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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-06-20
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 Service Presse et Communicationb
20/06/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Tragédie à Douvres - António Vitorino exprime l'émotion de la
Commission suite à la tragédie survenue à Douvres
[02] David Byrne states Commission intention to adopt key health protection
measure to reduce BSE risk
[03] Droit des sociétés : la Commission salue l'adoption d'une position
commune sur la directive concernant les offres publiques d'acquisition
[04] Commission clears Deutsche Telekom's first sale of a regional cable TV
network in Germany
[05] Commission opens full investigation into AOL/Time Warner merger
[06] Poul Nielson to visit Benin and attend the ACP-EC Council of Ministers
meeting in Cotonou on 22 June 2000
[01] Tragédie à Douvres - António Vitorino exprime l'émotion de la
Commission suite à la tragédie survenue à Douvres
Le Commissaire européen à la Justice et aux Affaires intérieures António
Vitoriro a fait hier la déclaration suivante : "Je souhaite exprimer, au
nom de la Commission et en mon nom personnel, ma vive émotion à la suite de
la découverte, par les autorités britanniques, des corps de 58 personnes
mortes étouffées dans le camion dans lequel elles voyageaient
clandestinement. Ces évènements nous confrontent, si besoin en était, à
l'urgence de développer une politique commune de l'immigration et de
l'asile au sein de l'UE. La maîtrise de ces questions complexes et
sensibles dépasse en effet largement les limites des souverainetés
nationales. Une telle politique doit viser le développement de la lutte
contre l'immigration clandestine et ceux qui l'organisent ainsi qu'un
renforcement de la coopération dans le contrôle de l'accès aux territoires
des Etats membres de l'Union. Mais elle doit aussi comprendre la mise en
place d'un partenariat avec les pays d'origine en vue d'y assurer le
développement et la stabilité indispensables, l'institution d'un régime
d'asile commun offrant, dans le respect de la Convention de Genève, une
réelle protection à ceux et celles qui en ont besoin ainsi qu'une véritable
politique d'admission et d'intégration rompant définitivement avec le
fantasme de l'"immigration zéro". C'est le meilleur hommage que les
institutions communautaires et les Etats membres pourraient rendre à ces
malheureuses victimes."
[02] David Byrne states Commission intention to adopt key health protection
measure to reduce BSE risk
European Commissioner David Byrne, responsible for Health and Consumer
Protection has welcomed the support of a majority of Member States at the
Agriculture Council for a key decision strengthening consumer health
protection by taking animal tissues likely to be infected with BSE out of
the food and feed chain. The proposed decision can now be adopted by the
Commission in the absence of a simple majority of Member States against the
proposal. The objective of the decision is to introduce harmonising rules
for the removal of specified risk materials presenting a BSE risk as of
October 1st. Slaughterhouses and meat cutting and processing plants in the
UK and Portugal will have to take out more tissues given their higher BSE
risk. In all Member States, including those countries where so far no BSE
case has been detected, the tissues most likely to present a BSE risk will
need to be discarded.
[03] Droit des sociétés : la Commission salue l'adoption d'une position
commune sur la directive concernant les offres publiques d'acquisition
La Commission européenne salue l'adoption par le Conseil des Ministres, le
19 juin, d'une position commune sur la directive concernant les offres
publiques d'acquisition (OPA). Cette directive figure dans le plan d'action
pour le marché financier unique et est un élément important pour la
réalisation d'un marché unique pour les services financiers dans l'objectif
de 2005, approuvé au Sommet européen de Lisbonne. Elle garantira la
sécurité juridique pour les OPA en prévoyant un encadrement minimum de la
conduite des sociétés. En particulier, elle vise à assurer un niveau
adéquat de protection des actionnaires minoritaires à travers l'Union en
cas de changement de contrôle d'une société. Dans le cadre de la procédure
de co-décision, la position commune sera maintenant envoyée au Parlement
européen pour une seconde lecture qui devrait donner lieu à un avis avant
fin octobre.
[04] Commission clears Deutsche Telekom's first sale of a regional cable TV
network in Germany
The European Commission has granted regulatory clearance under the Merger
Control Regulation to the sale of Deutsche Telekom's (DT's) regional cable
TV network in Nordrhein Westfalen to Callahan Invest Limited. The sale is
expected to lead to more competition in communications services, as sought
in the Commission's 1999 Cable Directive. In its assessment of the
transaction, the Commission found that the operation will not create or
strengthen a dominant position.
[05] Commission opens full investigation into AOL/Time Warner merger
The European Commission has decided to open a full investigation into the
proposed merger between AOL Inc. and Time Warner Inc., both of the United
States. This deal is about the combination of Time Warner, one of the
world's largest recording and music publishing companies, with AOL, the
largest Internet access and service provider in the world. In the course of
its investigation the Commission will examine the effects of the
transaction on the emerging business of music distribution over the
Internet and on the markets for Internet dial-up access and paid-for
content.
[06] Poul Nielson to visit Benin and attend the ACP-EC Council of Ministers
meeting in Cotonou on 22 June 2000
The ACP-EC Council of Ministers will meet on Thursday 22 June, in Cotonou,
Benin. This will be a particularly important meeting, as it will be
followed, on Friday 23 June, by the signature of the new ACP-EC Partnership
Agreement. The Council will be preceded on 22 June in the morning by the
two ACP ministerial meetings (Commodities and Development Finance), which
will then report to the Council of Ministers. The Council is expected to
formally agree to accept six candidate Pacific countries to become parties
to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement. These countries are the Cook Islands,
the Republic of Naurau, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, Niue and the Federated States of Micronesia. The following items
will also be discussed by the Council : trade cooperation, including an
agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, follow-up to the WTO
meeting held in Seattle, request for a WTO waiver, the sugar protocol,
bananas, customs cooperation, commodities, development finance cooperation,
enlargement, special measures for Somalia, and accessions to the
Partnership Agreement. Also foreseen are informal exchanges of views on
issues of common interest, which allow discussions to take place, but do
not lead to conclusions. The three items retained for discussion are :
methods of implementation of the political dialogue, the association of non-
State actors to the ACP-EC Partnership, HIV/AIDS and other communicable
diseases in ACP countries. Whilst in Benin, European Commissioner for
Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson will visit EU funded
projects. One of the poorest countries in the world, Benin has been
allocated euro 204 million in aid under the 6th, 7th and 8th European
Development Funds. The projects financed are mainly in the areas of
improving the countries infrastructure and health system.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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