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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-02-09
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Child-resistant lighters : Commission gets go ahead to adopt new
decision
[02] Margot Wallström se félicite de la ratification de la Constitution
européenne par la Belgique
[03] Accounting Standards : Charlie McCreevy and Christopher Cox affirm
commitment to elimination of the need for reconciliation requirements
[04] Statement by European Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini on
cartoons issue
[05] Vladimir pidla organise une réunion ministérielle pour renforcer
la capacité des administrations et des services publics
[06] Commission clears acquisition of FERS by Heineman and HDS Retail
[07] Aides d'Etat : plan de réforme approuvé par les milieux intéressés
[08] Commission finds public participation in Austrian securitisation
scheme is not State aid
[09] Commission closes investigation following changes to Philips CD-
Recordable Disc Patent Licensing
[10] Commission endorses €53.5 million aid to Getrag Ford for new
transmission production plant in Slovakia
[11] Commission presents new agricultural market and income forecasts
[12] La Commission et la BEI lancent un fonds fiduciaire pour financer les
infrastructures en Afrique
[13] EU and Eastern and Southern Africa close first phase of Economic
Partnership Agreement negotiations
[14] Inauguration of the EAS : The European Administrative School, the
first inter-institutional training centre celebrates its official
inauguration on 10 February 2006
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-02-09
Reference: MEX/06/0209
Date: 09/02/2006
EXME06 / 9.2
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Presse etb
Communication
029 / 02 / 06
[01] Child-resistant lighters : Commission gets go ahead to adopt new
decision
The European Commission is set to adopt a Decision requiring all lighters
placed on the market in the EU to be child-resistant, following a positive
opinion by Member State experts in the General Product Safety Committee.
European Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou
welcomed the Commission Decision, which is expected to be adopted in a
matter of weeks: "Thanks to this new measure, lives will be saved by adding
inexpensive child-resistant devices to lighters. This marks a key step
forward in the protection of consumers from fires caused by children
playing with lighters, which lead to deaths, injuries and material damage.
I welcome the industry's willingness to cooperate with the Commission and
the Member States on the implementation of this measure. We will be working
with Member States to make sure this piece of legislation is complied
with." Other countries, such as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand,
which have been applying similar measures for many years, have experienced
a sharp reduction in casualties thanks to child-resistant lighters. The
Commission will be launching shortly a joint project with Member States'
customs and market surveillance authorities to ensure full implementation.
[02] Margot Wallström se félicite de la ratification de la Constitution
européenne par la Belgique
Suite au vote du Parlement flamand hier soir, Mme Margot Wallström, Vice-
présidente de la Commission européenne, a déclaré : "La Commission
accueille avec satisfaction le résultat positif de la procédure de la
ratification du Traité constitutionnel en Belgique. La Belgique est le
quatorzième Etat membre de l'Union avoir ratifié le Traité
constitutionnel. C'est un signal fort donné par un des pays fondateurs de
l'Union. La Constitution représente l'ambition d'une Europe plus
démocratique, plus transparente, plus efficace et plus forte sur la scène
mondiale. Mais l'avenir de la Constitution est incertain suite aux « non
» de la France et des Pays-Bas. C'est pourquoi nous avons, conformément
la volonté de tous les Etats membres exprimée au Conseil Européen de
juin 2005, engagé une réflexion profonde sur l'avenir et les défis que
notre Union doit relever. Le Conseil de juin prochain aura la tâche de
faire le point sur toutes ces réflexions pour permettre l'Union de mieux
répondre aux attentes des citoyens."
[03] Accounting Standards : Charlie McCreevy and Christopher Cox affirm
commitment to elimination of the need for reconciliation requirements
On the occasion of his visit to Washington DC, the European Internal Market
Commissioner Charlie McCreevy and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Chairman Christopher Cox took stock of progress on and affirmed their
commitment to eliminating the need for reconciliation between International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP).
[04] Statement by European Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini on
cartoons issue
"Following the publication of an article in the "Daily Telegraph" of today,
I want to clarify any possible misunderstandings about my position in
regard to the so-called "cartoons" issue. As Commissioner responsible for
the respect for and promotion of fundamental rights I have from the very
outset underlined that the freedom of press, of expression and speech,
including the right to critique, constitutes one of they key pillars upon
which the EU is founded. I do not have the legal powers nor did I ever have
the political intention to limit this fundamental right in any manner
whatsoever. Since September 2005 I am in close contact with various
representatives of the media, including the European federation of
journalists, on issues linked to freedom of speech. I have offered to
facilitate a dialogue between the media representatives and between them
and faith leaders if that would be found useful by both parties. In their
statement of 7 February 23005 the EFJ stated that it “has encouraged the
European Commission to support a professional dialogue among media
professional groups and that they welcome the fact that Commissioner
Frattini is doing just that”. Such a dialogue would aim at discussing a
number of pertinent questions which we are confronted with nowadays. One of
them being “How are we to reconcile freedom of expression and respect for
each individual's deepest convictions?", a relevant question as formulated
by many actors , including the International Federation of Journalists . It
is a dialogue on such a question which I would be wiling to facilitate but
I will not impose such a role on any party if such a need would not be
felt. Finally, I have never suggested imposing a code of conduct on the
press, it is up to the media themselves to self-regulate or not, and it is
up to the media to formulate such a voluntary code of conduct if it is
found necessary, appropriate and useful by them. There have never been, nor
will there be any plans by the European Commission to have some sort of EU
regulation, nor is there any legal basis for doing so."
[05] Vladimir pidla organise une réunion ministérielle pour renforcer
la capacité des administrations et des services publics
Les ministres de l'UE responsables des administrations publiques et de la
mise en œuvre des fonds structurels se rencontrent aujourd'hui Bruxelles
pour discuter des possibilités d'affectation des moyens disponibles au
titre du Fonds social européen (FSE) dans le but de réformer et renforcer
la capacité institutionnelle des administrations et services publics
nationaux. Le projet de règlement relatif au FSE pour la période 2007-
2013 comprend une nouvelle priorité qui permettra de consacrer l'aide
financière du FSE l'amélioration de l'efficacité des administrations
et services publics.
[06] Commission clears acquisition of FERS by Heineman and HDS Retail
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of FERS Flughafeneinzelhandelsgesellschaft
Relay Services GmbH (FERS) of Germany by Gebr. Heinemann of Germany and HDS
Retail Deutschland GmbH (HDS Retail), also of Germany. Heinemann is mainly
active in the wholesale and retail of daily consumer goods at airports,
borders and on ships. HDS Retail is active in the retail of newspapers and
magazines and other consumer goods. The operation was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure.
[07] Aides d'Etat : plan de réforme approuvé par les milieux intéressés
La Commission européenne a publié les résultats de la consultation
publique sur le plan d'action dans le domaine des aides d'Etat. Cette
consultation a suscité un grand intérêt puisque la Commission a reçu
plus de 130 contributions ; il en ressort que les milieux intéressés
entérinent en gros les principes et les propositions pratiques présentés
dans ce document. La Commission prendra ces contributions en considération
dans la réforme des règles sur les aides d'Etat.
[08] Commission finds public participation in Austrian securitisation
scheme is not State aid
The European Commission has authorised, under EC Treaty state aid rules,
the public participation of Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH in a bond
portfolio set up by Investkreditbank AG for Austrian enterprises. The
public participation will correspond to 10% of a €300 million bond
portfolio. The Commission concluded that the public participation does not
constitute state aid pursuant to Article 87(1) EC as it is done on terms
that would have been acceptable to a market economy investor.
[09] Commission closes investigation following changes to Philips CD-
Recordable Disc Patent Licensing
The European Commission has closed an investigation into the CD-R Disc
Licensing Programmes administered by Philips in Europe following changes to
those programmes. The inquiry was launched in 2003, following a complaint
by FIPCOM (the Federation of Interested Parties in fair Competition in the
Optical Media sector), an association of European manufacturers of CD-
Recordable discs. The complaint alleged that the terms and conditions of
licensing of the CD-R technology violated the EC Treaty competition rules
on restrictive business practices (Article 81) and abuses of dominant
positions (Article 82). Philips revised the programmes to ensure that all
the necessary information concerning the licensed technology is available
and that the programmes are managed in a fair and non discriminatory way.
In view of these improvements and the withdrawal of its complaint by FIPCOM
subsequent to settlement negotiations, the Commission has decided to close
the case.
[10] Commission endorses €53.5 million aid to Getrag Ford for new
transmission production plant in Slovakia
The European Commission has authorised, under EC Treaty state aid rules,
€53.5 million of aid in the form of a direct grant and tax relief which
the Slovak Government plans to provide to GETRAG FORD Transmissions
Slovakia for the creation of a new production plant for dual clutch
automotive transmissions and motorcycle transmissions in Kechnec, situated
in the region of Košice (Eastern Slovakia). The total cost of the
investment will amount to €345 million.
[11] Commission presents new agricultural market and income forecasts
Today the European Commission published a report on "Prospects for
agricultural markets and income 2005-2012". This report, which does not
take into account the recent decisions adopted in the framework of the WTO
negotiations in Hong-Kong in December 2005 and the conclusions of the
European Council from December 2005 on the 2007-2013 financial perspectives,
shows that the medium-term perspectives for the EU cereals, meat and dairy
markets appear relatively favourable. The build-up of high levels of stock
in 2004 is expected to continue to leave the cereal markets in a fragile
situation over the short-term, with the risk of regional imbalance in the
landlocked new Member States of central Europe. In the medium-term, there
should be a gradual fall in stock levels supported by further, though
moderate demand increases on the domestic market, more favourable
conditions on world markets and the better integration of new Member States
into the single market. EU meat markets have returned to a more normal
situation after the extreme market conditions of the past few years. The
current situation in the beef market - where consumption is higher than
domestic production - is expected to persist over the 2005-2012 period with
a further increase in EU net imports. Pig and poultry production and
consumption are expected to keep growing over the medium term, though at a
lower pace than in the 1990s. It should be acknowledged that these
relatively positive projections for the meat markets do not take into
account any effects of avian influenza. The EU dairy sector is foreseen to
display a decline in the production of butter and SMP over the medium term
as more milk is used for the production of cheese and other high value-
added dairy products. These medium-term projections should lead to a 12.8%
growth in EU-25 agricultural income between 2004 and 2012 in real terms and
per labour unit (6% in the old Member States and a steady 50.3% rise for
the new Member States - i.e. +182 % against 2003 before enlargement). If
the outlook for EU agricultural markets and income over the next seven
years appears relatively favourable, it clearly remains subject to some
important uncertainties, in particular the outcome of the Doha Development
Round of trade negotiations and the risks linked to animal disease such as
Avian Influenza. These perspectives are also provided on a regional basis,
together with a regional analysis of alternative decoupling systems. The
report is available on the Internet at: <a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/publi/caprep/prospects2005b/index_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/publi/caprep/prospects2005b/index_en.htm
[12] La Commission et la BEI lancent un fonds fiduciaire pour financer les
infrastructures en Afrique
Le Commissaire européen chargé du développement et de l'aide humanitaire,
Louis Michel, et le président de la Banque européenne d'investissement
(BEI), Philippe Maystadt, ont signé un protocole d'accord relatif la
création d'un fonds fiduciaire pour soutenir les infrastructures en
Afrique. Ce fonds est un outil financier du partenariat UE-Afrique pour les
infrastructures, un des piliers de la nouvelle stratégie de l'Union
européenne pour l'Afrique, proposée par la Commission et approuvée par
le Conseil européen en décembre 2005. Lors de la phase de lancement
(2006/2007), la Commission et la BEI prévoient de mobiliser respectivement
près de €60 millions de subventions et 260 millions de prêts pour la
gestion du fonds. La participation au fonds fiduciaire est ouverte aux
Etats membres de l'UE et leurs agences de développement et institutions
financières.
[13] EU and Eastern and Southern Africa close first phase of Economic
Partnership Agreement negotiations
European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson met with Ministers from Eastern
and Southern Africa (ESA) today in Mauritius to launch the second phase of
negotiations of the EU-ESA Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The
Economic Partnership Agreement is based on regional integration in the
Southern and Eastern Africa region. Talks so far have focussed on the
development component of the EPA including access to the EU market, reform
of rules of origin, and measures to address technical barriers to trade.
The 15 Trade Ministers from the region and the Trade Commissioner agreed
that EU-ESA trade can be an effective tool for development.
[14] Inauguration of the EAS : The European Administrative School, the
first inter-institutional training centre celebrates its official
inauguration on 10 February 2006
The EAS was created a year ago to provide training for staff of all the
European institutions. The aim is to promote cooperation among the
institutions in the field of training, to support the spread of common
values and good practice, and to create synergies in the use of human and
financial resources. The creation of the school was complimentary to the
greatly increased emphasis placed on staff training under the Reform.
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Le Fonds fiduciaire de la BEI pour le financement des infrastructures en
Afrique
Speech by Günter Verheugen : "Joint Approach to Security Research" at the
Research and Technology Conference, European Defence Agency
Speech by Joe Borg : "An Overview of the Developments underway towards a
Maritime Policy for the European Union" at the inauguration of the 11th
Annual EC Maritime Law Course of the IMO International Maritime Law
Institute (Malta)
Speech by Vladimir pidla : "Beschäftigungs- und sozialpolitische
Herausforderungen der erneuerten Lissabonner Strategie" at meeting with
Vorstand des Zentralverbandes des Deutschen Handwerks
Speech by Viviane Reding : "Towards a true internal market for electronic
communications" to European Regulators Group (08/02, Paris)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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