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EU News Flashes and Events for 97-04-17
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS
[01] Europe sees Arafat-Levy meeting
[02] Greek/Turkish row breakthrough
[03] Speeding up of Euro-Med spending
[04] US-EU meat talks resume next week
[05] EU backs Helms-Burton peace plan
[06] Bonn to meet EMU aims - Waigel
[07] Basle capital adequacy rules
[08] Plant closure plans
[09] Europe needs more flexible jobs
[10] Electronic commerce regulations
[11] Growing industry subsidies
[12] TV directive agreement
[13] Airport charges draft delayed
[14] Farm aid cuts strongly opposed
[15] Food safety deadline - Fischler
[16] Measures to save fish stocks
[17] German machine tools company aid
[18] EU funds for Polish farms
[19] Main EU events for April 17
[01] Europe sees Arafat-Levy meeting
VALLETTA - European diplomacy brought Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and
Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy together on Wednesday in the highest level
contacts in a month of crisis and violence in the Middle East.
[02] Greek/Turkish row breakthrough
VALLETTA - Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo said on Wednesday that
Greece and Turkey had made a breakthrough in their dispute over a group of
rocky Aegean islets.
[03] Speeding up of Euro-Med spending
VALLETTA - European Union and Mediterranean countries on Wednesday chided each
other for the slow pace of a $6.3 billion partnership programme but pledged
greater effort to boost trade and investment.
[04] US-EU meat talks resume next week
WASHINGTON - The United States and the European Union are studying new
proposals made in recent days to settle a bitter dispute over meat imports and
will resume face-to-face negotiations in Washington next week, the senior U.S.
negotiator at the talks told Reuters on Wednesday.
[05] EU backs Helms-Burton peace plan
BRUSSELS - European Union ambassadors backed a plan on Wednesday to defuse a
row with the United States over anti-Cuba legislation, but only after adding a
stern warning to Washington not to renege on the deal.
[06] Bonn to meet EMU aims - Waigel
BONN - Finance Minister Theo Waigel said on Wednesday that Germany would
qualify for European monetary union on time and denied reports that Bonn and
Paris had hatched a deal to bar Spain and Italy from the starting lineup.
[07] Basle capital adequacy rules
BRUSSELS - The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to allow banks and
investment firms to use their own models to calculate the capital required to
cover the risk involved in their activities.
[08] Plant closure plans
BRUSSELS - European Union Social Affairs ministers are due on Thursday to
discuss efforts by trades unions and employers lobbies to agree to a code of
conduct on consulting workers when firms decide to shut down operations.
[09] Europe needs more flexible jobs
BRUSSELS - European companies need to find ways of adopting more flexible
working practices without compromising the security of their workers, the
European Commission said on Wednesday.
[10] Electronic commerce regulations
BRUSSELS - The European Commission said on Wednesday it planned to propose a
package of legislation to promote the use of the Internet and other electronic
networks for business transactions in Europe.
[11] Growing industry subsidies
BRUSSELS - European Union countries spent an average 95 billion European
currency units a year between 1992 and 1994 to help their manufacturing
industry, transport and other sectors, a European Commission report revealed
on Wednesday.
[12] TV directive agreement
BRUSSELS - Television viewers in the European Union will be guaranteed free
viewing of major sporting and cultural events in the world of pay-TV under a
deal struck on Wednesday by the European Parliament and Council in the
conciliation procedure.
[13] Airport charges draft delayed
BRUSSELS - European Commission plans to adopt a draft directive setting a
framework for airport charges have been delayed one week, spokesman Joao Vale
de Almeida said on Wednesday.
[14] Farm aid cuts strongly opposed
BRUSSELS - European Union countries remain strongly hostile to Commission
proposals to make cuts in farm aids as part of the 1997/98 farm prices
package, an EU member state official said on Wednesday.
[15] Food safety deadline - Fischler
BRUSSELS - The European Commission will prosecute EU member states who do not
enforce by May new EU rules to improve food safety in the wake of the mad cow
health scare, Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler said on Tuesday night.
[16] Measures to save fish stocks
BRUSSELS - A European Union agreement to reduce fishing over the next five
years to save endangered stocks was substantially toned down following strong
pressure from fishermen fearful of being thrown out of work.
[17] German machine tools company aid
BRUSSELS - The European Commission said on Wednesday it was opening a probe
into financial aid the German government plans to give machine tools company
Doerries Scharmann GmbH.
[18] EU funds for Polish farms
WARSAW - A committee of members of the Polish and European parliaments on
Thursday recommended creation of pre-accession funds to help Poland's farms
and rural areas to adjust before European Union membership.
[19] Main EU events for April 17
LUXEMBOURG - EU social affairs ministers meeting begins at 0800 GMT;
discussions cover talks between labour and management groups on plant
closures, burden of proof in sex discrimination suits and job quotas for
women.
AMSTERDAM - EU environment ministers hold informal meeting (first of four
days); discussions cover relationship between the environment, the economy and
small and medium-sized enterprises.
BRUSSELS - Commissioner van den Broek addresses EP External Economic Relations
Committee on Turkey, former Yugoslavia and reform of PHARE programme at 0700
GMT.
BRUSSELS - Commissioner Bonino and fishing and agriculture sector
representatives discuss the EU's common fisheries policy after 2002 at EP
Fisheries Committee at 0700 GMT.
BRUSSSELS - European Free Trade Area Secretary General Kjartan Johannsson
addresses EP External Economic Relations Committee at 1500 GMT.
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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