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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-01-24
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Prime Minister Aziz of Pakistan visits Commission
[02] Commission outlines its support to ACP Sugar Protocol countries
[03] Commission consultation : streamlined labeling to simplify life for
consumers and manufacturers
[04] Commission clears acquisition of VGG by De Raekt and ING
[05] "Border Breakers" : deuxième édition du prix récompensant les
premiers albums européens ayant le plus voyagé dans l'UE en 2004
[06] November 2004 compared to October 2004 : industrial new orders up by
1.7% in euro-zone - EU25 up by 0.3%
[07] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-01-24
Reference: MEX/05/0124
Date: 24/01/2005
EXME05 / 24.1
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Général Presse etb
Communication
24/01/05
[01] Prime Minister Aziz of Pakistan visits Commission
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, will meet the European
Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, and Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, on
Monday 24 January in Brussels. The meeting will reinforce the EU's
relationship with Pakistan which is a key strategic partner for the EU. It
will seek to set the direction for developing Commission Pakistan relations
for the coming years. The Commission and the Prime Minister will discuss
regional matters including the fight against terrorism and regional
stability, as well as bilateral issues including implementation of the new
EC-Pakistan Cooperation Agreement. The following day, the Prime Minister
will meet with Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, to discuss trade and
economic issues.
<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/pakistan/intro/index.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/pakistan/intro/index.htm
[02] Commission outlines its support to ACP Sugar Protocol countries
(! embargo 15h00 !) Meeting with ministers of ACP sugar exporting countries,
the European Commission presented its "action plan", aimed at mitigating
potential impacts of the EU sugar reform and at accompanying the adjustment
process in ACP countries signatories of the Sugar Protocol. Several ACP
economies are significantly dependent on sugar exports to the EU and may
experience, following the EU sugar reform, a certain disruption of their
sugar sector, with consequences on their socio-economic development. The
Commission proposes a partnership to support them in meeting this challenge,
by means of a set of trade and development measures.
[03] Commission consultation : streamlined labeling to simplify life for
consumers and manufacturers
25 national laws plus two EU directives ensure that consumers can rely on
the weight indications on all packed products such as food, hygiene,
cleaning products, paints etc. But national laws vary, leading to increased
costs for producers for packaging and labeling. Consumers are faced with
different labeling on packages. Taking up a recommendation of the SLIM
exercise (Simpler Legislation for the Internal Market), the Commission is
aiming to streamline the various existing laws into a single directive
(currently two), while at the same time sweeping away some 25 different
national rules in this area and reducing costs and regulatory headaches for
manufacturers. To involve all stakeholders and consumers in preparing the
new directive, the Commission has launched a public consultation to solicit
the views of producers and citizens on its plans for simplifying current
legislation and aligning it with the international standards formulated by
the OIML (Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale).
[04] Commission clears acquisition of VGG by De Raekt and ING
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Dutch undertaking Van
Gansewinkel Groep B.V. (VGG) by Dutch companies De Raekt B.V. and ING
Corporate Investments Participaties B.V. (ING CIP Netherlands). De Raekt is
a private holding company which holds 55% of the share capital of VGG. ING
CIP is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ING Group, a global financial
institution active in banking, insurance and asset management in more than
60 countries. ING CIP is mainly involved in venture capital. VGG and its
subsidiaries provide a wide range of waste management and related services
for both hazardous and non-hazardous waste. VGG is primarily active in The
Netherlands and Belgium and to a lesser extent in France, the Czech
Republic, Poland, Luxemburg and Portugal. The operation was examined under
the simplified merger review procedure.
[05] "Border Breakers" : deuxième édition du prix récompensant les
premiers albums européens ayant le plus voyagé dans l'UE en 2004
Le dimanche 23 janvier a eu lieu à Cannes, lors du MIDEM (Marché
international du disque et de l'édition musicale), la deuxième édition
des European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA). Ces prix récompensent les
artistes dont les premiers albums ont réalisé, au cours d'une année, le
plus de ventes dans l'Union hors de leur pays d'origine. Ces prix ont été
créés sur l'initiative de la Commission européenne, en collaboration
avec les professionnels européens de la musique ainsi qu'avec le groupe
Billboard (Billboard Information Group).
[06] November 2004 compared to October 2004 : industrial new orders up by
1.7% in euro-zone - EU25 up by 0.3%
The euro-zone industrial new orders index rose by 1.7% in November 2004
compared with the previous month, Eurostat estimates today. The index fell
by 0.2% in October after a rise of 1.6% in September. EU25 new orders grew
by 0.3% in November 2004, after rises of 0.5% in October and 0.8% in
September. In November 2004 compared to November 2003, industrial new
orders increased by 12.2% in the euro-zone and by 10.4% in the EU25.
[07] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Stavros Dimas Dimas : "EU action to halt the loss of
biodiversity" at International Conference on Biodiversity, Science and
Governance (Unesco, Paris)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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