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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 96-06-28
From: HR-Net News Distribution Manager <dist@hri.org>
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Spokesman's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Porte-Paroleb
28 / 06 / 1996
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Jacques Santer condemns terrorism
[02] Feu vert de la Commission à la coopération entre la Banque Nationale de
Paris et la Dresdner Bank
[03] The Council adopts the VAT Directive on the taxation of agricultural outputs
[04] ECHO European TV and radio awards: Commission launches new
humanitarian media awards
[05] Eliminer les obstacles à la mobilité des chercheurs, des étudiants et des
enseignants
[06] Ritt Bjerregaard on the consequences of the Court's decision on the
Pesticides Directive.
[01] Jacques Santer condemns terrorism
European Commission President Jacques Santer yesterday issued a strong
condemnation of terrorism following the killing of American servicemen in Saudi
Arabia. "The bombers are trying to tell the world that barbarism pays. That is
an appalling message. They must be proved wrong," he said, addressing
journalists who were attending the G7 Summit in Lyon. President Santer said
that G7 leaders and the whole world "must close ranks and send an unanimous
signal of solidarity in the fight against terrorism."
[02] Feu vert de la Commission à la coopération entre la Banque Nationale de
Paris et la Dresdner Bank
La Commission vient de donner son feu vert, pour une période de 10 ans, à
l'accord de coopération entre la Banque Nationale de Paris et la Dresdner Bank.
Cet accord prévoit une coopération globale et intensive des deux banques dans
tous les domaines de l'activité bancaire.
[03] The Council adopts the VAT Directive on the taxation of agricultural outputs
Today the Council of Ministers adopted the Directive amending Directive
77/388/EEC on the common system on Value Added Tax (VAT) as far as the
treatment of cut flowers, ornamental plants and firewood is concerned. This
brings to an end a three-year controversial discussion between Member States,
reaching a compromise for which the European Commission, and in particular
Commissioner Mario MONTI, has been employing all its efforts. The agreement
comes very close to the original proposal tabled by the Commission in 1994. It
establishes the possibility for Member States to apply a reduced VAT rate to
living plants and other products from the floricultural sector for the duration of the
current transitional VAT arrangements of intra-Community trade.
[04] ECHO European TV and radio awards: Commission launches new
humanitarian media awards
The European Commission will launch Europe's first TV and radio award scheme
for coverage of humanitarian affairs on Saturday 29 June in Naples. These
awards are intended to acknowledge the vital role broadcasters play in raising
public awareness of the issues at stake. Entries will be invited in six categories
reflecting the range of the European Community Humanitarian Office's (ECHO)
activities. The awards will be judged by representatives from non-governmental
organisations, the environmental movement, politics and the media. The winners
will be announced on December 9 in Dublin.
[05] Eliminer les obstacles à la mobilité des chercheurs, des étudiants et des
enseignants
La Commission va identifier l'ensemble des obstacles qui entravent aujourd'hui
la mobilité des chercheurs, des enseignants et des étudiants en Europe et
proposera des solutions pour les éliminer, dans un Livre vertr qui sera présenté
à l'automne. C'est ce qu'a annoncé Edith Cresson, commissaire à la recherche,
l'éducation et la formation, dans un discours prononcé le 27 juin à Bruxelles
devant les élus de la région Pays de Loire. "Les capitaux et les marchandises
circulent librement en Europe. Cette fluidité est loin d'être acquise pour les
citoyens. Dès lors, il ne faut pas s'étonner de ce que bon nombre d'Européens
se montrent perplexes ou mitigés à l'égard d'une construction européenne dans
laquelle ils voient davantage, même à tort, une source de contraintes qu'un
facteur de progrès" a-t-elle expliqué. Dans son discours, Mme Cresson a
également tracé un bilan général de son action dans les domaines de la
recherche, de la formation et de la jeunesse.
[06] Ritt Bjerregaard on the consequences of the Court's decision on the
Pesticides Directive.
In a keynote speech at the Second International Weed Control Congress in
Copenhagen today, Commissioner for the Environment, Ritt Bjerregaard, inter alia
gave her comments on the consequences of the recent decison by the European
Court of Justice to annull Annex VI of the Pesticides Directive (The Uniform
Principles), following the action brought by the European Parliament. "The
Uniform Principles were ensuring a high level of protection of the environment
and health, even if I recognize that the specific provisions concerning water were
not entirely satisfactory, in terms of quality objectives and transparency", Ritt
Bjerregaard said. "A new proposal should be made as soon as possible and the
services of the Commission are already working on this. In its new proposal, the
Commission will take due account of the conclusions of the Court. I believe, that
this will lead to provisions which will ensure a better protection of waters, as
compared to the previous text.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://www.cec.lu/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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