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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-02-18
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] President Barroso welcomes US President Bush at European Commission
headquarters
[02] Une nouvelle année réussie pour Erasmus : la mobilité des
étudiants et des enseignants a augmenté de près de 10% en 2003/2004
[03] Commission welcomes phasing out of tax benefits for Offshore Exempt
Companies in Gibraltar
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Masonite by KKR
[05] European researchers based in the US want more contact with Europe
[06] December 2004 compared to November 2004 : industrial production up by
0.5% in euro-zone - EU25 up by 0.2%
[07] EU business and citizens to benefit from new eGovernment servicesA
SME wishing to set up a subsidiary in another Member State is currently
faced with many bureaucratic obstacles. This often creates prohibitive
costs including the need to travel to the new location to register the
company and to sort out social security issues for staff being relocated.
More than 250 participants from all EU Member States debated the priorities
for eGovernment in Europe during a conference entitled "Cross-border
eGovernment services for administrations, businesses and citizens" that
ended in Brussels today. New EU eGovernment services will open up access
and cut red tape for the free movement of people, goods and services across
Europe. Though some hurdles must still be overcome to reach this ambitious
goal, a blueprint for the future technical infrastructure of eGovernment in
Europe was presented at the conference. The European Commission also
presented its new IDABC programme, which aims to improve the efficiency of
European public administrations.
[08] Fiscalité des entreprises : la Commission se félicite de l'accord
sur les améliorations apportées à la directive relative aux fusions
[09] Lászlo Kovács meets Finnish Finance Minister Antti Kalliomäki, and
Estonian Finance Minister Taavi Veskimägi (17/02)
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-02-18
Reference: MEX/05/0218
Date: 18/02/2005
EXME05 / 18.2
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
18/02/05
[01] President Barroso welcomes US President Bush at European Commission
headquarters
In the evening of 22 February 2005, US President, George W. Bush, and
European Commission President, José M. Barroso, will meet at the
Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the Commission in Brussels.
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, will also
participate. President Bush will be accompanied by US Secretary of State,
Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor, Steve Hadley, and White House
Chief of Staff, Andrew Card. In the run up to the meeting, President
Barroso declared today : "I am very much looking forward to welcoming
President Bush to the European Commission and to exchange views on key
bilateral and multilateral issues impacting transatlantic relations.
America needs Europe and Europe needs America and by working together we
can make the world a better one. We must combine our ideas, experiences and
resources to promote democracy, freedom and prosperity and to build a safer
world with opportunities for citizens around the globe."
[02] Une nouvelle année réussie pour Erasmus : la mobilité des
étudiants et des enseignants a augmenté de près de 10% en 2003/2004
Le nombre d'étudiants Erasmus a connu une augmentation significative de 9,
4% au cours de l'année universitaire 2003/2004 et le nombre d'enseignants
a augmenté dans des proportions pratiquement identiques. Ces chiffres sont
tirés des rapports soumis par les agences nationales Socrates-Erasmus à la
Commission européenne. La majorité des 30 pays participants ont connu une
augmentation de la mobilité sortante. L'Espagne est restée la destination
préférée des étudiants et l'Allemagne la destination préférée des
enseignants.
[03] Commission welcomes phasing out of tax benefits for Offshore Exempt
Companies in Gibraltar
The European Commission has welcomed the notification by the UK Government
that it has formally accepted the Commission recommendation of 19 January
2005 (see IP/05/80) to abolish the Exempt Company tax regime in Gibraltar
by the end of 2010. The UK's acceptance renders the abolition of the regime
legally binding on the United Kingdom and will put an end to the last
offshore scheme in Gibraltar. The Commission found that the scheme violated
the EC Treaty's ban on state aid liable to distort competition.
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Masonite by KKR
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Masonite International
Corporation of Canada by Stile Acquisition Corp of Canada (Stile)
controlled by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) of the US. Masonite
manufactures doors (for both indoor and outdoor use), door components and
door entry systems. Its door products are sold throughout North and South
America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It also manufactures bathroom
cubicles in the UK and pressboard products in South Africa. Stile is the
vehicle through which KKR will acquire Masonite. KKR makes private equity
investments in management buyouts for itself and its investors. The
operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[05] European researchers based in the US want more contact with Europe
(! embargo 14h00 !) EU researchers based in the US have given an
outstanding "yes" to the creation of a network for them and about them.
Following a survey of researchers from EU countries working in the US,
carried out by the European Commission, over 90% of the 2000 respondents
said that they wanted closer research links with Europe. The European
Commission has therefore agreed to develop a networking and information
tool called ERA-Link, which will be operational by the end of the year. ERA-
Link will give European researchers working in the US access to information
about career and research funding opportunities in Europe, as well as
possibilities for collaborative work with EU laboratories, student
exchanges and visiting professorships. It will also give them the means to
contact other European researchers working in the US, and organise regular
meetings amongst themselves.
[06] December 2004 compared to November 2004 : industrial production up by
0.5% in euro-zone - EU25 up by 0.2%
Seasonally adjusted industrial production rose by 0.5% in the euro-zone in
December 2004 compared to November 2004, Eurostat estimates today.
Production fell by 0.4% in November and by 0.6% in October. Output in the
EU25 increased by 0.2% in December 2004, after falls of 0.2% in November
and 0.4% in October. In December 2004 compared to December 2003, industrial
production rose by 1.0% in the euro-zone and by 0.8% in the EU25. The
average production index for the year 2004 compared to that for 2003
increased by 1.9% in the euro-zone and by 2.1% in the EU25.
[07] EU business and citizens to benefit from new eGovernment servicesA
SME wishing to set up a subsidiary in another Member State is currently
faced with many bureaucratic obstacles. This often creates prohibitive
costs including the need to travel to the new location to register the
company and to sort out social security issues for staff being relocated.
More than 250 participants from all EU Member States debated the priorities
for eGovernment in Europe during a conference entitled "Cross-border
eGovernment services for administrations, businesses and citizens" that
ended in Brussels today. New EU eGovernment services will open up access
and cut red tape for the free movement of people, goods and services across
Europe. Though some hurdles must still be overcome to reach this ambitious
goal, a blueprint for the future technical infrastructure of eGovernment in
Europe was presented at the conference. The European Commission also
presented its new IDABC programme, which aims to improve the efficiency of
European public administrations.
[08] Fiscalité des entreprises : la Commission se félicite de l'accord
sur les améliorations apportées à la directive relative aux fusions
La Commission européenne s'est félicitée de l'adoption par le Conseil
des ministres des Finances de l'UE d'une proposition visant à modifier la
directive qui prévoit le report de l'imposition dans le cas des fusions,
scissions, apports d'actifs et échanges d'actions intéressant des
sociétés d'Etats membres différents (99/434/CEE). Cette modification,
basée sur une proposition de la Commission d'octobre 2003 (voir
IP/03/1418), élargira le champ d'application de la directive existante Ã
un plus grand éventail de sociétés, dont la société européenne (voir
IP/01/1376) et la société coopérative européenne (voir IP/03/1071).
Elle prévoit un nouveau régime fiscal neutre pour le transfert du siège
social d'une société européenne ou d'une société coopérative
européenne d'un Etat membre à un autre. Elle précise aussi que la
directive s'applique dans le cas de la transformation de succursales en
filiales. Enfin, elle couvre un nouveau type d'opération, connue sous le
nom de 'scission partielle' ou 'scission avec échanges d'actions'.
[09] Lászlo Kovács meets Finnish Finance Minister Antti Kalliomäki, and
Estonian Finance Minister Taavi Veskimägi (17/02)
European Commissioner for Taxation and the Customs Union Lászlo Kovács
met Finnish Finance Minister, Antti Kalliomäki, for an exchange of views
on EU tax issues. Commissioner Kovács and Minister Kalliomaki discussed
Finland's possible work programme in the tax and customs fields during its
Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2006.
Alcohol taxation was also discussed, in particular in the light of the
Commission's report of May 2004 (see IP/04/669). Mr Kovács stressed the
importance that the Commission attaches to a resolution of the issue of
alcohol taxation and the need for a proper debate on this subject among all
stakeholders in order to help shape future EU policy in this area.
Commissioner Kovács also had a meeting with Estonian Finance Minister,
Taavi Veskimägi, during which they discussed the Commission's proposals on
reduced VAT rates of July 2003 (IP/03/1024) and to modernise the rules on
the place of taxation of services for VAT purposes (IP/03/1808) and company
taxation issues.
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de M. Jacques Barrot : "Galileo: l'Europe montre la voie" Ã la
Conférence internationale sur la coopération dans l'espace (17/02)
Speech by Siim Kallas : "Audit in Europe" at the Estonian Auditing Board
Conference (17/02, Tallinn)
Calendrier du 21 au 25 février 2005
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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