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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-05-25
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 Service Presse et Communicationb
Midday Express 23/05/2001
[I] R�sultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission
meeting
[01] La Commission veut renforcer le droit de s�jour et de circulation des
citoyens de l'Union
Le droit des citoyens de l'Union europ�enne et de leur famille de circuler
et de s�journer librement sur le territoire des Etats membres doit �tre
renforc�, selon la Commission europ�enne qui a propos� aujourd'hui une
directive � cet effet. Le texte envisage une s�rie de mesures concr�tes qui
visent � consolider le socle juridique commun d'une citoyennet� de l'Union
europ�enne.
[02] La Commission propose des mesures de lutte contre le trafic de drogue
� grande �chelle
La Commission europ�enne a adopt� une proposition de d�cision-cadre pour
lutter contre le trafic de drogue � grande �chelle. La proposition, qui
r�pond � la demande du Conseil europ�en de Tampere, a pour objectif de
s'attaquer au trafic qui est la source de l'approvisionnement en
stup�fiants et en substances psychotropes de nos soci�t�s.
[03] Taxation : Commission outlines its priorities
The European Commission has presented a comprehensive strategy for the EU's
future taxation policy. The Commission considers that the Community must
ensure that tax policy supports broader EU policy objectives such as the
goal set by the Lisbon European Council of making the EU the most
competitive economy in the world by 2010. Increased tax coordination would
help Member States to meet these objectives. But while a large measure of
harmonisation is necessary in the VAT and excises fields, in other tax
fields tax coordination does not imply tax harmonisation. A reasonable
degree of tax competition within the EU is healthy and should be permitted.
The Commission intends to focus more attention in particular on the tax
problems facing individuals and businesses operating within the Internal
Market. It will soon present options for coordinated action to tackle tax
obstacles and inefficiencies in the company tax field, as well as reports
concerning alcohol taxation and vehicle taxation. To achieve progress, the
Commission intends to be more pro-active in taking legal action where
Member States' national tax rules or practices do not comply with the
Treaty. In addition, "enhanced cooperation" and non-binding approaches such
as recommendations could be utilised instead of legislative proposals where
appropriate.
[04] Commission wants EU money protected under criminal law
The European Commission has adopted a draft directive which would protect
EU funds under criminal law. This proposal is intended to give a new
impetus to the fight against fraud, corruption and money laundering,
following the incomplete ratification of the 1995 Convention on the
Protection of Financial Interests and its additional protocols (PFI
instruments) by the Member States. This directive would mean Member States
sharing common definitions of offences and common rules on liability,
penalties and cooperation with the Commission. Michaele Schreyer,
Commissioner in charge of Budget and the fight against fraud, declared :
"Combating fraud is one of our top priorities. The Commission has seen with
satisfaction that many Member States have ratified the anti-fraud
Convention in the past few years. However, some countries have not yet done
so, which means that the legal weapons to protect the EU's financial
interests effectively throughout the Union are not in place. We decided to
take this initiative according to the Amsterdam Treaty which provides for
new and strong provisions in order to fight fraud affecting the Community's
financial interests. Commenting the decision Mr Ant�nio Vitorino,
Commissioner in charge of Justice and Home Affairs declared : "This
initiative is essential not only to protect EU funds but also to increase
cooperation between the Commission and the EU Member States in fighting all
forms of criminality". This draft directive will be adopted in codecision
by the Council and the European Parliament.
[05] Commission strengthens the role of the Hearing Officer in competition
proceedings
The European Commission has decided to enhance the role of the Hearing
Officer in its merger reviews and anti-trust proceedings. The Hearing
Officer plays an important role in safeguarding the right of defence, a key
principle of law to which the Commission is fully committed. From now on,
the Hearing Officer will be attached directly to the Competition
Commissioner and his/her report will be made available to the parties and
will be published in the European Union's Official Journal, greatly
contributing to a better transparency in the competition decision-making
process.
[06] Commission investigates restructuring aid to Schmitz-Gotha
Fahrzeugwerke GmbH and Gothaer Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH
The European Commission has decided to open the formal State aid
investigation procedure according to Art. 88 (2) of the EC Treaty as
concerns aid to the restructuring of Schmitz-Gotha Fahrzeugwerke GmbH and
Gothaer Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH, both located in Gotha (Th�ringen), Germany.
The aid subject to investigation, paid after 1 January 1997, amounts in the
case of Schmitz-Gotha Fahrzeugwerk to DEM 9.3 million (euro 4.755 million),
and in the case of Gotha Fahrzeugtechnik to DEM 9.765 million (euro 4.993
million. The reasons for the opening of a formal probe are the Commission
doubts as to the compliance with the requirements laid down in the
Community Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in
difficulties.
[07] Commission adopts Communication on State aid and risk capital
The European Commission has adopted a Communication on State aid and risk
capital. It sets out how the Commission will assess, under the state aid
rules, measures designed to promote the growth of risk capital markets. An
increase in risk capital is an objective which the European Union (EU) has
been pursuing particularly strongly since the Lisbon European Council in
March 2000. The Commission has recognised that public funds may play a part
in achieving this. At the same time, it wants to maintain a careful control
on state aid within the EU, and has found that existing state aid rules are
not well adapted to the types of measures which have been developed by
Member States' authorities to stimulate an increase in risk capital
activity.
[08] La Commission autorise l'aide � la restructuration en faveur de la
soci�t� fran�aise Sernam
La Commission europ�enne a d�cid� d'autoriser une aide � la restructuration
de 448 millions d'euros au total (2.938 millions FF) en faveur de la
soci�t� fran�aise Sernam, une filiale de la Soci�t� Nationale des Chemins
de Fer (SNCF). Le Sernam op�re dans le secteur de la livraison express et
traditionnelle ainsi que dans celui de l'affr�tement et de la logistique.
Le versement de l'aide devrait permettre la reprise du Sernam par la
soci�t� Geodis.
[09] La Commission autorise la France � verser pr�s d'un milliard d'euros �
son industrie houill�re pour l'ann�e 2001
La Commission europ�enne a autoris� une aide d'Etat pour l'industrie
houill�re fran�aise de 991 millions d'euros (6, 5 milliards FF) pour
l'ann�e 2001. Cette aide contribue � accompagner les r�ductions d'activit�
et l'arr�t progressif de l'extraction charbonni�re � l'horizon 2005, comme
accord� en 1994 par l'entreprise Charbonnages de France et les
organisations syndicales.
[10] La Commission engage une proc�dure devant la Cour de Justice contre
l'Espagne pour la deuxi�me fois � propos des eaux de baignade
La Commission europ�enne a d�cid� d'engager, pour la deuxi�me fois, une
proc�dure � l'encontre de l'Espagne devant la Cour de justice des
Communaut�s europ�ennes afin d'obtenir l'ex�cution d'un arr�t rendu par la
Cour en 1998. La proc�dure concerne le non-respect de la directive relative
� la qualit� des eaux de baignade, et plus particuli�rement les eaux de
baignade int�rieures sur le territoire espagnol. La Commission a �galement
d�cider de demander � la Cour d'infliger � l'Espagne une astreinte
journali�re de 45.600 euros si l'affaire n'est pas r�gl�e avant que la Cour
rende son arr�t. Commentant cette d�cision, Mme Margot Wallstr�m, membre de
la Commission charg�e de l'Environnement, a d�clar� : "Tous les citoyens
d'Europe, o� qu'ils soient, ont le droit de disposer d'eaux de baignade
propres, et c'est valable aussi pour l'Espagne. J'esp�re que l'Espagne va
rapidement prendre des mesures pour se conformer � cette importante
directive dans les meilleurs d�lais. En effet, notre action vise plut�t �
obtenir le respect des dispositions de la directive qu'un deuxi�me arr�t de
la Cour."
[11] Michel Petite nomm� Directeur G�n�ral du Service juridique
Michel Petite dirigera le Service juridique de la Commission, service qui
fournit des conseils juridiques � l'institution et la repr�sente devant les
tribunaux. Le Service juridique d�pend directement du Pr�sident de la
Commission.
[12] Stefano Manservisi appointed Head of Cabinet of President Romano Prodi
Stefano Manservisi is currently deputy head of the President's cabinet. He
will replace Michel Petite, appointed Director General of the Legal Service
of the Commission.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[13] Fonds structurels : la Commission adopte une communication sur la mise
en �uvre du programme de coop�ration interr�gionale (INTERREG IIIC)
La Commission europ�enne a adopt� une communication sur la mise en �uvre du
volet C de l'initiative communautaire INTERREG III. L'initiative INTERREG
III vise � promouvoir la coop�ration interr�gionale et transfrontali�re. La
finalit� sp�cifique du volet C est de renforcer la coop�ration entre les
r�gions europ�ennes et d'am�liorer l'efficacit� des politiques et des
instruments de d�veloppement r�gional gr�ce � l'�change d'informations et
au partage d'exp�riences sur une grande �chelle. Cette communication
fournit des lignes directrices d�taill�es qui ont pour objet d'aider les
Etats membres et les r�gions � �laborer des propositions en mati�re de
concours des Fonds structurels aux actions qui rel�vent de la coop�ration
interr�gionale pour la p�riode 2000-2006.
[14] Pedro Solbes appelle les grandes entreprises � inciter leurs petits
fournisseurs � se pr�parer au passage � l'euro
Soucieuse d'en savoir plus sur l'�tat des pr�paratifs du monde des
entreprises dans la perspective du passage � l'euro, la Commission
europ�enne a r�uni hier une table ronde associant les personnes charg�es
d'organiser ce passage au sein de 19 grandes entreprises europ�ennes. Les
discussions ont port� plus particuli�rement sur l'avancement des
pr�paratifs des petites et moyennes entreprises qui fournissent leurs
services aux entreprises de plus grande taille. Nombre de ces PME n'ont pas
encore ouvert le chantier de l'euro; les grandes entreprises pourraient
jouer un r�le de catalyseur en incitant les fournisseurs ainsi que les
partenaires/distributeurs � �tre pr�ts � temps. Cette initiative n'est que
l'une des nombreuses mesures prises par la Commission, dans le cadre de sa
mission de coordination et d'interm�diation entre les diff�rents acteurs
�conomiques, en cette p�riode de transition qui prendra fin le 1er janvier
2002.
[15] Beef market situation : update on 18 May 2001
European Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler believes the EU beef
market shows signs of recovery. Compared to the pre-crisis situation, the
latest estimates show a drop in beef consumption of 10% (compared to -18%
last month). Also the price reduction has become less severe. Furthermore,
some third countries such as Russia reopened their market for EU beef.
"This is partly the result of the measures we put in place. During the
first four months of this year, about 475,000 tons of beef have been
withdrawn from the market, of which about 200,000 tons are now stored in
public intervention. We should however not forget that a considerable
number of animals, mainly cows, are still being held back on farms, that
consumption is still down and that a significant part of our export markets
are still blocked. This means that the intervention stocks are bound to
further increase. Moreover, it is difficult to imagine that the consumption
will recover to its former level, even in the long term. For all these
reasons, we still have to take action to rebalance the beef market, and
this is not possible without the 7-points plan I proposed. It should be
clear that this is a crisis management package, not a reform", he said.
[16] Ant�nio Vitorino rencontre Ruth Metzler, Conseiller f�d�ral suisse
pour la Justice et les Affaires int�rieures
Dans le cadre plus ample du dialogue avec la Suisse, cette rencontre est la
premi�re opportunit� qu'ont Mme Metzler et M. Vitorino, commissaire
europ�en � la Justice et aux Affaires int�rieures, de proc�der � un �change
de vues sur les probables modalit�s d'un �ventuel suivi des r�centes
rencontres pr�liminaires et exploratoires � niveau technique tenues entre
les fonctionnaires des services Justice et Affaires int�rieures de la
Commission avec leurs homologues. La Commission avait d�j� confirm�
auparavant que chaque point relatif � la justice et aux affaires
int�rieures concernant le dialogue avec la Suisse allait �tre analys� pour
ses m�rites sp�cifiques sans que pour autant il soit s�par� du contexte
global incluant la question de la lutte contre les fraudes et de la
taxation de l'�pargne.
[17] Euro-zone external trade surplus euro 4.3 billion in March 2001 ; euro
4.2 billion deficit for EU15
(! embargo 12am !) According to first estimates by Eurostat, euro-zone
trade with the rest of the world in March 2001 had a euro 4.3 billion
surplus, compared to euro +3.6 billion in March 2000. Euro-zone trade
recorded a deficit of euro 1.7 billion for the first three months of 2001,
compared with euro -1.9 billion in 2000. The first estimate for March 2001
extra-EU15 trade was a euro 4.2 billion deficit, compared to euro -4.0
billion in March 2000. There was a deficit of euro 24.2 billion in the
first three months of 2001 compared with euro -24.3 billion in 2000.
[18] Autre mat�riel diffus�
Note sur la situation du march� de la viande bovine
Note sur les r�sultats du Conseil Agriculture
Note sur la pr�paration du Conseil Education / Jeunesse (28/05)
Calendrier du 28 mai au 1er juin
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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