|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-06-08
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
Midday Express 08/06/2001
[01] Romano Prodi congratulates Tony Blair
The President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, has sent the
following message to British Prime Minister Tony Blair : "Congratulations
on your victory in yesterday's general election. The European Commission
looks forward to working with you and your colleagues in meeting the many
challenges which face us as Europeans. Let us turn these challenges into
opportunities for all our countries and citizens."
[02] La Commission autorise l'acquisition de plusieurs sociétés Albert
Abela par Sodexho
La Commission européenne a approuvé le projet d'acquisition par la société
française de restauration et de loisirs Sodexho Alliance SA de plusieurs
entreprises appartenant au groupe américain Albert Abela Corp. Parmi les
sociétés achetées, seule Sogeres, qui opère dans le secteur de la
restauration collective, est présente en Europe. L'opération aura
uniquement des répercussions sur le marché français de la restauration
collective, mais la Commission a estimé que, même sur ce marché, il y
aurait encore une concurrence suffisante émanant d'autres opérateurs
régionaux et nationaux.
[03] Structural funds : Commission approves euro 184 million support for
Hessen
The European Commission has approved a development programme for the German
region of Hessen covering the period 2000-2006. This programme amounts to
euro 184 million in financial support from the European Union. It concerns
areas in economic and social reconversion, and as such eligible to
"Objective 2" of the Structural Funds. The European funding will attract a
further euro 123 million in investment from the public sector and euro 235
million from the private sector, for a total spending of euro 542 million.
The programme is intended to promote the region's development and
structural adjustment. It aims to create 3200 new jobs, to safeguard 8000
existing ones, to create 900 modernised training places and to develop 200
hectares of commercial sites.
[04] Commission helps candidate countries plan for investment in a healthy
environment
The European Commission has today adopted a Communication on environmental
financing in the candidate countries. The Communication examines the
financial challenges that compliance with EU environmental legislation will
pose for the countries preparing to join the Union, and gives guidance on
how to best meet them. It recommends candidate countries to develop
coherent and prioritised investment strategies. It proposes criteria for
setting the priorities, and encourages the countries to leverage available
funds to make the most of scarce resources.
[05] Commission allocates euro 8.4 million for ECHO Flight operations
The European Commission has allocated euro 8.4 million to fund the
operations of ECHO Flight in the Horn of Africa during 2001. The service
offers a vital lifeline for highly vulnerable people in this troubled
region, providing access to places which are difficult or impossible to
reach by land. It is heavily used by field staff working for ECHO and its
operational partners, and enables essential supplies and equipment to be
delivered speedily to the areas where they are most needed. Over the past
two years alone, ECHO Flight has served some 180 Commission projects with
an overall project value of euro 70 million.
[06] First quarter of 2001 - Euro-zone and EU15 GDP up by 0.5% ; +2.5%
compared to first quarter of 2000
(! embargo 12 am !) Euro-zone and EU15 GDP both grew by 0.5% during the
first quarter of 2001, compared to the previous quarter, according to first
estimates out today from Eurostat. These figures follow a rise of 0.6% both
for the euro-zone and the EU15 in the fourth quarter of 2000. Compared to
the first quarter of 2000, GDP grew by 2.5% in both the euro-zone and the
EU15 during the first quarter of 2001, after having recorded a growth of
2.9% in both areas in the previous quarter.
[07] Conference on ethics and biomedical research
The Swedish presidency and the European Commission (Science and Society
initiative) are holding a conference on the subject of ethics and
biomedical research in Umeå on 11th and 12th June. The conference will be
opened by Thomas Östros, Minister for Education and Science and Philippe
Busquin, European Commissioner for research. Other speakers include Noëlle
Lenoir, Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Sciences and New
Technologies (EGE) and Göran Hermerén, Vice-chair of EGE. The conference
will review the current state of knowledge, primarily in human health, and
discuss the legislative framework applicable to such research. The issue of
ethics and moral acceptability of this research for the general public may
be crucial for the development of the biotechnology sector, which in one
reason why the Commission is striving to foster the public debate about the
issue. The conference will throw light on some of the ethical aspects of
biotechnology and biomedical research, present case studies ranging from
recent scientific discoveries to applied research, which has already
triggered proposals for new legislation. The main subjects of discussion
will be xenotransplantation (transplantation of organs or tissues from
animals to humans), the use of banks of human tissue and the use of human
stem cells for research. On Monday, 11 June, Thomas Östros, Philippe
Busquin and Noëlle Lenoir will give a press conference at 12h30.
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de M. Prodi : "Where do we go from here ?" devant l'Assemblée
nationale de la République de Slovénie (7/6, Ljubljana)
Speech by Pascal Lamy : "US-EU: the biggest trading elephants in the jungle
- but will they behave ?" at the Economic Strategy Institute (7/6,
Washington DC)
Speech by Pedro Solbes : "The economic effects of EU enlargement: real
economic convergence in transition economies and the effects of enlargement
in the EU" at the German Council on Foreign Relations (7/6, Berlin)
Discours de M. Solbes : "€ changeover a role for local and regional
authorities" à la Conférence 'Ecco l'euro.... davvero' (Pontassieve)
Discours de M. Vitorino : "Democratic Control of Europol" à la conférence
Europol (La Haye)
Note sur la préparation du Conseil Emploi et Affaires sociales
Calendrier du 11 au 16 juin
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
|
