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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 96-10-24
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
24 / 10 / 1996
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[I] Résultats de la Commission du 22 octobre -
Outcome of Commission meeting of 22 October
(see also - voir aussi Midday Express du 23/10)
[01] Europe's free market in air travel has delivered cheaper fares, new airlines
and a wider choice of routes, but there is still room for improvement,
Commission study finds
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[02] Aquisition par Klöckner Stahl und Metallhandel GmbH du contrôle d'Arus
Distribution Industrielle SA
[03] Commission clears the creation of a joint venture between Mannesmann
and Deutsche Bahn
[04] Neil Kinnock calls for a specific research programme on mobility
[I] Résultats de la Commission du 22 octobre -
Outcome of Commission meeting of 22 October
(see also - voir aussi Midday Express du 23/10)
[01] Europe's free market in air travel has delivered cheaper fares, new airlines
and a wider choice of routes, but there is still room for improvement,
Commission study finds
The European Commission has published a report into the impact of the third and
final stage of liberalisation from 1993-1996 to assess progress so far and outline
future action. Since 1993 when the European Union dismantled national barriers
to air travel and began the final stage of opening Europe's air transport up to
competition, the number of routes has increased and monopolies have been
broken up; 20 new airlines have opened for business, and fares have fallen.
Indeed, given the drop in the ticket price for many scheduled routes and the fact
that the charter market accounts for more than half the total market, around 90
per cent of all passengers now travel on cheap fares. The Commission's
approach to creating a single market in European air travel, first launched in
1987, was deliberately phased in three stages to avoid the market disruption that
was the US experience of the "Big Bang" approach to liberalisation. The last
barrier falls in Europe in April 1997 after which any EU airline may fly between
two points anywhere in the Union. Presenting the report, Transport
Commissioner Neil Kinnock said that more work needed to be done to ensure
that the travelling public are better served at lower cost: continued monitoring of
air fares, the lifting of capacity restrictions, the reduction of air transport costs,
and improved market access. He pledged to use EU legislation to prise open
those sectors of the air market that still remain closed to free and fair competition
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[02] Aquisition par Klöckner Stahl und Metallhandel GmbH du contrôle d'Arus
Distribution Industrielle SA
La Commission européenne a autorisé l'acquisition par Klöckner Stahl und
Metallhandel GmbH du contrôle d'Asur Distribution Industrielle S.A. Klöckner
Stahl und Metallhandel GmbH (KSM) est une entreprise allemande active dans
le stockage et la distribution de produits en acier. ARUS est une entreprise
française active dans le stockage et la distribution au détail de produits
sidérurgiques en France et au Royaume-Uni. En Allemagne, en France et au
Royaume-Uni, l'opération ne conduira à aucune addition de parts de marché
supérieure à 10%.
[03] Commission clears the creation of a joint venture between Mannesmann
and Deutsche Bahn
The European Commission has approved an operation by which the German
Mannesmann AG and Deutsche Bahn AG will acquire joint control of DBKom
Gesellschaft für Telekommunikation mbH & Co. KG. DBKom will be in
competition with Deutsche Telekom AG and a number of other important
competitors. The creation of DBKom will therefore not lead to the creation of a
dominant position.
[04] Neil Kinnock calls for a specific research programme on mobility
Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock told the Industrial Research and
Development Advisory Committee of the European Commission today that he
supported the creation of a specific research programme on mobility under the
Fifth Framework Programme. "We cannot rationally continue to accept a situation
in which huge resources are being invested in achieving just-in-time production
and delivery only for the end product to sit in a traffic jam for hours nullifying the
efforts which have been made to speed up and fine-tune the industrial production
and distribution process", he said.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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