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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-12-30
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Air transport : airlines asked to explain price discrimination
practices
[02] New rights for air passengers approved by the European Parliament : "a
major step ahead", says European Commission
[03] Budget 2004 de l'UE : un budget historique pour l'année de
l'élargissement
[04] Commission approves Celestica's acquisition of Manufacturers' Services
[05] Commission clears acquisition of Kraton by TPG and JPMP
[06] Commission suspects TeliaSonera (Sweden) of having abused its dominant
position in the provision of high-speed Internet access
[07] State aid for R&D favouring small and medium-sized enterprises
exempted from requirement of prior notification
[08] First Commission decision on restructuring of Czech bank
[09] Qualifications professionnelles : la Commission décide de saisir la
France devant la Cour concernant les guides touristiques européens
[10] Revision of TSE testing in sheep and goats
[11] Soutien aux PME : la Commission ouvre 28 Euro Info Centres
[12] EU-US : EU annual report on US Trade Barriers stresses need for
enhanced cooperation
[13] €2 million in support of transparent and efficient elections in
Georgia
[14] Commission grants €1.4 billion to combat poverty in Africa, Caribbean
and the Pacific
[15] Iran : Commission welcomes Iran's signature of the Additional Protocol
to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
[16] Commission and China wish to reinforce cooperation in the fields of
culture, audiovisual, education, training, youth and sport
[17] October 2003 : Euro-zone external trade surplus €9.7 billion ; €2.2
billion surplus for EU15
[18] Commerce extérieur : arbres de Noël, jouets, parfums, vins mousseux -
le commerce des produits de Noël
[19] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 19/12/2003
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 19/12/2003
[01] Air transport : airlines asked to explain price discrimination
practices
The European Commission services have written today to 18 European airlines,
asking them if and why they charge different prices for identical flights
to residents of different EU countries. Airlines have until the end of
February 2004 to react.
[02] New rights for air passengers approved by the European Parliament : "a
major step ahead", says European Commission
On 18 December, Loyola de Palacio, European Commission vice-president in
charge of transport and energy, welcomed the vote in the European
parliament adopting the proposal of regulation to protect the rights of air
passengers when facing denied boarding, cancellation of their flight or a
long delay. "This is a big step ahead in our effort to put the citizens at
the heart of EU policies", she said. "Too many times, air passengers are
victims of practices which deserve that they receive a fair treatment and
proper compensation : this agreement paves the way for completing and
strengthening the existing rights", she added. European Parliament plenary
session has confirmed the conciliation agreement with 467 votes in favour,
4 against and 13 abstentions. The Council will have to adopt it
definitively. The new rule should enter into force in 2005. Loyola de
Palacio concluded : "As we did in the past, the European Commission will
ensure that the passengers are informed of their new rights and a proper
information will be given in all airports."
[03] Budget 2004 de l'UE : un budget historique pour l'année de
l'élargissement
Le 18 décembre, le Parlement européen a adopté le budget 2004 de l'UE à une
large majorité. Si le budget officiellement adopté s'applique aux 15 Etats
membres de l'UE, un accord politique a déjà été conclu sur le financement
de l'Union élargie après mai 2004. Pour 25 Etats membres, ce budget
représente moins de 1% du revenu national brut de l'UE. Mme Michaele
Schreyer, Commissaire chargée chargé du Budget, a salué ce résultat : "Le
budget 2004 est historique, il s'agit du premier budget de l'Union élargie,
et du premier qui soit établi selon la nouvelle structure reposant sur les
activités. De plus, il se situe à un niveau historiquement bas, ce qui
montre que les craintes au sujet d'une explosion du budget due à
l'élargissement étaient infondées. Pourtant, il est également clair qu'en
dépit de la rigueur budgétaire, nous devons répondre aux attentes et
remplir les obligations découlant de l'introduction progressive des
dépenses en faveur des nouveaux Etats membres." Mme Schreyer a remercié le
Parlement européen et le Conseil pour leur excellente coopération, en
particulier les rapporteurs, M. Mulder et Mme Gill, et le président, M.
Wynn. "Le budget 2004 illustre à quel point la coopération entre les
institutions, au sein du Conseil et de l'UE, peut être excellente. Du côté
budgétaire, l'élargissement est bien préparé."
[04] Commission approves Celestica's acquisition of Manufacturers' Services
The European Commission has authorised the merger between Celestica and
Manufacturers' Services, two companies active worldwide in the market for
electronic manufacturing services (EMS)
[05] Commission clears acquisition of Kraton by TPG and JPMP
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of joint control of the US undertaking Kraton Polymers
LLC, a producer of thermoplastic elastomers, by the US undertakings Texas
Pacific Group Advisors III, Inc (TPG), and JPMP Capital Corp, which belongs
to the J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Group. (The operation, notified on 20
November 2003, was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)
[06] Commission suspects TeliaSonera (Sweden) of having abused its dominant
position in the provision of high-speed Internet access
Today, the European Commission has sent a so-called statement of objections
to TeliaSonera AB. The statement concerns a contract for the construction
and operation of a fibre-optic broadband network for the provision of high-
speed Internet access and other services on behalf of HSB Malmö, a regional
housing association. The Commission takes the view that TeliaSonera's bid
for that contract was intentionally set below cost and did not allow the
operator to recover the investments and expenses derived from the provision
of infrastructures and services contained in the contract. By setting such
a low price, TeliaSonera prevented the development of alternative
infrastructure and the entry of competing service providers. TeliaSonera
thereby strengthened its dominant positions in the markets for the
provision of local broadband infrastructure and the provision of high-speed
Internet access.
[07] State aid for R&D favouring small and medium-sized enterprises
exempted from requirement of prior notification
The main thrust of the amendments is twofold. As of 1 January 2005 the new
definition of small and medium sized enterprise (SME) - adopted earlier
this year - will be integrated into the European Commission regulations on
training aid and on aid to SMEs. In addition, the scope of the Commission
regulation that governs State aid for research and development (R&D) will
be extended to cover such aid in favour of SMEs.
[08] First Commission decision on restructuring of Czech bank
In its first decision according to the so-called interim mechanism
procedure provided for in Annex IV.3 of the Act of Accession, the European
Commission concludes that none of the measures notified by the Czech
authorities in favour of Komercni banka a.s. (KB) are "applicable after
accession". This implies that the Commission may no longer assess the
competitive impact of the measures after accession. KB is a Czech bank
formerly owned by the Czech State.
[09] Qualifications professionnelles : la Commission décide de saisir la
France devant la Cour concernant les guides touristiques européens
La Commission européenne a décidé de saisir la Cour du justice pour mettre
fin aux difficultés administratives importantes que risquent de rencontrer
en France les guides touristiques en possession de qualifications
professionnelles obtenues dans un autre Etat membre. Ces problèmes
découlent du fait que la France n'a pas correctement appliqué deux
Directives européennes relatives à la reconnaissance des qualifications
professionnelles.
[10] Revision of TSE testing in sheep and goats
The European Commission has adopted an amendment to the transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) Regulation , easing the heightened level
of testing for TSEs in sheep and goats in the EU. TSEs are a family of
diseases characterised by a degeneration of brain tissue which include
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE) in cattle and scrapie in sheep. Testing was introduced in 2002 to
provide more information on the level of TSEs in the EU sheep and goat
population. This target has now been achieved and future surveillance will
be focused on specific target groups.
[11] Soutien aux PME : la Commission ouvre 28 Euro Info Centres
Les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) seront plus nombreuses à
bénéficier des services du réseau d'Euro Info Centres grâce à l'ouverture
de 28 bureaux dans 14 pays avant la fin 2003. Ceci constitue une avancée
considérable vers l'objectif d'une couverture exhaustive du territoire
européen. Le réseau EIC, qui compte désormais 321 bureaux répartis dans 42
pays, fournit des services d'information, d'assistance et de conseil pour
aider les PME à se développer et à étendre leurs activités au-delà des
frontières.
[12] EU-US : EU annual report on US Trade Barriers stresses need for
enhanced cooperation
The European Commission today released its nineteenth annual report on
barriers to trade and investment in the US, detailing the obstacles that EU
exporters and investors face in the US. It highlights those obstacles which
the EU believes are affecting the legitimate rights of EU companies to
conduct trade with the US. Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : "Although
the vast majority of transatlantic trade passes unhindered, we need to
review regularly those obstacles which exist and pursue action to remove
them. This will ensure that business on both sides of the Atlantic benefit
from clearer, more transparent trading conditions. This is also why we need
to advance in the Positive Economic Agenda adopted in May 2002."
[13] €2 million in support of transparent and efficient elections in
Georgia
The European Commission has decided today to make available €2 million
under its Rapid Reaction Mechanism in support of the Presidential Elections
of 4 January and the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia. The
Commission will support electoral assistance in Georgia conducted by
specialised international agencies (UNDP in coordination with the OSCE), in
order to help enhance the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the
elections. Elections conducted in line with international standards are
likely to have a stabilising influence on the situation in Georgia.
[14] Commission grants €1.4 billion to combat poverty in Africa, Caribbean
and the Pacific
In line with its priority to support the eradication of poverty in
developing countries, the European Commission has adopted a package of
development programmes for countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) worth €1.4 billion. These measures reflect the EU commitment to the
Millennium Development Goals and to the Cotonou Agreement priorities.
[15] Iran : Commission welcomes Iran's signature of the Additional Protocol
to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The European Commission warmly welcomes the signature by Iran of the
Additional Protocol to the 1986 Non Proliferation Treaty. The signature of
the Additional Protocol (AP) constitutes an important step towards Iran's
full and prompt compliance with its international obligations under the non-
proliferation regime.
[16] Commission and China wish to reinforce cooperation in the fields of
culture, audiovisual, education, training, youth and sport
European Commissioner for Education and Culture, Viviane Reding, and the
People's Republic of China Minister for Culture Sun Jiazheng, have declared
today their willingness to strengthen cooperation between the European
Commission and People's Republic of China in the fields of culture,
audiovisual, education, training, youth and sport. They made this
declaration in a ceremony concluding a three-day official visit of
Commissioner Reding in China.
[17] October 2003 : Euro-zone external trade surplus €9.7 billion ; €2.2
billion surplus for EU15
According to Eurostat, the first estimate for euro-zone trade with the rest
of the world in October 2003 was a €9.7 billion surplus, the same as in
October 2002. The September 2003 balance was +9.2 billion, the same as in
September 2002. In October 2003, exports, seasonally adjusted, fell by 0.6%
compared to September 2003 while imports rose by 0.9%. The first estimate
for October 2003 extra-EU15 trade was a €2.2 billion surplus, compared with
+1.4 billion in October 2002. In September 2003, the balance was +0.5
billion, compared with +1.4 billion in September 2002. In October 2003,
exports, seasonally adjusted, decreased by 0.3% compared to September 2003
while imports remained stable.
[18] Commerce extérieur : arbres de Noël, jouets, parfums, vins mousseux -
le commerce des produits de Noël
A l'approche des fêtes de fin d'année, Eurostat publie quelques données sur
le commerce extérieur des produits de Noël tels que : arbres de Noël, vins
mousseux, dindes, cadeaux tels que jouets, parfums, etc. L'UE est un
importateur net de jouets en provenance du reste du monde. Les importations
extra-UE de jouets ont doublé entre 1995 et 2002, passant de 5,8 milliards
d'€ à 11,5 milliards. La France est de loin le plus grand exportateur de
vins mousseux et de parfums, et le Danemark le premier exportateur d'arbres
de Noël.
[19] Autre matériel diffusé
Déclaration de M. Fischler à l'issue du Conseil Pêche Note sur la
préparation du Conseil Environnement Calendrier du 22 décembre 2003 au 9
janvier 2004
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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