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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-07-08
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Statement by President Barroso on the London attacks (07/07)
[02] Statement by Vice President Franco Frattini on the London attacks
(07/07)
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Saltend and Calpine by IPM
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Sejet by Carlsberg and DLG
[05] Commission opens in-depth investigation into E.ON's acquisition of
Hungary's MOL gas business
[06] Commission clears PCM and Wegener newspaper joint venture, subject to
conditions
[07] Leonardo da Vinci : en 2005, près de 70.000 personnes effectueront un
stage professionnel dans un autre pays européen grâce l'UE
[08] Coopération internationale dans le domaine de l'enseignement
supérieur : la Commission donne le feu vert 108 projets Tempus
[09] Financial services : Commission report shows potential economic
benefits of further integration in new Member States and retail financial
services
[10] Financial reporting : EU Accounting Regulatory Committee supports
Commission proposal to endorse "IAS 39 Fair Value Option"
[11] Investissements directs étrangers de l'UE25 : diminution des flux
d'IDE avec les pays tiers et des flux intra-UE25 en 2004
[12] Benita Ferrero-Waldner to visit Brazil, Uruguay and Peru from 11 to 15
July
[13] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-07-08
Reference: MEX/05/0708
Date: 08/07/2005
EXME05 / 8.7
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
08/07/05
[01] Statement by President Barroso on the London attacks (07/07)
Speaking yesterday in Gleneagles, after terrorist attacks caused multiple
explosions in London, the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel
Barroso said : "I want to express my deepest sympathy, condolences and
solidarity to the bereaved families of the innocent dead for this
outrageous and unjustifiable attack. This is an attack on the people of
Britain, it is an attack on democracy, and it is an attack on the
fundamental freedoms which go to the heart of the European Union. Citizens
across Europe share the grief which is being felt by the people of Britain,
and we share the sense of vulnerability about a threat which can strike any
of our Member States at any time. The European Union will offer every
support and assistance available to the British authorities coping with
this atrocity. We must stand resolutely together against terrorism in all
its forms. At a time when world leaders are uniting to fight poverty, we
can not allow the language of violence to prevail. Today’s attacks
reinforce the urgency of global solidarity and action. The European Union
will stand together with the British people against terrorism, we will
stand together for freedom and democracy. I want to say, as a matter of
duty to the British people, and to the people of Europe, there must be no
safe haven for terrorists and terrorism in the European Union."
[02] Statement by Vice President Franco Frattini on the London attacks
(07/07)
"I am shocked by the news about the dreadful events happened in London.
This unfortunately confirms that terrorism is a permanent threat and has
struck again at the very heart of Europe. I express my deepest sympathy to
the victims of these appalling acts and to the citizens of the United
Kingdom in general. However, I like to stress that this attack is not
attack on the United Kingdom or its citizens only, but an attack on the
whole of Europe and on all of us, all EU citizens. It is an attack on all
those who defend and promote human rights and our shared values of freedom,
liberty, justice and security. Along with my Directorate-General Freedom,
Security and Justice, I am in constant contact with the British
Authorities. I have already offered to them, and to my friend and colleague
Home Secretary Charles Clarke in particular, every support and assistance
they may find useful. The priority for the UK Presidency in the area of
justice and home affairs already identified is that of security and it is a
priority which I fully share and on which it is necessary to make progress
in the next 6 months. On behalf of the European Commission I confirm the
full commitment of the Commission to promote and accelerate concrete
actions for preventing and reacting immediately to terrorist attacks. Next
week, on 13 July 2005, the Commission will discuss further measures on the
fight against terrorism ; in particular a proposal for a terrorism related
rapid response mechanism, enabling the EU to respond more efficiently and
in a coordinated way to terrorist attacks such as these happened today."
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Saltend and Calpine by IPM
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of UK undertakings Saltend
Cogeneration Company Limited (Saltend) and Calpine UK Operations Limited
(Calpine) by IPM Eagle LLP (IPM Eagle) of the UK, jointly controlled by
International Power plc (IPR) of the UK and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) of
Japan. IPM Eagle was set up by IPR and Mitsui in 2004 to acquire the
international electricity generation assets of Edison Mission Energy. IPM
Eagle currently holds interests in two electricity generation plants in the
UK. IPR is an electricity generating company with power plants in the UK,
Portugal, the Czech Republic, the US, Asia and the Middle East. Mitsui is a
trading company engaged in worldwide commodity businesses, including power
and energy-related products. Mitsui does not have any interests in
electricity generation within the EEA. Saltend and Calpine currently belong
to Calpine UK Holdings Limited. They own and operate a 1,200 MW combined
cycle gas turbine (CCGT) electricity cogeneration plant in Saltend in the
North-East of England. The operation was examined under the simplified
merger review procedure.
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Sejet by Carlsberg and DLG
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Sejet Planteforaedling
I/S (Sejet) of Denmark by Danish undertakings Carlsberg A/S (Carlsberg) and
Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab a.m.b.a. (DLG). Carlsberg's main activities
are through Carlsberg Breweries A/S, which is an international brewing
company active worldwide in the production, sale, marketing and
distribution of beer and soft drinks. It has limited activities outside the
brewing business, one of which is research into optimising each step of
beer production. DLG is one of Denmark’s largest cooperative feeding-
stuff companies. DLG supplies Danish farmers with feed, cereal seed,
fertilisers, agricultural lime and crop protection products for the day-to-
day running of a farm. Its main activities are in Denmark, but it also
exports some agricultural crops. The operation was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure.
[05] Commission opens in-depth investigation into E.ON's acquisition of
Hungary's MOL gas business
The European Commission has opened a detailed investigation under the EU
Merger Regulation into the planned acquisition by German energy group E.ON
of the gas wholesale and storage activities of Hungarian oil and gas group
MOL. The Commission's initial market investigation has found that the
proposed transaction could create significant competition concerns at all
levels of the gas and electricity supply chain in Hungary, given the
horizontal and vertical overlaps between the two companies' activities. The
decision to open an in-depth inquiry does not prejudge the final result of
the investigation. The Commission now has 90 working days (until 17th
November 2005) to take a final decision on whether the concentration would
significantly impede effective competition within the European Economic
Area or a significant part of it.
[06] Commission clears PCM and Wegener newspaper joint venture, subject to
conditions
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
creation of a joint venture between Dutch newspaper publishers PCM Holding
(“PCM”) and Koninklijke Wegener (“Wegener”) through the combination
of some of their newspapers. The joint venture will publish a new national
daily with local editions in the Randstad region. To avoid competition
concerns arising from possible co-ordination of Wegener with PCM and the
joint venture in the sale of advertising space, Wegener has committed not
to sell national advertisement space jointly with the joint venture or with
PCM. In light of this commitment, the Commission has concluded that the
transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the
European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.
[07] Leonardo da Vinci : en 2005, près de 70.000 personnes effectueront un
stage professionnel dans un autre pays européen grâce l'UE
La sélection des projets de mobilité dans le cadre du programme Leonardo
da Vinci s'est soldé pour l'année en cours par un résultat très
satisfaisant : 3015 projets ont été sélectionnés travers l'Europe,
pour un total de près de 70.000 stages (soit une moyenne de 23 stagiaires
par projet). Cette action de mobilité, dotée d'un budget de €120
millions cette année, connaît un succès croissant : en cinq ans, le
nombre de boursiers a pratiquement doublé.
[08] Coopération internationale dans le domaine de l'enseignement
supérieur : la Commission donne le feu vert 108 projets Tempus
La Commission européenne a sélectionné, au titre du programme Tempus,
108 projets de coopération universitaire dont le lancement est fixé au
1er septembre 2005. Chaque projet a une durée de deux ou trois ans et
associe au minimum trois universités de l'Union européenne et des pays
voisins. Les projets représentent la contribution de l'Union la
modernisation des systèmes d'enseignement supérieur des pays partenaires
concernés.
[09] Financial services : Commission report shows potential economic
benefits of further integration in new Member States and retail financial
services
The European Commission has published the Financial Integration Monitor
(FIM) 2005, the second annual report on the state of integration in EU
financial markets. Whereas the FIM 2004 described the headline trends which
have affected financial markets in the original 15 Member States (EU15) in
recent years, this year's report aims to go into greater depth in specific
areas which are at the forefront of political debate: the entry into the EU
of ten new Member States just over a year ago and the rate of integration
of EU retail financial markets. Along with the Green Paper on Financial
Services Policy, the FIM report provides input to the ongoing policy
debate.
[10] Financial reporting : EU Accounting Regulatory Committee supports
Commission proposal to endorse "IAS 39 Fair Value Option"
At its meeting on 8 July 2005, the Accounting Regulatory Committee (ARC),
which advises the European Commission on the endorsement of individual
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) for use in the European
Union, agreed unanimously to recommend endorsement of an amended version of
IAS 39 relating to the Fair Value Option (FVO) previously carved out.
Unless the European Parliament raises objections, the Commission will
therefore adopt the amended standard as soon as possible. Adoption will be
retroactive to 1st January 2005, so that companies will be able to apply
the amended standard for their 2005 financial statements.
[11] Investissements directs étrangers de l'UE25 : diminution des flux
d'IDE avec les pays tiers et des flux intra-UE25 en 2004
Selon des données publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat, en 2004, les IDE
(investissements directs étrangers) de l'UE25 dans les pays tiers (flux
sortants) ont reculé d'un quart, passant de 132 milliards d'€ en 2003
99 milliards en 2004, alors que les IDE vers l'UE25 en provenance du reste
du monde (flux entrants) ont diminué de plus de moitié, passant de 125
milliards en 2003 58 milliards en 2004. Ces baisses ont été fortement
influencées par les flux entre l'UE25 et les Etats-Unis. En 2004, l'UE25 a
enregistré un désinvestissement de 17 milliards d'€ aux Etats-Unis,
comparé des investissements de 48 milliards en 2003. Dans le même temps,
les investissements des Etats-Unis dans l'UE25 ont chuté de près de 80%,
passant de 50 milliards d'€ en 2003 11 milliards en 2004. En excluant
les Etats-Unis, les investissements de l'UE25 dans les autres pays tiers
ont augmenté de 37%, pour atteindre 116 milliards en 2004 contre 84
milliards en 2003, tandis que ceux réalisés par les autres pays tiers
dans l'UE25 ont baissé de 37%, passant de 75 milliards d'€ en 2003
47 milliards en 2004.
[12] Benita Ferrero-Waldner to visit Brazil, Uruguay and Peru from 11 to 15
July
On her first official trip to Latin America, European Commissioner for
External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-
Waldner, will visit Brazil on 11-12 July, Uruguay on 13 July and Peru on 14-
15 July 2005. During her visit, the Commissioner will meet with
representatives of the government of each country as well as with the
business community. She will express the EU's interest in reinforcing the
bilateral relations with these countries and will stress the EU's
commitment to deepening and strengthening ties with Mercosur and the Andean
Community. In Brazil and Uruguay she will also express the Commission's
determination to see progress in the ongoing negotiations with Mercosur on
an ambitious Association Agreement. While in Peru, she will underline the
importance attached to the joint assessment exercise on the state of
regional economic integration, with a view to fulfilling our common
strategic objective of the negotiation of an Association Agreement between
the European Union and the Andean Community.
[13] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Günter Verheugen : "Further Improving EU-Japan Business Ties" at
EU-Japan Business Dialogue Round Table annual meeting
Speech by Viviane Reding : "Reinforcing the links between the EU and Japan
in the ICT and media business" at the EU-Japan Business Dialogue Round
Table
Calendrier du 11 au 15 juillet 2005
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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