|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-12-07
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Fiscalité de l'épargne : la Commission salue la signature d'accords
avec le Liechtenstein, Saint-Marin et Monaco
[02] Company taxation : Commission welcomes agreements on improvements to
Mergers Directive
[03] Company taxation : Commission welcomes adoption of Code of Conduct to
eliminate double taxation in cross-border transfer pricing cases
[04] Commission clears joint acquisition of Newco by Europcar and TUI
[05] Galileo : la Commission propose d'ouvrir des négociations avec le
Maroc
[06] Commission provides €7 million in humanitarian aid to the most
vulnerable Palestinians
[07] Louis Michel rencontre le leader du principal mouvement du sud-Soudan
[08] Mariann Fischer Boel calls for support for organic farming
[09] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2004-12-07
Reference: MEX/04/1207
Date: 07/12/2004
EXME04 / 7.12
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Général Presse etb
Communication
07/12/04
[01] Fiscalité de l'épargne : la Commission salue la signature d'accords
avec le Liechtenstein, Saint-Marin et Monaco
La Commission européenne a salué la signature d'accords concernant la
fiscalité de l'épargne conclus aujourd'hui avec le Liechtenstein, Monaco
et Saint-Marin. Ces trois accords font partie d'un nouveau cadre de
coopération dans le domaine de la fiscalité directe. Celui-ci comprend
non seulement la directive sur la fiscalité de l'épargne adoptée dans le
cadre de l'Union européenne (voir IP/03/787), mais également des accords
conclus dans le même domaine avec plusieurs pays tiers et avec les
territoires dépendants ou associés des Etats membres. Tous ces
instruments juridiques devraient être appliqués simultanément à partir
du 1er juillet 2005.
[02] Company taxation : Commission welcomes agreements on improvements to
Mergers Directive
The European Commission has welcomed the political agreement by the EU's
Council of Finance Ministers on a proposal to amend the EU Directive that
provides for tax deferral in the case of cross-border mergers and divisions
of companies, transfers of assets and exchanges of shares (90/434/EEC). The
amendment that is based on a Commission proposal of October 2003 (see
IP/03/1418) would, in particular, broaden the existing Directive's scope to
cover a larger range of companies including the European Company (see
IP/01/1376) and the European Co-operative Society (see IP/03/1071) ;
provide for a new tax-neutral regime for the transfer of the registered
office of a European Company or of a European Cooperative Society between
Member States ; clarify that the Directive applies in the case of the
conversion of branches into subsidiaries ; and cover a new type of
operation, known as a 'partial division' or 'split-off'.
[03] Company taxation : Commission welcomes adoption of Code of Conduct to
eliminate double taxation in cross-border transfer pricing cases
The European Commission has welcomed the adoption by the Council of a Code
of Conduct to eliminate the double taxation that can arise where an EU
Member State, by making a transfer pricing adjustment, increases the
taxable profits of a company from its cross-border intra-group
transactions. The Code will ensure a more effective and uniform application
by EU Member States of the 1990 Arbitration Convention (90/436/EEC) that is
designed to deal with such double taxation. The Code establishes rules such
as the starting points of time limits for dealing with complaints and
practical arrangements concerning the mutual agreement and arbitration
phases of the Convention. It recommends the suspension of tax collection
during the dispute resolution period. The Code is based on a Commission
proposal of April 2004 (see IP/04/542 and MEMO/04/96) arising from the work
of the EU Joint Transfer Pricing Forum (see IP/02/1105). The Council also
welcomed the Commission's decision to prolong the work of the Forum for a
further two years and agreed on an Accession Convention that will, when
ratified, allow the ten new Member States to adhere to the Arbitration
Convention.
[04] Commission clears joint acquisition of Newco by Europcar and TUI
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Newco, active in car
rental in the Balearic islands, by French company Europcar, franchisor of
car rental services and a subsidiary of Volkswagen, and by TUI AG of
Germany, active in transport and tourism. The transaction concerns the
provision of short term passenger car rental services on the Balearics and
Canary Islands. The operation was examined under the simplified merger
review procedure.
[05] Galileo : la Commission propose d'ouvrir des négociations avec le
Maroc
La Commission européenne propose aujourd'hui au Conseil des directives de
négociation en vue de la conclusion d'un accord de coopération avec le
Maroc. Cet accord concerne le développement de Galileo, un système civil
de navigation par satellite.
[06] Commission provides €7 million in humanitarian aid to the most
vulnerable Palestinians
The European Commission has allocated a further €7 million in
humanitarian aid for people made vulnerable by the Middle East crisis. The
aid will provide access to food, clean water and sanitation for the poorest
Palestinians living on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. There is also a
major funding component to help rehabilitate the shelters of thousands of
Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The aid will be
channelled through ECHO, the Commission's humanitarian aid department. It
brings the Commission's humanitarian assistance to victims of the Middle
East crisis to €37 million for 2004.
[07] Louis Michel rencontre le leader du principal mouvement du sud-Soudan
Faisant suite à sa visite la semaine dernière à Khartoum, où il s'était
entretenu avec le Président soudanais, Omar Al-Bashir, sur les
perspectives d'un accord de paix entre le nord et le sud du pays, Louis
Michel, Commissaire européen en charge du Développement et de l'Aide
Humanitaire, a rencontré le 6 décembre à Nairobi le Dr. John Garang, le
leader du principal mouvement du sud-Soudan, le SPLM/A (Mouvement de
Libération du Peuple Soudanais).
[08] Mariann Fischer Boel calls for support for organic farming
The European Union must do all it can to support the growth of the organic
agricultural sector, according to Mariann Fischer Boel, European
Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Speaking at a Congress
in Berlin, Commissioner Fischer Boel explained how the recent reforms of
the Common Agricultural Policy will make it easier for producers to shift
to organic production. She pointed to the important role of research in
supporting the growth of the sector, and stressed the need for common
international standards and increased efforts to help developing countries
export food produced according to organic standards. Referring to the
Organic Action Plan, which received broad backing from the Council in
October, the Commissioner said : "This is a very important step, but only
an intermediate step in a continuous process."
[09] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Viviane Reding : "Business without frontiers: Europe's new
broadcasting landscape" at European Media Leaders Summit 2004 (London)
Note on the Transport Council (09-10/12)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
|
