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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-05-13
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Customs : EU and Switzerland reach agreement on re-imported products
and simplified procedures
[02] Commission allocates €28 million for humanitarian aid to vulnerable
populations in the Middle East
[03] Loyola de Palacio visits Lebanon
[04] Poul Nielson meets Interim Prime Minister of Haiti
[05] Free movement of persons - information available on-line
[06] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 13/05/2004
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 13/05/2004
[01] Customs : EU and Switzerland reach agreement on re-imported products
and simplified procedures
Agreement has been reached between the EU and Switzerland that industrial
products originating in either the EU or Switzerland will continue to be
exempt from customs duties when being re-imported. It has also been agreed
that Switzerland will accept simplified proof of origin provided by
Community-approved exporters (such as an invoice-declaration), whether they
are issued in the Member State of export or in another Member State. The
administrative agreement is based on a common approach to the application
of the provisions of the 1972 Free Trade Agreement between the EU and
Switzerland. The administrative agreement is due to be formalised before
the end of May.
[02] Commission allocates €28 million for humanitarian aid to vulnerable
populations in the Middle East
As continued violence and tension threaten to aggravate further the
humanitarian situation in the Middle East, the European Commission has
allocated €28 million to support more than one million of the most
vulnerable people affected by the crisis. Activities will include the
provision of food, water, sanitation services, emergency healthcare,
psychosocial support, job opportunities, and protection for ambulances and
monitoring of the humanitarian situation. Beneficiaries are Palestinians in
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon. Assistance will be provided also to some 1,500 refugees from Iraq
still living in camps in Jordan and in "no-man's land" on the border. The
funds are directed through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO)
to United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and non-governmental
organisations.
[03] Loyola de Palacio visits Lebanon
European Commission Vice-President Loyola de Palacio, in charge of Energy
and Transport, visits Lebanon on 13-14 May. It is the first leg of a trip
to Lebanon and Syria where Ms de Palacio will discuss the development of
the region's oil, gas, electricity and transport sectors.
[04] Poul Nielson meets Interim Prime Minister of Haiti
On 12 May, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul
Nielson met Interim Prime Minister of Haiti Mr Gérard Latortue. During the
meeting they took stock of the political situation in Haiti particularly in
relation to the restoration of democratic and constitutional rule. The
Commission is strongly supporting a democratisation process in Haiti and Mr
Nielson therefore welcomed the intentions of the interim government to
engage itself down that path through concrete action.
[05] Free movement of persons - information available on-line
Information on the transitional rules governing the free movement of
workers post-enlargement is now available on-line at the European Job
Mobility Portal http://europa.eu.int/eures. This site has information on
the rules applicable to workers moving to or from Hungary, Czech Republic,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. A small number
of Member States have not yet provided information on the rules that will
govern the transitional period, and in these cases, workers are advised to
contact a EURES adviser in the country they wish to travel to. Details of
EURES advisers are also available on the site.
[06] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Frits Bolkestein : "Making the most of the Internal Market after
enlargement" at the Euro-Czech Forum Conference 'Business meets the new EU'
(Prague, ! embargo 15h00 !)
Speech by Loyola de Palacio : "Road safety: a shared responsibility" at the
Presentation of Master-Test International (12/05)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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