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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 99-04-15
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
15/04/99
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission opens in-depth inquiry into acquisition of ECT by Hutchison
and the Rotterdam port authority
[02] La production industrielle de la zone euro et de l'UE15 en novembre 98-
janvier 99
[03] Christos Papoutsis : "If it is this Commission which highlighted and
promoted the particular importance of the commerce sector, it is up to the
new Commission to keep it high in its political agenda"
[01] Commission opens in-depth inquiry into acquisition of ECT by Hutchison
and the Rotterdam port authority
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the
acquisition of joint control by Hutchison Port Holdings Ltd. and
Rotterdam's municipal port management authority of over the Rotterdam
container terminal operator European Combined Terminals BV (ECT). Concern
arises from the fact that the merger brings three out of Northern Europe's
ten largest container port terminals under joint control. A final decision
will now be taken within a period of four months.
[02] La production industrielle de la zone euro et de l'UE15 en novembre 98-
janvier 99
(! embargo 12h !) La tendance de la production industrielle de la zone
euro ainsi que celle de l'Union europ�enne (UE15) a diminu� de 0,4% pour la
p�riode de novembre 1998 � janvier 1999 par rapport aux trois mois
pr�c�dents, selon les estimations publi�es aujourd'hui par Eurostat,
l'Office statistique des Communaut�s europ�ennes � Luxembourg. Les taux de
croissance pr�c�dents �taient de 0,3% (chiffre r�vis� pour la p�riode
d'octobre � fin d�cembre) pour la zone euro et l'UE15. La production
industrielle a diminu� pour la quatri�me p�riode cons�cutive. Malgr� la
tendance g�n�rale, l'Irlande (2,2%), la Gr�ce (1,7%), la Finlande (1,2%),
l'Espagne (0,7%) et la France (0,5%) ont affich� des hausses de la
production. Des baisses ont �t� enregistr�es cependant en Italie (-0,9%)
et au Danemark (-0,8%). La production en Allemagne a �galement baiss� de 0,
7%. Elle est rest�e presque stable dans les autres Etats membres. La
production aux Etats-Unis a l�g�rement augment� (+0,2%) alors que celle du
Japon a diminu� (-0,9%). Tant pour la zone euro que pour l'UE15, le volume
de la production industrielle, corrig� des jours ouvrables, a augment� en
janvier de respectivement 1,7% et 1,3% par rapport au mois de janvier 1998.
Une croissance a �t� enregistr�e dans tous les secteurs aussi bien dans la
zone euro que dans l'UE15. La croissance la plus forte a �t� enregistr�e
pour les biens de capitaux avec 4,4% (4,8% pour l'UE15) et dans le secteur
des biens de consommation durables avec 3,0% (2,5%). La production des
biens de consommation non durables, a augment� de 1,7% (0,3%), celle des
biens interm�diaires de 0,7% (0,2%).
[03] Christos Papoutsis : "If it is this Commission which highlighted and
promoted the particular importance of the commerce sector, it is up to the
new Commission to keep it high in its political agenda"
Speaking today in Brussels at the annual meeting of the Committee for
Commerce and Distribution (CCD), European Commissioner Christos Papoutsis,
responsible for Enterprise Policy and Commerce, made an analytical
presentation of the White Paper on Commerce and underlined that "despite
the current negative climate and the efforts being made in order to damage
the image, the work and achievements of the Commission, the truth is quite
different". In particular, as far as the Commerce sector is concerned, the
Commissioner said that "it is the Santer Commission which gave the required
impetus to the commerce sector, has established with the White Paper on
Commerce a framework for a strategy and policy in favour of the sector,
highlighted and promoted the particular importance of the role commerce is
playing in the economic development and of job creation in the European
Union, proposed measures at European and national level, and encouraged
Member States to take initiatives in order to support the commerce sector".
He further said that with the help of the CCD the same perspectives will
also prevail in the future and expressed the hope that the next Commission
under President Prodi "will include commerce and enterprise policy in its
highest political priorities".
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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