|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-01-09
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Meeting between the Commission and the Greek Presidency
[02] EU seeks to break the current deadlock on WTO access to medicines : a
multilateral solution is needed
[03] Deuxième estimation pour le troisième trimestre 2002 : le PIB de la
zone euro en hausse de 0,3% et celui de l'UE15 de 0,4% ; +0,8% et +1,1%
respectivement par rapport au troisième trimestre 2001
[04] Commission indicator forecasts euro area quarterly GDP growth of 0.1
to 0.4% for 4th quarter and -0.1 to 0.3% for 1st quarter of 2003
[05] Philippe Busquin soutient l'interdiction du clonage au niveau mondial
[06] European Economic Area : launch of enlargement negotiations
Midday Express 09/01/2003
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 09/01/2003
[01] Meeting between the Commission and the Greek Presidency
The European Commission, lead by President Romano Prodi, will have a
working meeting with the Greek Government on Friday in Athens to mark the
beginning of the Hellenic Presidency. The meeting will concentrate on the
programme of the Greek Presidency (http://www.eu2003.gr/en/cat/68). Before
the meeting the President will have a short bilateral discussion with Prime
Minister Simitis. During the course of the morning members of the
Commission will also have bilateral meetings with their Greek counterparts.
[02] EU seeks to break the current deadlock on WTO access to medicines : a
multilateral solution is needed
The EU has launched an initiative to break the current WTO deadlock on
developing countries' access to affordable medicines. WTO members failed to
meet the end of 2002 deadline to find a solution for developing countries
without manufacturing capacities, namely given the disagreement over the
disease coverage. In a letter addressed to all WTO Trade Ministers,
European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy proposes a multilateral solution
which is workable, sustainable and legally secure, based both on the Doha
mandate and on the chair's compromise text of 16 December 2002. The EU
approach secures absolute clarity that the deal covers the widest possible
list of major infectious diseases. But it would not be a restrictive list.
For any other serious public health problems, WTO members could ask for
World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance if in doubt about whether their
situation was covered by the agreement. Mr Lamy said : "Involving the WHO
as a means to get a WTO deal in the weeks ahead will deliver what is most
urgently needed : a strong focus on major diseases afflicting the
developing world, but offering sufficient flexibility to tackle other
public health problems should they arise".
[03] Deuxième estimation pour le troisième trimestre 2002 : le PIB de la
zone euro en hausse de 0,3% et celui de l'UE15 de 0,4% ; +0,8% et +1,1%
respectivement par rapport au troisième trimestre 2001
Le Produit Intérieur Brut (PIB) de la zone euro a augmenté de 0,3% et celui
de l'UE15 de 0,4% au cours du troisième trimestre 2002, selon les
estimations publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat. Les mêmes taux de croissance,
de respectivement 0,3% et 0,4%, avaient été observés au cours du deuxième
trimestre 2002. En comparaison avec le troisième trimestre 2001, le PIB de
la zone euro a augmenté de 0,8% et celui de l'UE15 de 1,1%, après des
hausses de, respectivement, 0,7% et 0,9% au cours du trimestre précédent.
[04] Commission indicator forecasts euro area quarterly GDP growth of 0.1
to 0.4% for 4th quarter and -0.1 to 0.3% for 1st quarter of 2003
The indicator-based model for quarterly GDP growth for the euro area,
developed by the European Commission's Directorate General for Economic and
Financial Affairs, forecasts a range of 0.1% to 0.4% for GDP growth in the
fourth quarter of 2002 compared to the previous quarter. Weak car
registrations and poor confidence in the retail sector suggest sluggish
consumption and are behind the marginal downward shift of the forecast
range. For the first quarter of 2003, quarter on quarter growth is forecast
to be in the range of -0.1 to 0.3%. Although the start of the year is
likely to be weak in the euro area, it remains compatible with the baseline
scenario of a gradual recovery in the course of 2003, as published in the
Commission autumn forecasts.
[05] Philippe Busquin soutient l'interdiction du clonage au niveau mondial
Suite à l'annonce de la naissance de deux bébés clonés aux Etats-Unis et en
Europe, le Commissaire européen chargé de la recherche, Philippe Busquin, a
réaffirmé hier à Bruxelles son soutien total pour l'initiative franco-
allemande visant à établir une convention mondiale interdisant le clonage
reproductif humain. Le clonage est explicitement interdit dans la Charte
des droits fondamentaux de l'Union européenne, à l'article 3. La recherche
en vue du clonage d'embryons humains à des fins reproductives est
évidemment exclue des financements au titre des programmes-cadres de
recherche européenne.
[06] European Economic Area : launch of enlargement negotiations
Negotiations on the accession of the ten future EU Member States Cyprus,
Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Slovakia and Slovenia to the European Economic Area (EEA) have been
launched today in Brussels. The EEA, created in 1994, comprises the EU
Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. These non-EU Member
States enjoy the full benefits of the EU internal market through the EEA.
The main issue for negotiation concerns a proposed increase in the
financial contribution of these three countries to structural and cohesion
efforts in the enlarged internal market. Other issues for discussion will
be transition periods, marine products, and agricultural products.
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
|
