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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-04-06
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Romano Prodi and Chris Patten meet President Saakashvili to confirm EU
support for Georgia's reform process
[02] Thirty-nine companies and associations sign the European Road Safety
Charter
[03] La Commission invite instamment à une action rapide permettant la mise
en œuvre complète de la décision cadre de 2001 concernant le blanchiment
d'argent et la confiscation des produits du crime
[04] La Commission avertit la France qu'elle doit en faire davantage pour
la protection des oiseaux sauvages
[05] €600,000 to boost higher education cooperation between the EU and
Australia and New Zealand
[06] CAN Secretary General Allan Wagner meeting with Pascal Lamy and Chris
Patten to prepare for EU-LAC Guadalajara Summit in May
[07] Stravros Dimas discusses gender equality with European and national
parliamentarians
[08] Philippe Busquin in China to strengthen cooperation in science and
technology
[09] Commission and Philip Morris International confirm discussions
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 06/04/2004
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 06/04/2004
[01] Romano Prodi and Chris Patten meet President Saakashvili to confirm EU
support for Georgia's reform process
Today at 13h00 in Brussels, European Commission President Romano Prodi will
hold a meeting and a working lunch with Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili. They will hold a press corner at 14h30. Subsequently,
President Saakashvili will hold bilateral talks with External Relations
Commissioner Chris Patten. This will be the first visit of the recently-
elected Georgian President to the Commission. President Prodi and
Commissioner Patten will take this opportunity to reaffirm the EU's
determination to bring Georgia closer to Europe and its support to the
Georgian government's reform programme. In particular, the Commission looks
forward to progress in the areas of democracy and Human Rights, the
strengthening of the rule of law, the fight against corruption as well as
the building of a free and transparent market economy.
[02] Thirty-nine companies and associations sign the European Road Safety
Charter
Hosted by Minister Seamus Brennan from the Irish Presidency, the first
Official Signing Event of the European Road Safety Charter took place in
Dublin Castle today. In the presence of the European transport ministers,
European Commission Vice-President, Loyola de Palacio, invited thirty-nine
companies and associations to sign the Charter. Announced in 2003 in the
European Road Safety Action Programme, the purpose of the Charter is to
integrate civil society in the endeavour to reach the EU target of halving
the number of road deaths by 2010. "Experience shows that substantial
progress towards safer roads can only be achieved if society is willing to
accept enforcement of the rules", said Loyola de Palacio to an audience
representing the major road transport stakeholders, including Formula One
World Racing Champion Michael Schumacher. "Halving the number of road
victims is a shared responsibility", she added. "I am looking forward to
2010 with a very positive feeling. With such commitments we will achieve
the target. Let's start, there are 20,000 lives to save on our roads."
[03] La Commission invite instamment à une action rapide permettant la mise
en œuvre complète de la décision cadre de 2001 concernant le blanchiment
d'argent et la confiscation des produits du crime
La Commission européenne a adopté un projet de rapport concernant les
mesures prises par les Etats membres en vue de se conformer à la décision-
cadre du Conseil, du 26 juin 2001, concernant le blanchiment d'argent,
l'identification, le dépistage, le gel ou la saisie et la confiscation des
instruments et des produits du crime. Le rapport, transmis au Parlement
européen, au Conseil et au Comité économique et social européen, comprend
une annexe spécifiant, pour chaque article de la décision cadre, les
mesures de transposition prises par chaque Etat membre. Le rapport conclut
qu'un certain nombre d'Etats membres ont encore du chemin à faire pour
assurer une transposition rapide et complète de la décision-cadre. La
Commission les invite à adopter dès que possible les mesures restant à
prendre et à les lui communiquer au plus tard le 1er septembre 2004. Il
s'agit de l'une des mesures identifiées par le Conseil européen dans sa
déclaration sur la lutte contre le terrorisme adoptée les 25 et 26 mars
2004.
[04] La Commission avertit la France qu'elle doit en faire davantage pour
la protection des oiseaux sauvages
La Commission européenne a envoyé à la France un premier avertissement
écrit lui demandant de se conformer à un arrêt de 2002 de la Cour de
justice européenne motivé par le fait que la France n'a pas désigné
suffisamment de sites naturels pour la conservation et la protection des
oiseaux sauvages. La directive communautaire "Oiseaux sauvages" exige que
les Etats membres désignent à cet effet des zones de protection spéciale
(ZPS). Les ZPS bénéficient d'un certain nombre de garanties qui confèrent
une protection accrue aux oiseaux qui y vivent et y transitent. Le fait de
ne pas accorder le statut de ZPS à d'importantes zones humides et à
d'autres sites qui abritent des espèces d'oiseaux sauvages rares ou
menacées compromet les efforts de conservation. A l'heure actuelle, la
France dispose du réseau de zones protégées le moins étendu de l'UE, lequel
ne représente que 2,1% du territoire français. Aussi la Commission demande-
t-elle aujourd'hui à la France de désigner de nouvelles ZPS afin de remplir
les obligations qui lui incombent en vertu du droit communautaire.
[05] €600,000 to boost higher education cooperation between the EU and
Australia and New Zealand
High levels of interest are expected by the European Commission for the
third EU-Australia and the first EU-New Zealand Pilot Cooperation Programme
in Higher Education. The programmes' objective is to set up institutional
cooperation at post-graduate level (Masters), focusing on international
curriculum development and student mobility. This will be achieved through
the development of higher education institution consortia between the EU
and Australia, and between the EU and New Zealand. The Consortia will
develop a joint study programme that will allow students to do part of
their studies abroad.
[06] CAN Secretary General Allan Wagner meeting with Pascal Lamy and Chris
Patten to prepare for EU-LAC Guadalajara Summit in May
Mr Allan Wagner, the recently appointed Secretary General of the Andean
Community, will meet with European Commissioners for External Relations
Chris Patten and for Trade Pascal Lamy on Tuesday 6 April. The main purpose
of the visit is to present his plans for the Andean Community to
Commissioners Patten and Lamy and to prepare for the EU-Latin America and
Caribbean Summit which will take place on 28 May in Guadalajara. The
discussions will focus on social cohesion, regional integration and trade
relations between the EU and the Andean Community.
[07] Stravros Dimas discusses gender equality with European and national
parliamentarians
Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs,
will today participate in a meeting with the European Parliament's Women's
Rights Committee and the network of parliamentary Committees dealing with
equality issues in the Member States. The meeting with also be addressed by
Willie O'Dea, Irish minister with special responsibility for Equality
Issues. Major themes for the meeting include women in the European
Parliament elections, gender equality in the draft constitutional treaty
and gender equality legislation outside the labour market.
[08] Philippe Busquin in China to strengthen cooperation in science and
technology
European Commission Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin will visit the
People's Republic of China from April 6-11 to broaden EU-China relations
and reinforce cooperation in science and technology. Space policy and
nuclear fusion research, and in particular the ITER (International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project, will top the agenda of
meetings with Chinese authorities. A delegation of high-level European
business and space sector executives will accompany the Commissioner on the
visit. During the trip to China, Mr Busquin and China's Science and
Technology Minister, Xu Guanhua, will sign a joint statement outlining
their mutual commitment to furthering science and technology cooperation.
They will announce the establishment of a High Level Steering Group on EU-
China Space Cooperation. Commissioner Busquin will also speak at Tsinghua
University and make technical visits to joint research projects and
facilities in Wuhan, Hebei, Nanjing and Shanghai during the trip. Mr
Busquin will continue his Asian journey with a visit to South Korea on 12-
13 April.
[09] Commission and Philip Morris International confirm discussions
The European Commission confirmed on 5 April that it had, on behalf of the
European Community and ten Member States (Italy, Germany, France, Spain,
Portugal, Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands, Finland and Luxembourg), been
in negotiations with Philip Morris International regarding the terms of an
agreement to combat illegal trade in counterfeit and genuine cigarettes.
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Loyola de Palacio at the European Road Safety Charter Signature
(Dublin)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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