|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 98-03-06
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
06/03/98
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] ECU 5 million for civil society development in Belarus
[02] Slovakia: High Level Mission on Minority Languages
[03] Franz Fischler : "The EU must retain the European model of
agriculture"
[04] Padraig Flynn says that Europe has committed itself to creating a more
female workforce
[05] Christos Papoutsis : "We need the political will to put into effect
solid instruments in order to help European tourism"
[01] ECU 5 million for civil society development in Belarus
The European Commission adopted a Tacis programme for civil society
development in Belarus, for an amount of ECU 5 million. The programme
illustrates the European Union's desire to assist the civil society in this
country. The Tacis Civil Society Development Programme will provide support
to three key target groups : non-governmental organisations (ECU 2,4
million), the media (ECU 1,25 million) and the education sector (ECU 1,25
million).
[02] Slovakia: High Level Mission on Minority Languages
Representatives of the European Commission, the OSCE and the Council of
Europe will be in Bratislava on 9 -10 March to discuss with the Slovak
Government the situation regarding the protection of minority language
rights in Slovakia. The objective of the meeting is to come to a common
understanding with the Slovak Government on areas in which further steps
need to be taken in order to enhance that protection and to meet
obligations arising out of Slovakia's international commitments. The
Delegation will be led jointly by OSCE High Commissioner Max Van der Stoel,
Council of Europe Director of Political Affairs, Hans-Peter Fürrer and
Catherine Day, Director of Central Europe in the European Commission.
[03] Franz Fischler : "The EU must retain the European model of
agriculture"
Addressing the OECD Agricultural Ministerial yesterday in Paris, Franz
Fischler, European Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development,
stressed that maintaining the European model of agriculture is a priority
for the European Union. He defined that model as a competitive agriculture
able to compete on world markets ; an agriculture whose methods of
production are safe, respectful of the environment and able to supply
products with a quality that matches the expectations of our consumers ; an
agriculture whose richness lies in its diversity and whose mission is not
only to produce but also to maintain the diversity of our countryside and
an active and living rural community. He went on to say that the fact that
rural populations and agriculture as a percentage of GDP are declining,
does not mean that the need for agricultural and rural development support
becomes smaller. On the contrary, he said as the process of agricultural
reform deepens, demands for ensuring that rural areas are not abandoned,
but developed in a sustainable way, tend to increase. The reason being
that the people remaining on the land and in rural areas become
increasingly anxious to preserve their rural traditions and way of life.
[04] Padraig Flynn says that Europe has committed itself to creating a more
female workforce
Speaking today in Brussels at a celebration of International Women's Day,
Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Padraig Flynn said "Women have
accounted for the entire growth of the European Union's workforce over the
last 10-15 years. Women's employment has risen from only 54% of that of
men in 1975, to over 70% now. If we think about how Europe's working
population is set to diminish in the near future as the greying of the
population takes place, we begin to see just how important women's
participation is to our future prosperity." He explained that the Jobs
Summit and the Employment Guidelines have set a clear policy line of
promoting equal opportunities. "Member States must take the necessary
steps to boost women's employment and address the reasons behind higher
women's unemployment. They have signed up to do more about reconciling
work and family life. They have agreed to raise the level of care
provision. They are committed to addressing the particular problems faced
by women returning to work after an absence." Referring to the theme of
this year's Women's Day, the campaign in favour of the Women of Kabul, Mr
Flynn said "The denial of the human rights of Afghan women and girls is
absolute and it is appalling ; it diminishes us all. The brave Afghan
women who have sought to oppose and highlight injustice deserve all our
support. We must make their cause our cause."
[05] Christos Papoutsis : "We need the political will to put into effect
solid instruments in order to help European tourism"
(! embargo 2 pm !) European Commissioner Christos Papoutsis, responsible
for Tourism, speaking today in Berlin at the Ministerial Conference
"Tourism Policy Options for the next decade", organised by the German
Ministry of Economy, said that the strategic goals for European tourism
"must be competitiveness and quality" and that to achieve these goals "we
need an adaptable framework". This framework should ensure : the
collection and dissemination of information on tourism, that EU policies
affecting tourism take account of its interests, and that concerted actions
are undertaken on issues of common interest. He said that, as regards the
policy options at European level, "our actions can and must be
complementary to those of the Member States" and emphasized that at
European level "I feel we have identified all the elements necessary to
establish the proper framework and what we need now is the political will,
which will enable us to put into effect solid, yet flexible instruments,
which will enable us to respond to changing times".
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
|
