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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-07-06
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 Service Presse et Communicationb
06/07/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[I] Résultats de la Commission du 5 juillet 2000 - Outcome of Commission
meeting of 5 July 2000
[01] La Commission propose la création d'un brevet communautaire
[02] Urban waste water treatment : Commission moves against Italy, Austria,
Germany and Belgium
[03] Packaging waste : Commission to send second warning letter to Germany
in the "Töpfer"-case
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[04] Nicole Fontaine et Romano Prodi : "L'accord-cadre Parlement/Commission
constitue un plus pour l'Europe"
[05] Commission clears joint venture between Svenska Cellulosa and Graninge
[06] Industrial producer prices rose by 0.8% in euro-zone ; up 0.7% in EU15
[07] Transport safety in the EU - Nearly 43 000 road deaths in 1998
[08] La Commission établit des lignes directrices visant à promouvoir le
développement de transports durables
[09] Democratic Republic of Congo : Commission approves humanitarian aid
worth euro 20 million
[10] Franz Fischler calls for measures to conserve deep water species
[11] Signature d'un accord de coopération entre l'OLAF et le comité
douanier de l'Etat de Russie
[12] Commission and the UNHCR strengthen their partnership on asylum issues
[I] Résultats de la Commission du 5 juillet 2000 - Outcome of Commission
meeting of 5 July 2000
(voir aussi see also ME of 5/7)
[01] La Commission propose la création d'un brevet communautaire
La Commission européenne a proposé la création d'un brevet communautaire
pour donner aux inventeurs l'option d'obtenir un brevet unique légalement
valable dans toute l'Union européenne. La proposition réduirait
considérablement la charge des entreprises et encouragerait l'innovation en
abaissant le coût d'obtention d'un brevet tout en offrant une structure
juridiquement claire en cas de litige. Les Conseils européens de Lisbonne
et de Feira ont évoqué la création d'un brevet communautaire comme une
composante essentielle des efforts de l'Europe pour exploiter les résultats
de la recherche pour de nouvelles avancées scientifiques et technologiques,
et contribuer ainsi à une économie compétitive basée sur la connaissance en
Europe. Les sommets ont recommandé que le brevet communautaire soit
disponible à la fin de 2001.
[02] Urban waste water treatment : Commission moves against Italy, Austria,
Germany and Belgium
The European Commission has decided to proceed to the European Court of
Justice against Italy, Austria and Germany for their non-respect of the
Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The Commission will also send a
Reasoned Opinion (second warning letter) to Belgium under the same
Directive. Member States were required to implement this Directive in
national law by 30 June 1993. The Italian case concerns the city of Milan,
where urban waste waters are discharged without treatment. The Belgian case
concerns, among other factors, the persistent failure by the city of
Brussels to treat its waste water.
[03] Packaging waste : Commission to send second warning letter to Germany
in the "Töpfer"-case
The European Commission has decided to send a Reasoned Opinion (second
warning letter) to Germany because the German reuse scheme for natural
mineral water bottles does not comply with the Packaging Waste Directive.
The Commission believes that German legislation is undermining the
functioning of the single market, as the appropriate balance between free
movement of goods and environmental protection has not been struck.
Environmental benefits of the present scheme are cancelled out by the
scheme's transport implications.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[04] Nicole Fontaine et Romano Prodi : "L'accord-cadre Parlement/Commission
constitue un plus pour l'Europe"
C'est ainsi que la Présidente du Parlement européen et le Président de la
Commission européenne ont qualifié l'accord-cadre passé entre les deux
institutions. Adopté le même jour, le 5 juillet, par le Parlement et la
Commission, "ce texte", ont dit les deux présidents, "ouvre la voie à de
nouvelles relations fondées sur le travail en commun dans le respect des
compétences respectives, la confiance mutuelle entre nos deux institutions
et l'esprit de responsabilité qui doit les animer." Pour Nicole Fontaine et
Romano Prodi, "l'accord-cadre permet au Parlement d'exercer pleinement son
pouvoir de contrôle démocratique et conforte son rôle d'autorité
législative. Il respecte le droit d'initiative de la Commission et le plein
exercice de ses fonctions de gestion et d'exécution." Enfin, l'accord-cadre
"améliore de manière déterminante la transparence des méthodes de travail
et par là-même renforce le caractère démocratique de l'UE." Les deux
présidents tiennent à insister "sur le caractère politique et novateur de
ce texte qui, au moment où l'Union européenne fait face à des échéances
capitales, démontre que le Parlement et la Commission entendent oeuvrer
ensemble pour répondre aux défis immédiats et futurs de l'Union
européenne."
[05] Commission clears joint venture between Svenska Cellulosa and Graninge
The European Commission has granted regulatory clearance to the creation of
a joint venture in which Swedish forestry companies Svenska Cellulosa
Aktiebolaget (SCA) and Graninge will combine most of their forestry and
sawmill operations. The deal raises no competition problems given that the
companies' combined market shares in these markets are relatively low.
[06] Industrial producer prices rose by 0.8% in euro-zone ; up 0.7% in EU15
(! embargo 12 am !) The euro-zone industrial producer price index was 0.8%
higher in May 2000 compared with April, Eurostat estimates today. The May
increase stems largely from the intermediate goods sector which advanced
1.2% in the euro-zone and 1.0% in EU15. Durable and non-durable consumer
goods increased in both the euro-zone and in EU15 by 0.2% and 0.3%
respectively. The index for capital goods showed no change. Compared to May
1999 producer prices increased by 6.5% in the euro-zone and 5.7% in the
EU15.
[07] Transport safety in the EU - Nearly 43 000 road deaths in 1998
(! embargo 12 am !) According to Eurostat statistics, road accidents caused
the death of 42 600 people in the EU in 1998. In spite of increasing
traffic, the number of road deaths in the EU fell from 56,400 in 1990 to 43,
500 in 1996, a reduction of almost 25%. However, with the number of deaths
remaining virtually unchanged from 1996 to 1998, progress in road safety
seem to have been more limited in recent years. The road death rate,
calculated as the number of deaths per million inhabitants, has fallen in
most Member States since 1990, but large differences still remain.
[08] La Commission établit des lignes directrices visant à promouvoir le
développement de transports durables
Dans une communication, la Commission européenne a adopté une nouvelle
politique de transports dont les orientations visent à promouvoir des
transports durables dans les pays en développement. Cette nouvelle approche,
qui se veut sectorielle, permettra aux transports de contribuer à atteindre
les objectifs de développement de l'Union européenne. Elle entend garantir
des transports fiables et durables, aussi bien au plan économique et
financier que du point de vue institutionnel, respectueux de
l'environnement et prenant en compte les intérêts de la collectivité.
[09] Democratic Republic of Congo : Commission approves humanitarian aid
worth euro 20 million
The European Commission has approved funding for humanitarian operations
worth euro 20 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Channelled
by ECHO, the Commission Humanitarian Aid Office, this aid will enable non-
governmental organisations and the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) to deliver emergency assistance to vulnerable populations
in DRC over the next eight months. Relief will be provided to vulnerable
population groups suffering the consequences of conflict. Focus will be on
support to health centres ; epidemiological surveillance ; nutritional
programmes ; water and sanitation ; rehabilitation of basic infrastructure.
This decision covers the activities of ECHO's partners for the rest of the
year 2000. The 1999 global Commission decision for DRC was of euro 13.3
million.
[10] Franz Fischler calls for measures to conserve deep water species
Franz Fischler, European Commissioner responsible for Agriculture, Rural
Development and Fisheries, has called for measures to be taken both by the
EU and international bodies to conserve deep-water species. According to
scientific advice, immediate reductions in these fisheries should be made
unless they can be shown to be sustainable. "We must act very soon to
ensure the protection of these fragile deep-water species before
irreversible damage is caused by unregulated fisheries. International
cooperation is essential to the success of conservation measures for these
species. For its part, the Commission is considering the setting up of
total allowable catches for these stocks next year and has also requested a
discussion at the next meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries
Commission, in November on the management of these resources."
[11] Signature d'un accord de coopération entre l'OLAF et le comité
douanier de l'Etat de Russie
Madame Michaele Schreyer, Commissaire européenne chargée du budget et de la
lutte anti-fraude, s'est félicitée de la signature, le 5 juillet 2000, par
M. Franz-Hermann Bruener, directeur de l'Office européen de lutte
antifraude (OLAF), et M. Mikael Vanin, président du comité douanier de
l'Etat de Russie, d'un accord portant sur un système d'information mutuelle
dans le domaine douanier. Le but de cet accord, qui deviendra opérationnel
à partir de cet automne, est d'améliorer la coopération entre l'Union
européenne et la Russie dans le domaine douanier et agricole. Le système
d'information mutuelle entre les deux parties devrait renforcer
l'application correcte des procédures douanières en Russie, et contribuer à
plus de certitude pour les paiements de restitutions au sein de l'UE.
[12] Commission and the UNHCR strengthen their partnership on asylum issues
On 6 July 2000, European Commissioner for Justice and Internal Affairs
Antonio Vitorino and Mme Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
agreed to strengthen their partnership on asylum and refugee issues in the
EU. They exchanged letters, forming an agreement to that end and reflecting
Declaration n°17 of the Amsterdam Treaty. The Commission and the UNHCR
expect this partnership to address the complex challenges of asylum in
Europe today, with a view to elaborate sound, fair and efficient policies
and draft legislation. The partnership will take the form of : (a)
establishing regular channels for exchange of information and documentation
on ongoing and planned activities of mutual concern ; (b) providing mutual
assistance in the study and implementation of programmes on refugee and
asylum questions ; (c) holding, in addition to existing contacts, senior
level semestrial consultations, alternately in Brussels and Geneva, to
coordinate cooperation, review progress in joint action and areas of mutual
concern, and identify potential areas for further collaboration.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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