in the road haulage sector
in Spain, and especially about the situation of the non-Spanish lorry
drivers currently immobilised by road blocks. "My services are in close
contact with the Spanish authorities in order to assess the situation, to
be informed on developments in the dispute, and to ensure that initiatives
are being taken to solve the crisis" said Mr Kinnock. "I remain
particularly concerned about the acts of violence that have been reported
to me. There is never any excuse for that in any industrial dispute, and I
have urged my Spanish colleague to take every possible measure to protect
the security of Community hauliers. I am also extremely worried about the
situation of non-Spanish hauliers who are being prevented from getting on
with their work by a dispute which is none of their making. Urgent action
is needed to find a rapid solution, to allow the non-Spanish lorry drivers
to get back home and ensure that free movement of persons and goods is
guaranteed" concluded Mr Kinnock.
[02] Prix de vente des voitures neuves dans l'UE au 1er novembre 1996: les
plus bas aux Pays-Bas, les plus �lev�s en Allemagne
Au 1er novembre 1996, 23 des 75 mod�les les plus vendus �taient meilleur
march� aux Pays-Bas, suivi par le Portugal avec 21 mod�les. L'Allemagne et
la France restent les Etats membres o� les prix des voitures sont les plus
�lev�s, pour 30 des mod�les examin�s, suivis par le Royaume-Uni avec 15
mod�les. La situation des prix au Royaume-Uni s'est donc d�t�rior�e par
rapport � la pr�c�dente �tude. Les disparit�s de prix ont d�pass� les 20%
pour 40 des 75 mod�les examin�s. Cela se marquait particuli�rement pour le
groupe Fiat, Ford, Opel, Citro�n, Volkswagen, Nissan and Mitsubishi. Les
constructeurs du groupe BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Volvo, Audi et Seat
ainsi que Honda, Mazda et Toyota ont, en �vidence, appliqu� dans l'Union
europ�enne (UE) une politique destin�e � maintenir leurs prix dans une
certaine marge. La tendance observ�e depuis novembre 1995 - le fait que
les constructeurs essayent de plus en plus de limiter les disparit�s de
prix � 20% - s'est donc confirm�e. Telles sont les principales conclusions
du huiti�me Rapport sur les prix des voitures dans l'UE. Cette �tude est
r�alis�e tous les six mois par la Commission europ�enne sur base des
informations mises � sa disposition par les constructeurs europ�ens et
japonais.
[03] Commission approves management buy-in of Finnish Chemicals Oy
The European Commission has decided to approve the operation by which
Prudential Corporation (United Kingdom) and HSBC Holdings (United Kingdom),
both engaged in fund management, acquire joint control of Finnish Chemicals
Oy (Finland), a manufacturer and supplier of pulping and bleaching
chemicals for supply to the pulp and paper industries. Prudential is a
supplier of life insurance; HSBC is a supplier of banking and financial
services. They are not themselves active in any market of Finnish
Chemicals. Nor do any of the funds which they manage confer upon them
control of any company which is active in any such market.
[04] Information society: The Global Inventory Project launches a web site
The Global Inventory Project (GIP) site has been launched on the World Wide
Web. The GIP, one of 11 world-wide pilot projects launched by the G7
Ministers in Brussels in February 1995, and co-led by the European
Commission and Japan aims to act as an international reference point for
the provision of information that will assist in the promotion of the
information society. It will create a multimedia inventory of significant
national and international projects, studies and other initiatives
pertaining to the information society and providing this information to the
public through a Web site. Its search engine will allow to use a multi-
lingual search which is unique for contemporary Internet-based databases.
Other objectives are: to establish a network for the free exchange of
information about national and international initiatives related to the
information society (electronic forum); to promote information society
activities and gain understanding of their economic, industrial and social
impacts; to foster international alliance building and multinational
projects and investments.
[05] Parution du rapport g�n�ral sur l'activit� de l'Union europ�enne en
1996
Le Rapport g�n�ral 1996 sur l'activit� de l'Union europ�enne vient de
para�tre. Il est structur� par grands th�mes et est dot� d'un index
analytique. Il comporte des r�f�rences syst�matiques au Journal officiel,
aux Rapports g�n�raux pr�c�dents et aux Bulletins (mensuels) de l'Union
europ�enne. Il contient �galement un aper�u chronologique des principaux
�v�nements de l'ann�e, ainsi que de nombreux tableaux visualisant, par
exemple, l'�tat des proc�dures l�gislatives et des accords en cours
d'�laboration entre la Communaut� et les pays tiers, ou encore les
diff�rentes �tapes de l'adoption du budget 1997. Le rapport g�n�ral est
disponible aupr�s des diff�rents bureaux de vente des publications
officielles des Communaut�s europ�ennes.
[06] Hans van den Broek meets the Slovak Deputy Prime Minister, Katarina
Tothova
On Thursday, 13 February 1997, Commissioner Hans van den Broek met Mrs
Katarina Tothova, the Slovak Deputy Prime Minister. The encounter enabled
parties to assess the state of play of the reform process in Slovakia, with
particular reference to the pre-accession strategy actually implemented by
the parties. Special attention was given to the political reforms needed,
where the Commissioner mentioned in particular legislation concerning
minority languages. The economic reform course should be pursued and the
approximation of legislation towards EU standards should be consistently
completed.
[07] Franz Fischler in Bonn: prospects for European agricultural policy
In his address entitled "Prospects for European Agricultural Policy" at the
annual conference of the German Association for Agricultural and
Environmental Policy in Bonn today, Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler
concentrated on three issues which, he said, "will, with certainty, have a
decisive influence on European Agricultural Policy at the beginning of the
21st Century": the developments on world markets and the next WTO
negotiations, the imminent enlargement of the EU to the East, and finally
the demands imposed by society on agriculture and the Common Agricultural
Policy in regard to the preservation of rural areas and living space. Mr
Fischler said he hoped his speech would underline the number of challenges
European agriculture will face in the coming years, and what policy makers
should do to meet them. There was no need for resignation or radical
experiments, but changes occurring could not be ignored.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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