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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-01-29
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Romano Prodi to receive award in Vienna from the Rabbinical Center of
Europe
[02] Directives "Oiseaux sauvages" et "Habitats" : la Commission intente
une action contre huit Etats membres
[03] Towards the first European Parliament "enlarged elections" :
participation of a further one million EU citizens living in outside their
home country successfully guaranteed
[04] L'UE décide d'exercer un contrôle accru sur les avions des pays tiers
[05] Avian influenza : EU expert flies to Vietnam
[06] EU reduces the 100% testing requirement for imports of poultry meat
from Brazil to 20%
[07] EU suspends imports of pet birds from South East Asia
[08] Quarterly data on price and cost competitiveness of the European Union
and its Member States
[09] December 2003 Monthly note on the euro-denominated bond markets
[10] La Commission accueille un séminaire ministériel concernant le Fonds
social européen
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 29/01/2004
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 29/01/2004
[01] Romano Prodi to receive award in Vienna from the Rabbinical Center of
Europe
Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, will join in Vienna the
Convention of the Rabbinical Center of Europe. On February 2, 2004
President Prodi will receive a humanitarian achievement award from the
Rabbinical Center of Europe for his ongoing efforts throughout his
administration to promote cultural dialogue and to protect the rights of
minorities, and for his engagement with the diversity of cultures in Europe
and of the Jewish community in particular, as said by the organizers.
[02] Directives "Oiseaux sauvages" et "Habitats" : la Commission intente
une action contre huit Etats membres
La Commission européenne intente une action judiciaire contre huit Etats
membres afin de protéger et de maintenir la biodiversité en Europe. Les
Etats membres en cause sont le Luxembourg, la Belgique, l'Italie,
l'Autriche, l'Espagne, l'Irlande, la Grèce et le Royaume-Uni. Ces Etats
membres, de manières diverses, n'ont pas suffisamment assuré la protection
des oiseaux, des habitats et des espèces sauvages protégés en vertu des
directives européennes "Habitats" et "Oiseaux sauvages". La Belgique, le
Luxembourg et l'Italie sont invités à se conformer à des arrêts antérieurs
de la Cour. A défaut, ils pourraient se voir infliger des amendes
importantes. L'Espagne, l'Irlande, l'Autriche et la Grèce doivent être
renvoyée devant la Cour de Justice pour un certain nombre d'infractions à
ces deux directives.
[03] Towards the first European Parliament "enlarged elections" :
participation of a further one million EU citizens living in outside their
home country successfully guaranteed
The follow up for the European Commission Communication on participation of
all EU citizens to the 2004 European parliamentary elections confirms that
the Member States have taken measures for early electoral registration of
all EU citizens, including nationals of ten new Member States. This
guarantees that they can vote and stand as a candidate in the June
elections also when living outside their home country.
[04] L'UE décide d'exercer un contrôle accru sur les avions des pays tiers
Loyola de Palacio, vice-présidente de la Commission européenne, en charge
des transports et de l'énergie, a salué l'accord obtenu entre le Parlement
européen et le Conseil sur un système de contrôle des avions des pays tiers
empruntant des aéroports communautaires. Cet accord, trouvé à l'issue d'une
procédure de conciliation entre les deux institutions le 27 janvier à
Bruxelles, constitue un changement majeur et permettra d'assurer une plus
grande sécurité dans le transport aérien. Il établit un système de contrôle
et d'échanges d'informations sur les avions des pays tiers qui garantit une
information précise et fiable diffusée à l'ensemble des Etats de l'UE et la
Commission. Sur cette base, la Commission publiera chaque année un rapport
sur les inspections et pourra décider d'étendre à l'ensemble de l'UE une
interdiction prononcée dans un pays. "La sécurité est une priorité majeure
de la Commission dans tous les domaines du transport : cette nouvelle
législation va garantir davantage d'information, de transparence et
permettre des décisions communes pour protéger l'Union européenne des
avions dangereux", a souligné Loyola de Palacio. "D'autres propositions
suivront afin de mieux contrôler et de donner aux citoyens les informations
auxquelles ils ont droit. Mais nous serons également vigilants pour
l'application stricte et rigoureuse de cette nouvelle législation par les
Etats membres", a-t-elle annoncé.
[05] Avian influenza : EU expert flies to Vietnam
A European Union animal health expert is today flying to Vietnam to help
control the avian influenza outbreak there. The EU expert is being
dispatched in response to a call by the World Health Organisation (WHO),
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation
for Animal Health (OIE) for international assistance in tackling the spread
of the disease in several Asian countries (see IP/04/64 + http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2004/pr7/en/).
He will work with the Vietnamese authorities as part of a WHO lead team and
provide advice on how to eradicate the disease from the country's poultry
farms. Avian influenza, so-called "bird flu", is highly contagious amongst
chickens and other birds but is usually difficult for humans to catch.
Nonetheless, a total of eight people have died of the disease during the
current outbreak in Asia, six of them in Vietnam. The WHO has warned of the
danger of the virus evolving into a highly contagious strain of human
influenza. For the moment, though, contact with inflected birds is the only
way for humans to catch the virus and so containing the disease in the
animal population is the focus of efforts by government and international
organisations. As well as the outbreak in Vietnam, cases of avian influenza
have been confirmed in Cambodia, China, Laos, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan,
Thailand and South Korea. The EU does not import poultry or poultry meat
from any of the countries hit by the outbreak, other than Thailand. Imports
of poultry products from Thailand into the EU were suspended after
confirmation of the outbreak there (see IP/04/95). Further information on
avian influenza and animal health: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/animal/diseases/controlmeasures/avian_en.htm
and on avian influenza and humans: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_threats/com/Influenza/avian_influenza_en.htm
[06] EU reduces the 100% testing requirement for imports of poultry meat
from Brazil to 20%
Since October 2002, all consignments of poultry meat and poultry meat
products from Brazil to the EU had to be tested for the presence of
residues of nitrofurane, since this substance had been detected in imported
products from this country (see IP/02/1351). Yesterday, the Standing
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health agreed on a European
Commission proposal to reduce the frequency of the checks in the Member
States to 20% of the consignments. The proposal will now be adopted by the
Commission and enter into force in the coming weeks. The testing was
reduced because the action plan, put in place by the Brazilian authorities
to address the deficiencies, has been implemented and enforced efficiently
according to a mission report of the Food and Veterinary Office.
Furthermore, the results of the checks carried out by Member States have
shown a major improvement in the situation : no notification of nitrofuran
in poultry meat or poultry meat products has been reported since August
2003.
[07] EU suspends imports of pet birds from South East Asia
The Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health, representing
the Member States, has agreed to a proposal from the European Health and
Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne to suspend imports of pet
birds to provide maximum assurance following a detailed discussion with the
Member States of the emerging situation in South East Asia. This move is in
order to exclude any possible risk for avian influenza virus occurrence in
quarantine stations in the Member States. Imports have been suspended from
Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, People's Republic of China
including the territory of Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam
with immediate effect. The birds concerned include exotic tropical birds
such as parrots, cockatoos, finches, budgerigars, hawks and falcons.
[08] Quarterly data on price and cost competitiveness of the European Union
and its Member States
According to the fourth quarter 2003 report carried out by the European
Commission's Directorate General of Economic and Financial Affairs, during
the fourth quarter of 2003, the euro appreciated against most major
currencies. On average, the euro gained 10% against the US dollar, 3%
against the Japanese yen, 1% against the pound sterling, and ½% against the
Swiss franc. All in all, the nominal effective exchange rate of the euro
against the currencies of 12 industrialised countries appreciated by around
4% during the fourth quarter, leaving it at 9% above its inception level.
The appreciation of the euro exchange rate led to a weakening of the cost
competitiveness of euro area producers (based on ULCE and measured against
12 industrialised countries) of about 2% in the fourth quarter. Compared to
one year ago, cost competitiveness of the euro area producers fell by 10%.
In a long-term perspective, the current euro area competitiveness position
is only 2% below its 1980-2002 average. Full document is available on :
http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/priceandcostcompetiteveness_en.htm
[09] December 2003 Monthly note on the euro-denominated bond markets
The continuing appreciation of the euro against the US dollar in December
weighed on euro-area growth prospects in 2004 and fuelled market
expectations of a further easing of monetary policy by the ECB. Accordingly,
the euro yield curve shifted slightly downward and became a little steeper,
with the 2-year/10-year spread increasing from about 165 to 175 basis
points. Total issuance of euro-denominated bonds declined significantly to
€85 billion from €116 billion in November. The relative inactivity of
public-sector issuers meant that the composition of issuance diverged
significantly from the 12-month average. The main characteristics were a
low share of central government bonds (22%) and a relatively high share
bonds issued by financial institutions (30%). The other main characteristic
of issuance in December was a high share of floating rate notes (38%),
reflecting the increased share of bonds issued by financial institutions
and ABS. Full document is available on : http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/bondmarkets_en.htm
[10] La Commission accueille un séminaire ministériel concernant le Fonds
social européen
La Commission européenne tiendra, les 29 et 30 janvier 2004, avec les
ministres des Etats membres actuels et futurs, un séminaire sur le Fonds
social européen. Cette réunion a pour but d'examiner les résultats de la
série de séminaires nationaux tenus en 2003 et d'en tirer des enseignements
pour l'avenir, à mi-parcours de la période de programmation 2000-2006. Les
ministres se pencheront aussi sur l'avenir de l'investissement dans le
capital humain et du FSE.
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Qu'est-ce que le Fonds social européen?
Déclaration de M. Barnier sur la Constitution européenne au Parlement
européen (28/01)
Statement by Mario Monti on changes in Italian insolvency laws (Marzano
decree) (28/01)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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