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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-05-20
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
20/05/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Ritt Bjerregaard: 1996 bathing water report - still one out of three
fresh water bathing zones is insufficiently monitored or does not meet the
minimum quality requirements
[02] La Commission propose au Conseil d'étendre aux transports aériens
entre l'Union et les pays tiers la pleine application des règles de
concurrence
[03] Commission appoints members of the European Consultative Forum on the
Environment and Sustainable Development
[04] Tacis: la Commission approuve les programmes d'action 1997 pour
l'Ukraine et le Kirghizistan
[05] Christos Papoutsis: "I believe that it is in the industry's interest
to have a stronger energy policy, established in the Treaty"
[01] Ritt Bjerregaard: 1996 bathing water report - still one out of three
fresh water bathing zones is insufficiently monitored or does not meet the
minimum quality requirements
The European Commission's quality of bathing water report covers about 13,
000 seaside beaches and 6,000 fresh water areas. Although almost 90 per
cent of the seaside beaches respect the minimum quality requirements, there
is no reason for complacency: 1 out of 3 fresh water zones is
insufficiently monitored or does not meet the minimum quality requirements.
Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard repeats therefore her plea and
encourages everyone - governments, environmental associations and
individual citizens - to put a big effort in improving the quality of fresh
water zones, while continuing the efforts already made and preserving the
good quality at the seaside. She calls in particular upon Germany, France,
the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal "to prove over the next bathing season
that they are able of improving the situation. They have shown that they
are able of doing it for their seaside beaches, so I am confident that they
can do it for their fresh water bathing areas as well."
[02] La Commission propose au Conseil d'étendre aux transports aériens
entre l'Union et les pays tiers la pleine application des règles de
concurrence
La Commission européenne a approuvé un Mémorandum qui comporte deux
propositions de règlements du Conseil des Ministres concernant
l'application des règles de concurrence (articles 85 et 86 du Traité), aux
transports aériens et plus particulièrement aux liaisons Union/pays tiers.
La première proposition vise à étendre également à l'ensemble des liaisons
Union/pays tiers le champ d'application du règlement n° 3975/87 du Conseil,
qui vise à ce jour uniquement les transports aériens entre aéroports de
l'Union. Une telle extension doterait la Commission des instruments de
procédure pour appliquer directement et pleinement les articles 85 et 86 du
Traité à des accords restrictifs de concurrence sur de telles liaisons,
comme par exemple les alliances entre compagnies aériennes européennes et
de pays tiers, et non plus indirectement par le biais de la procédure du
régime transitoire prévu par l'article 89 du Traité comme c'est le cas
actuellement. La seconde proposition vise à habiliter la Commission à
octroyer des exemptions par catégorie pour certains accords restrictifs de
concurrence sur ces mêmes liaisons avec les pays tiers.
[03] Commission appoints members of the European Consultative Forum on the
Environment and Sustainable Development
The European Commission today agreed on the appointment of 32 members of
the European Consultative Forum on the Environment and Sustainable
Development. Members are drawn from the field of business, trade unions,
non governmental organisations, regional and local authorities together
with eminent personalities from the academic and research world and other
fields of activity. Members of the Forum come from all European Union
Member States as well as from the European Economic Area and the associated
countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The Commission has designated Mr
Thorvald Stoltenberg, former Norwegian Foreign Minister and former United
Nations envoy to Bosnia, as Chairman of the new body.
[04] Tacis: la Commission approuve les programmes d'action 1997 pour
l'Ukraine et le Kirghizistan
Dans le cadre du programme Tacis d'assistance aux Nouveaux Etats
Indépendants et à la Mongolie, la Commission européenne a approuvé
aujourd'hui les programmes d'assistance technique 1997 pour l'Ukraine d'une
valeur de 34,75 millions d'Ecus et pour le Kirghizistan d'une valeur de 10,
7 millions d'Ecus.
[05] Christos Papoutsis: "I believe that it is in the industry's interest
to have a stronger energy policy, established in the Treaty"
In a speech delivered on Monday 19 May 1997, during the XXIV Congress of
UNIPEDE (Union Internationale des Producteurs et Distributeurs d'Energie
Electrique) in Montreux, Switzerland, Energy Commissioner Christos
Papoutsis referred to issues which need to be carefully monitored during
implementation of Electricity Internal Market Directive, such as the public
service obligations, the functioning and the role of the Single Buyer, the
equitable treatment of eligible customers and the openness transmission.
He also emphasised the importance he attaches to the international energy
cooperation and said that a pre-requisite to creating better conditions for
the energy industry is the improved cooperation on the basis of agreed
Community energy objectives. He added: "I personally maintain, and I have
made clear my views on this point, that energy policy cannot play its full
role in our sustainable economic development if it does not have a legal
basis in the new Treaty". For Mr Papoutsis, "it is in the industry's
interest to have a stronger energy policy, established in Treaty".
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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