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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-06-09
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 Service Presse et Communicationb
09/06/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] President Prodi meets Dutch Nobel Prize winner t'Hooft
[02] EU will pay farmers who were affected by unauthorised GMOs in rapeseed
[03] Commission clears Johnson & Johnson venture with Mercury Asset
Management
[04] Premier rapport européen sur la qualité de l'éducation scolaire
[05] Euro-zone and EU15 GDP grew by 0.7%; +3.2% compared to the first
quarter 1999
[06] Loyola de Palacio se félicite de l'accord sur les relations entre le
Parlement et la Commission
[07] Anna Diamantopoulou : "UN world women's conference must not fail"
[08] Frits Bolkestein outlines objectives for single European capital
market
[09] Press conference with Erkki Liikanen and Steve Ballmer
[01] President Prodi meets Dutch Nobel Prize winner t'Hooft
Today at 15h00, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi,
meets Gerardus t'Hooft, one of the two European winners of the Nobel Prize
in 1999. Professor t'Hooft, one of the world's leading physicists, is
coming to Brussels to launch, together with Research Commissioner Philippe
Busquin, a new batch of 167 training networks for young scientists from all
over Europe. These networks, supported by the Commission through the
Research Framework Programme, allow young researchers the chance to work
and train with experienced scientists. The Commission will provide support
through these networks for 4000 person-years of training to some of
Europe's most talented young scientists over the next four years. Professor
Gerardus t'Hooft, who is himself a partner in one of the new networks, will
give a plenary lecture on the research that led to his award.
[02] EU will pay farmers who were affected by unauthorised GMOs in rapeseed
The Cereals Management Committee of the European Union has approved today a
European Commission's proposal to allow farmers who had to destroy colza
plants containing unauthorised GMOs to receive the payments they are
entitled to under existing rules for traditional area payments. This
payment is not an emergency aid but derogation from the existing rules
under the arable crops support regime. The crop should have been maintained
under normal growth conditions until flowering or until the 30 June for the
farmers to receive the usual payment.
[03] Commission clears Johnson & Johnson venture with Mercury Asset
Management
The European Commission has approved a joint venture between Johnson &
Johnson and Mercury Asset Management Limited, part of the Merril Lynch
group. The joint venture company - Agora Healthcare Services Limited - will
be active in the provision of specialist IT healthcare management services.
[04] Premier rapport européen sur la qualité de l'éducation scolaire
Mme Viviane Reding, Commissaire européenne responsable de l'Education et de
la Culture, a remis hier aux ministres de l'Education des Quinze le premier
rapport européen sur la qualité de l'éducation scolaire. Les comparaisons
entre les Etats portent sur 16 critères qui concernent l'acquis des élèves
dans des matières importantes comme la lecture ou les mathématiques, les
taux de réussite, la participation des acteurs du système à son évaluation
et les ressources mises à disposition. Ce rapport sur la qualité ne
préfigure pas une harmonisation des systèmes éducatifs des Etats membres.
Il a pour objectif de donner des outils aux décideurs du monde de
l'éducation pour les aider dans la définition de leurs priorités et
d'encourager les échanges de bonnes pratiques à l'intérieur de l'espace
européen de l'éducation et de la formation.
[05] Euro-zone and EU15 GDP grew by 0.7%; +3.2% compared to the first
quarter 1999
(! embargo 12 am !) Euro-zone and EU15 GDP both grew by 0.7% during the
first quarter of 2000, compared to the fourth quarter of 1999, according to
first estimates from Eurostat. These figures follow a rise of 0.8% for both
the euro-zone and the EU15 in the fourth quarter of 1999. An acceleration
was recorded in gross fixed capital formation in the euro-zone (+2.1%) and
in the EU15 (+2.0%). Conversely, the growth in households final consumption
expenditure stalled (0.0% in the euro-zone and +0.1% in the EU15). Exports
(+3.2% for the euro-zone and EU15) as well as imports (+3.2% for the euro-
zone and +3.0% for the EU15) accelerated.
[06] Loyola de Palacio se félicite de l'accord sur les relations entre le
Parlement et la Commission
Loyola de Palacio, vice-présidente de la Commission européenne en charge
des Relations avec le Parlement européen, a fait part de sa grande
satisfaction après l'accord de la Conférence des Présidents du Parlement
européen sur le projet d'Accord-cadre entre la Commission et le Parlement.
"Je crois sincèrement que les deux institutions en sortent renforcées", a-t-
elle déclaré à l'issue de la réunion qu'elle a eue ce jour avec Romano
Prodi, président de la Commission, et la Conférence des Présidents. "Cet
accord représente plus qu'un ensemble de règles pratiques : il s'agit d'un
instrument qui permettra tant à la Commission qu'au Parlement de développer
leurs prérogatives respectives dans un climat de confiance mutuelle et de
collaboration plus étroite."
[07] Anna Diamantopoulou : "UN world women's conference must not fail"
Speaking during the critical closing phase of the UN "Beijing +5" world
women's conference in New York where work is continuing feverishly on a
final text for the close on Friday, Anna Diamantopoulou, European
Commissioner for Employment and Social Policy said : "We need to find a
final agreement, in particular to avoid disaffection with globalisation in
the post-Seattle period. However, the Beijing Platform for Action of course
remains our bottom line. Good progress has been made in the talks so far
but, whatever the final result, the EU which is ahead of the field must
make its own position crystal clear."
[08] Frits Bolkestein outlines objectives for single European capital
market
In a time of rapid and unparalleled change in financial markets the
European Commission must "strive to find the balance between over and under-
regulation", Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said in a speech
today. Speaking in Lucerne on "Visions for the European financial markets"
he said the EU Member States at the Lisbon summit had set the objective of
fully integrated securities and capital markets by 2005 and an integrated
risk capital chain by 2003, and that those dates must be respected. To
achieve that timetable he outlined a series of measures that the Commission
would soon be introducing to increase the access to capital for European
companies, promote greater investor participation in markets and guarantee
an efficient, fair, stable and transparent trading environment. In the
longer term, the Commissioner said the European Union would need to develop
a leaner regulatory approach to keep pace with the fast-moving financial
world. "We need to have mechanisms to lay down rapidly more precise, common
technical rules based on this legislation," he said.
[09] Press conference with Erkki Liikanen and Steve Ballmer
Today, Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner responsible for Enterprise and
Information Society, and Steve Ballmer, President and CEO of Microsoft will
give a press briefing immediately following the opening session of the
European Business Summit, which begins at 14.00 hrs. The venue is Hotel
Sheraton, Place Rogier, Brussels. Please consult the web-site of the
European Business Summit, www.ebsummit.org, for further information
regarding accreditation, etc.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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