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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-04-23
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Spokesman's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Porte-Paroleb
23/04/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[I] Résultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission
meeting
[01] La situation économique dans l'Union européenne
[02] External aspects of Economic and Monetary Union
[03] Une vue globale de la politique et des actions énergétiques
[04] Commission to recover ECU 539 million of CAP expenditure from the
Member States - financial year 1993
[05] Prolongation des mesures de sauvegarde à l'importation de riz en
provenance des pays et territoires d'Outre-Mer (PTOM)
[06] Commission proposes the creation of a Community framework for airport
charges
[07] Commission launches new policy on Hong Kong
[08] Commission calls for a continent-wide European transport network to
meet the needs of the 21st century
[09] La Commission lance une nouvelle initiative pour prévenir la fraude
dans le domaine de la fiscalité indirecte
[10] Commission clears Anglo American's purchase of Lonrho shares subject
to the stakes being reduced to less than 10%
[11] Commission has decided to open the procedure for possible aid to
Philips and Rabobank under the technolease transaction (Netherlands)
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[12] Investment, deregulation and trade covered by high-level EU-Japan
talks
[I] Résultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission
meeting
[01] La situation économique dans l'Union européenne
La Commission européenne a examiné la situation économique dans l'Union, à
la lumière des prévisions économiques du printemps élaborées par ses
services. La Commission a constaté avec satisfaction que les Etats membres
s'étaient encore rapprochés des critères de convergence et qu'une majorité
de pays seraient sans doute en mesure de participer à l'Union monétaire dès
le 1er janvier 1999. En particulier, l'accélération de la croissance du
PIB annoncée dans les précédentes prévisions de la Commission semble se
confirmer, grâce aux taux d'intérêts bas, au retour récent du dollar à des
niveaux plus réalistes, au dynamisme de la demande extérieure, à une
évolution favorable des salaires et au maintien d'une inflation faible.
Une croissance plus vigoureuse aidera les Etats membres dans leurs efforts
ambitieux pour maîtriser les finances publiques. Elle devrait aussi
contribuer à la réduction du chômage, qui reste pour l'Union la priorité de
la politique économique. À la suite de cette discussion, la Commission a
finalisé sa recommandation concernant les grandes orientations des
politiques économiques, qui seront présentées au Conseil européen
d'Amsterdam. Au vu des résultats budgétaires pour 1996, la Commission a
aussi recommandé que les Pays-Bas et la Finlande soient retirés de la liste
des pays présentant un déficit excessif. Enfin, la Commission a adopté des
propositions de recommandations au Conseil concernant les dix autres pays
avec un déficit excessif.
[02] External aspects of Economic and Monetary Union
The European Commission examined a working document on the implications of
the introduction of the euro for economic and monetary relations with
countries outside the European Union. The document provides a first
analysis of economic and institutional consequences of the introduction of
the euro as an international currency alongside the dollar and the yen.
With the euro, Europe will have a presence on the international monetary
scene which better corresponds to Europe's economic and commercial weight.
This will progressively lead to more balanced international monetary
relations and should make companies in the euro zone less vulnerable to
external developments. The document also looks at the probable use of the
euro for central bank reserves, pricing in commodity markets and
international trade more generally and in the composition of investment
portfolios. It concludes that, although there is likely to be a
progressive shift towards greater use of the euro, this is unlikely to
provoke significant exchange rate movements when the euro is introduced.
The institutional implications for the international monetary system are
examined: it will be important to clarify how the external exchange rate
policy will be defined in good time for the start of stage 3 of monetary
union on 1 January 1999. At the same time, the implications for existing
international financial institutions such as the G7 and the IMF will need
to be settled. The document, reflecting the first analysis of the
Commission's services, will be sent to the Council, the European Parliament,
the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. It
will also allow the Commission to provide a more concrete response to the
growing number of questions from Europe's economic and trading partners
about the consequences of EMU for them.
[03] Une vue globale de la politique et des actions énergétiques
La Commission européenne a adopté une communication visant à accroître la
transparence de la politique énergétique communautaire. Elle dresse pour
la première fois un tableau complet qui donne une vue globale des actions
de l'Union européenne dans le domaine de l'énergie. Elle couvre aussi bien
les actions développées en coopération avec les Etats membres que les
actions propres de l'Union au travers des initiatives prises dans le cadre
des différentes politiques et programmes communautaires. Cette
communication permet ainsi une analyse approfondie et complète des
différentes composantes de la politique énergétique et constitue la base
pour décider des orientations futures, qui permettront à l'Union européenne
de faire face aux grands défis des années à venir, en ce qui concerne les
entreprises et les citoyens, découlant d'une évolution rapide et profonde
de la situation énergétique.
[04] Commission to recover ECU 539 million of CAP expenditure from the
Member States - financial year 1993
The European Commission adopted a decision approving agricultural
expenditure on the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) as declared by Member
States for the 1993 financial year. This decision approved expenditure of
ECU 31,920.2 million, rejected ECU 539 million and postponed a decision
involving a further ECU 120 million. Essentially the implication of this
decision is that ECU 539 million which has already been paid out on behalf
of the European Union by Member States in 1993 under the CAP will be clawed
back and a decision on the approval or rejection of a further ECU 120
million is postponed pending the outcome of the conciliation procedure.
[05] Prolongation des mesures de sauvegarde à l'importation de riz en
provenance des pays et territoires d'Outre-Mer (PTOM)
La Commission européenne a décidé de fixer un nouveau contingent tarifaire
de 69.610 tonnes de riz en provenance des pays et territoires d'Outre-Mer
(PTOM) pour la période du 1er mai au 30 septembre 1997. Suite à la forte
augmentation des importations de ce produit en provenance des PTOM, la
Commission avait déjà introduit le 8 janvier 1997 des mesures de sauvegarde
limitant les importations de riz dans l'Union européenne à 44.278 tonnes
pour la période allant du 1er janvier au 30 avril 1997. Le Conseil des
Ministres n'ayant pas encore adopté la proposition de la Commission de
révision de la décision d'association des PTOM visant, entre autres, à
résoudre définitivement les conditions d'importation de riz, la Commission
décide de prolonger les mesures de sauvegarde au-delà du 30 avril 1997.
[06] Commission proposes the creation of a Community framework for airport
charges
The European Commission agreed a proposal that would create the legislative
framework for a Union-wide system of airport charges based on three main
principles: cost-relatedness, transparency, and non-discrimination The
legislation, which must be discussed fully and agreed at the Council of 15
EU Transport Ministers before it can become law, is part of the
Commission's programme of air liberalisation intended to ensure fair and
equitable market conditions for the benefit of all airport users - the
airlines themselves as well as passengers. Airport charges cover the cost
of providing airport facilities and services. They are not the same as
airport taxes (which are imposed by national authorities and usually
collected by the airport on behalf of the Treasury).
[07] Commission launches new policy on Hong Kong
The European Commission has launched a strategy designed to look beyond the
return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty on 1 July and to build close
Euroepan Union (EU)-Hong Kong ties in the years ahead. In a communication
to the Council, the Commission argues that far from being a time to
downgrade links with Hong Kong, 1997 must mark another step forward in the
relationship, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora. It shows how the
EU's close ties with Hong Kong can be developed still further, and how
important Hong Kong could be to the evolution of relations in Asia as a
whole. The communication calls for the EU to produce an annual report
covering the full range of EU-Hong Kong relations, including commerce,
finance, cooperation and human rights. It also states the Commission's
confidence in the efforts being made to ensure that the independent
passport to be issued by the SAR (Special Administrative Region) on its own
authority is secure, that Hong Kong should be assessed after the handover
on its own merits for visa purposes, as it is now, and that free access to
the EU would be in the interests both of the EU and of Hong Kong.
[08] Commission calls for a continent-wide European transport network to
meet the needs of the 21st century
The European Commission announced a five-point action plan aimed at
building a continent-wide transport network covering the countries of
central and eastern Europe, the European countries of the former Soviet
Union and the European Union's (EU) partners in the Mediterranean to meet
the needs of the 21st century. In a document analysing how best to connect
the EU's transport network with that of its neighbours as the Union
prepares for enlargement the Commission also announced that it would put
forward a multi-country programme for extending TransEuropean transport
networks (TENs) to eastern Europe under the Commission's re-modelled Phare
programme. The Communication proposes establishment of a Pan-European
Network Partnership, to bring together all those with a role to play in
developing the Network: the Union, Member States, the other countries
concerned, the international financial institutions and the private sector.
[09] La Commission lance une nouvelle initiative pour prévenir la fraude
dans le domaine de la fiscalité indirecte
La Commission européenne a adopté une proposition de programme (Fiscalis)
visant à renforcer les efforts de l'Union européenne et des États membres
pour prévenir et éliminer la fraude à la TVA et aux droits d'accises. Le
programme Fiscalis, dont la durée prévue s'étend du 1er janvier 1998 au 31
décembre 2002, fournit les instruments (systèmes de communication et
d'échange d'informations) nécessaires aux fonctionnaires nationaux pour
coopérer dans la prévention de la fraude. En vue d'encourager cette
coopération, le programme Fiscalis comporte des mesures pour réunir des
fonctionnaires nationaux dans des travaux de prévention de la fraude en
situation réelle et pour leur donner les connaissances et les compétences
nécessaires. Les pays associés d'Europe centrale et orientale, ainsi que
Chypre, pourront participer au programme.
[10] Commission clears Anglo American's purchase of Lonrho shares subject
to the stakes being reduced to less than 10%
Anglo American Corporation, the South Africa mining conglomerate, has
agreed to a European Commission demand to reduce its shareholding in Lonrho,
the UK based trading and mining operation, from 27.5% to 9.99%. This
reduction is to be carried out within an agreed timetable should no other
solution to the Commission's competition concerns be found. Today's
decision maintains the strict application of European competition rules to
the platinum sector and will permit the three South African platinum
producers -Anglo, Lonrho and Gencor - to continue to exist separately.
[11] Commission has decided to open the procedure for possible aid to
Philips and Rabobank under the technolease transaction (Netherlands)
The European Commission has decided to open the procedure for possible aid
for Philips, electronics manufacturer and Rabobank, a Dutch bank. At the
end of 1993 Philips sold certain of its know-how to Rabobank for DFL 2.78
billion of which Rabobank paid immediately in cash DFL 600 million to
Philips. The know-how how was at the same time leased-back by Philips from
Rabobank for a period of 10 years to assure that Philips could continue to
use the know-how for its business. In return for the lease back Philips
owes Rabobank an annual royalty payment of DFL 140 million and Rabobank is
in addition entitled to 50% of the proceeds of licenses based on the know-
how. The Commission is examining if the Philips and Rabobank transaction
involves discriminatory application of tax rules by which the enterprises
would have obtained undue benefits.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[12] Investment, deregulation and trade covered by high-level EU-Japan
talks
The European Commission and Japan have held their annual High Level
Consultations in Brussels. They reviewed bilateral trade and investment
relations, examined progress towards deregulation in Japan, and analysed
the current state and the prospects for cooperation. They agreed that
trade disputes should firstly be addressed through bilateral discussion,
but that resort to the World Trade Organisation dispute settlement
mechanism is a natural step if bilateral solutions cannot be found. In
this context Japan has agreed to a further round of consultations on fish
products and to work together to advance Japan's accession to the 1958 UN-
ECE Agreement on cars. The continuation of objective analysis of trade
flows was also agreed, with the Commission suggesting the idea of a joint
study into the reasons why European investment in Japan is so low. The
Commission welcomed the dialogue over deregulation in Japan, but said
progress so far had been disappointing.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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