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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-10-16
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 16/10/2001
[01] Commission proposes comprehensive preferential trade package for
Pakistan
Further to the conclusion of a series of negotiating rounds with Pakistan,
the European Commission today presented a comprehensive package of trade
measures designed to significantly improve access for Pakistani exports to
the EU. The proposed package would give Pakistan the best possible access
to the EU short of a Free Trade Agreement by making it eligible for the new
Special Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Scheme for countries
combating drugs. It has been specifically tailored to target clothing and
textiles accounting for three-quarters of Pakistan's exports to the EU. It
would remove all tariffs on clothing and increase quotas for Pakistani
textiles and clothing by 15%. In return, Pakistan will improve access to
its market for EU clothing and textile exporters. Announcing the package to
be presented to the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament for
approval, Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : "We have made this
negotiation a top priority because Pakistan is in an exceptional situation.
We have targeted those areas where Pakistan can benefit most, namely
clothing and textiles. Trade is a weapon of peace. Through trade and the
fostering of greater economic ties with Pakistan the EU can contribute to
alleviating in some measure its current difficulties."
[02] La Commission approuve une enveloppe de 155 millions d'euros pour
lutter contre les maladies animales
La Commission européenne a approuvé une aide financière pour lutter contre
les encéphalopathies spongiformes transmissibles (EST) et d'autres maladies
animales dans l'Union européenne en 2002. Le budget de l'Union européenne
(UE) contribuera à raison de 114 millions d'euros au financement de la
surveillance de l'ESB et de la tremblante. Ce montant servira à l'achat de
kits de diagnostic. La Commission a également adopté des mesures de
financement pour les programmes 2002 d'éradication des maladies animales et
de prévention des zoonoses. L'UE consacrera 40,45 millions d'euros,
provenant de ses ressources dans le domaine vétérinaire, à l'éradication et
à la surveillance de 13 maladies animales importantes dans les Etats
membres. Les maladies ciblées par les programmes ont des effets à la fois
sur la santé humaine et sur la santé animale ou provoquent de graves pertes
dans le secteur de l'élevage et constituent donc des entraves aux échanges
intra-communautaires ou internationaux.
[03] Structural Funds : Commission approves euro 97 million support for
transnational cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region
The European Commission has approved a support programme for the Baltic Sea
Region covering the period 2000-2006. This Interreg III Community
Initiative programme provides euro 97 million in financial support from the
European Union. It concerns transnational cooperation between Denmark,
North-East Germany, Sweden and Finland in the European Union, and also
includes Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Belarus.
The European funding will attract a further euro 85 million in investment
from the public sector and euro 4 million from the private sector. Around
euro 32 million will be contributed from other sources, including the Phare
programme and Norwegian national contributions, creating total resources of
euro 218 million.
[04] Postal services : Commission welcomes political agreement on further
liberalisation
The European Commission has welcomed the political agreement reached at the
EU's Council of Telecommunications Ministers in Luxembourg on 15 October to
further liberalise the Internal Market for postal services. Under the
agreement, that will now be submitted to the European Parliament for its
second reading, Member States would have to open up a substantial
additional market share to competition from 2003 and a further share of the
market from 2006. The Commission would make a proposal in 2007 confirming
accomplishment of the Internal Market in postal services from 2009 unless
there were adverse effects on the provision of universal service. The March
2001 Stockholm European Council, called for a new postal Directive to be
agreed before the end of this year.
[05] Romano Prodi meets Hugo Chávez
European Commission President Romano Prodi met with the President of the
Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela, Mr Hugo Chávez on Monday 15 October.
The two presidents exchanged views on the process of regional integration
in the Andean Community and EU-Venezuela cooperation.
[06] Winter clothing for North Korea children : Commission provides euro
1.275 million in humanitarian aid
The European Commission has allocated euro 1.275 million to help protect
children in North Korea from extreme conditions during the coming winter.
North Korea continues to face chronic structural economic problems leading
to a worsening humanitarian crisis. The situation has been exacerbated by
extreme climatic events. This humanitarian decision targets 74,000
vulnerable infants and primary school children in four of the country's
provinces. Four projects implemented by NGO partners will be supported,
with the main focus on providing sets of winter clothing. Expected benefits
of this operation include reduced incidence of winter-related illness among
the children concerned and lower absenteeism from school. The aid will be
channelled through the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) which comes under the
responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson.
[07] 19 projets de coopération universitaire avec les Etats-Unis et le
Canada sélectionnés en 2001
13 projets de coopération universitaire entre les Etats-Unis et l'Union
européenne et 6 projets entre le Canada et l'Union Européenne ont été
retenus sur les 66 présentés pour 2001. Ils couvrent un large éventail de
domaines académiques, de l'architecture aux sciences sociales, de
l'environnement au commerce. Les projets de coopération prennent diverses
formes : développement de cours communs, échange d'étudiants,
reconnaissance des périodes d'études, etc.
[08] Deuxième trimestre 2001 : la production dans le secteur de la
construction en baisse de 1,4% dans la zone euro et de 0,6% dans l'UE15 -
Un nouvel euro-indicateur publié trimestriellement par Eurostat
(! embargo 12h00 !) Dans le secteur de la construction, la production
corrigée des variations saisonnières, a baissé de 1,4% dans la zone euro et
de 0,6% dans l'UE15 au cours du deuxième trimestre 2001 par rapport au
premier trimestre, selon les estimations publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat.
Ceci fait suite à des baisses de 1,5% dans la zone euro et de 1,0% dans
l'UE15 au cours du premier trimestre 2001. Sur une base annuelle, la
production a diminué de 2,7% dans la zone euro et de 2,0% dans l'UE15 au
cours du deuxième trimestre 2001, après avoir enregistré des baisses
respectivement de 2,0% et 1,9% au cours du premier trimestre 2001.
[09] An instrument for economic analysis of the euro zone and the EU, a new
Eurostat Internet site pools the main short-term economic indicator
(! embargo 12 am !) Eurostat and the Member States' statistical offices
have opened a new Internet site devoted exclusively to euro-indicators.
This site (www.europa.eu.int/comm/euroindicators) provides an essential
information tool for analysing short-term economic developments in general,
and the evolution of the euro zone in particular.
[10] Lancement d'un nouveau réseau européen pour aider les consommateurs à
résoudre les litiges transfrontaliers sans recourir à la justice
Le commissaire européen à la Santé et à la Protection du Consommateur David
Byrne et la Présidence belge ont lancé aujourd'hui la phase pilote du
réseau extrajudiciaire européen (réseau EJE). Ce réseau, destiné à résoudre
les litiges de consommation sans procédure judiciaire, facilitera le
recours des consommateurs dans des litiges les opposant à des fournisseurs
d'un autre pays de l'UE, de Norvège ou d'Islande. A cet effet, chaque pays
participant a établi un point de contact central, appelé "centre
d'information et d'assistance", auprès duquel les consommateurs pourront
obtenir des informations et de l'aide pour accéder aux systèmes de
résolution extrajudiciaire des litiges. Le réseau EJE est complété par FIN-
NET, qui est le réseau déjà opérationnel de résolution extrajudiciaire des
litiges pour les services financiers. Le lancement du réseau EJE coïncide
avec l'ouverture d'un nouveau centre européen des consommateurs pour la
Belgique, inauguré aujourd'hui à Bruxelles par les ministres belges Charles
Picqué, ministre de l'économie, et Magda Aelvoet, ministre de la protection
de la consommation et de la santé publique. Le centre européen des
consommateurs fera office de centre d'information et d'assistance belge
pour le réseau EJE.
[11] Anna Diamantopoulou at the European Conference on Migration
European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Anna Diamantopoulou,
speaking today at the European Conference on Migration, will make five
points in the discussion on common policies for economic migration. First,
labour mobility and migration are linked. As long as obstacles to free
movement of labour persist, migration and immigration can only be a 'drop
in the ocean' of EU-wide skill shortages. That is why the Commission
launched its New European Labour Markets initiative earlier this year.
Second, the principle of free movement of workers applies equally to
candidate countries as to existing EU member states. The only purpose of
any transitional arrangements is to help new member states to manage the
transition smoothly from relatively low productivity/low income countries
to high productivity/high income countries. This takes time. Third, large-
scale migratory pressures reflect political and economic failure. EU
immigration and asylum policies have a part to play in helping victims of
such failure, but poverty in the world must also be addressed at its root
in the countries of origin. Fourth, migration is not gender-neutral. The
proportion of women migrants has varied over time, depending on such
factors as rules on family reunification. We must monitor trends. Fifth, we
must develop a coherent EU approach to migrant rights, for example in order
to counter discrimination on grounds of ethic origin.
[12] Eurobaromètre 55 : rapport complet
Les premiers résultats du sondage Eurobaromètre le plus récent (numéro 55),
réalisé en avril et mai 2001, ont été publiés le 17 juillet dernier. Le
présent rapport fournit des résultats plus détaillés pour chaque pays de
l'Union européenne, et couvre un nombre important d'autres questions.
[13] Seminar on consumer policy for EU candidate countries
Enforcing consumer protection legislation in the internal market, and the
role of consumer associations in this context, is the overall theme of this
year's seminar on consumer policy for candidate countries. The seminar
focuses on the revised General Product Safety Directive (see IP/01/1367) as
it provides a very good illustration of the issue. It takes place in the
Charlemagne building in Brussels on 17 October. Journalists are invited to
participate. The programme is available in Breydel offices 6/94 and 6/166.
The European Commission has been organising seminars for representatives of
consumers associations together with the administrative bodies from the
applicant countries as well as the EC Consumer Committee since 1998. David
Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer protection, will give the
opening speech. Results of the seminar will be presented to the Annual
Assembly of Consumer Associations in Europe which takes place in the
Charlemagne on 18-19 October.
[14] Press seminar on the WTO ministerial meeting and agriculture
A background seminar for journalists with Franz Fischler, European
Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural development and Fisheries, takes place
in Brussels in the Centre Borschette, room 4B, on 18 October from 9h30 to
11h45. The second speaker will be João Pacheco, Head of the unit in DG
Agriculture which deals with WTO, OECD, USA and Canada. Their presentations
will be followed by a question and answer session. Journalists who want to
participate and who are accredited to the Commission need to register in
order to gain access to the Centre Borschette. The registration form is
available in Breydel offices 6/94 and 6/166.
[15] General Assembly of consumer associations in Europe
"How can consumer organisations help make the internal market a reality for
consumers ?" - This annual meeting of consumer organisations in Europe is
important in several ways. It is a communication tool for the Commission to
consult and inform the consumer representatives thoroughly on Commission
consumer policy. It stimulates the consumer movement in Europe and raises
awareness about consumer questions. It provides a forum in which consumer
representatives can exchange views on policy and share best practice,
around 250 representatives from more than 110 consumer organisations will
be present. Therefore, it also gives the Commission an opportunity to
experience the very broad spectrum of opinion that is to be found within
the consumer movement. Participants in this years Assembly include David
Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer protection, Charles Picqué,
Belgian Minister for Economy and Scientific Research, and Guido Sacconi
(MEP). The programme is available in Breydel offices 6/94 and 6/166. The
assembly takes place in the Charlemagne building in Brussels on 18-19
October. Journalists are invited to participate in the plenary session on
Thursday, Friday is dedicated to six different workshops on particular
subjects like the role of new technologies.
[16] Mergers approved under the simplified procedure
- Xchange B.V (NL) / BAE Systems plc. (UK) - Maersk IT A/S (DA) / LM
ericsson A/S (SW) / WAC A/S
[17] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de M. Vitorino sur la politique d'immigration à la Conférence
Européenne sur les Migrations, organisée par la Présidence belge
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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