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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 99-03-25
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
25/03/99
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Development and cooperation agreement between the EU and the Republic
of South Africa have been approved yesterday by EU Heads of State and
Governments
[02] Kosovo : emergency aid (euro 2 million) for Macedonia
[03] Humanitarian aid for Somalia and Afghanistan
[04] L'inflation annuelle de la zone euro stable à 0,8% en février 1999
[01] Development and cooperation agreement between the EU and the Republic
of South Africa have been approved yesterday by EU Heads of State and
Governments
After 3½ years of highly complex negotiations, Heads of State and
Government of the European Union (EU) yesterday approved the Trade,
Development and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the Republic of
South Africa (SA). The agreement provides for the establishment of a
Bilateral Free Trade Area between the EU and SA in conformity with WTO
rules and the strengthening of European development assistance to SA beyond
1999. EU chief negotiator Professor João de Deus Pinheiro welcomed the
decision of the EU Council, underlining that this is the beginning of a new
phase in EU/SA relations and that it would pave the way for the future
partnership between the EU and ACP countries.
[02] Kosovo : emergency aid (euro 2 million) for Macedonia
The European Community Humanitarian Office is allocating euro 2 million in
an emergency decision in response to the dramatic worsening of the
humanitarian situation in and around Kosovo. The decision puts particular
emphasis on the situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(fYROM), which has seen a sudden influx of more than 10,000 refugees from
Kosovo during the last days. Many more refugees are expected to arrive as
the government has decided to re-open the border on Wednesday 24 March.
The amount allocated will allow UNHCR, IFRC and NGOs to distribute
emergency supplies of food and domestic items in those areas affected by
the conflict. Refugees, host families as well as the most vulnerable will
benefit from this aid. The situation in Kosovo is increasingly dramatic,
following the start of air strikes yesterday evening. ICRC and MSF, the
only aid organisations remaining in Kosovo, report great difficulties of
access to the affected areas. ECHO continues to monitor the situation from
Skopje, and is ready to provide additional assistance as soon as the
situation allows aid to be distributed inside Kosovo itself.
[03] Humanitarian aid for Somalia and Afghanistan
The European Commission has approved humanitarian aid Somalia (euro 1.575
million) and Afghanistan (euro 750,000). The aid, managed by the European
Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), will enable humanitarian
organisations to carry out projects over the next three to six months. In
Somalia, about a million people have been hard hit by a crisis in the Bay
and Bakool regions of Somalia. A combination of a 'no war, no peace'
situation, exacerbated by floods that have devastated the harvest, have
exposed at least 300,000 to a 'high risk' situation. This funding will
cover medical and food aid, as well as transport costs to reach those in
need. In Afghanistan, over 100,000 people were affected by an earthquake
that struck eastern Warduk and Lowgar provinces in February. This aid is
to cover emergency shelter and food aid, as well as providing health cover
and safe drinking water. It also covers air/road transport to deliver the
goods.
[04] L'inflation annuelle de la zone euro stable à 0,8% en février 1999
(! embargo 12h !) L'inflation annuelle pour la zone euro est restée
stable à 0,8% en février 1999 par rapport au mois de janvier, c'est ce
qu'indique aujourd'hui Eurostat, l'Office statistique des Communautés
européennes à Luxembourg. Un an auparavant, le taux était de 1,1%. Le
taux d'inflation annuel de l'Union européenne (UE15) est passé de 0,9% en
janvier à 1,0% en février. En février 1998, il était de 1,3%. Le taux
d'inflation annuel de l'Espace Economique Européen est demeuré stable à 1,
0%. Les taux annuels les plus élevés ont été relevés en Grèce (3,5%), au
Portugal (2,7%) et en Irlande (2,3%). Les taux les plus bas ont été
enregistrés en Allemagne (0,1%), en Suède (0,2%), en France et en Autriche
(0,3% chacun). Par rapport au mois de janvier, l'inflation annuelle a
baissé dans cinq Etats membres, a progressé dans sept et est restée
inchangée dans trois. Par rapport à l'année précédente, les hausses
relatives les plus fortes ont été constatées en Irlande (de 1,1% à 2,3%) et
au Portugal (de 1,3% à 2,7%) ; les diminutions relatives les plus fortes
ont été relevées en Suède (de 2,0% à 0,2%) et en Allemagne (de 0,6% à 0,
1%). Les taux moyens les plus bas sur une période de 12 mois ont été
enregistrés en Allemagne (0,5%) et en France (0,6%). Les taux les plus
élevés ont été enregistrés en Grèce (4,4%), au Portugal (2,4%) et en
Irlande (2,3%). L'inflation annuelle est descendue à 1,6 % aux Etats-Unis
et a augmenté à 0,3% en Suisse. (Les données ne sont pas disponibles pour
le Japon). Ces indices ne sont cependant pas strictement comparables avec
les indices harmonisés européens de l'UE15.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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