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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-06-27
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] North Korea : Commission approves more than €10 million in
humanitarian aid
[02] Commission co-finances civil protection exercise in Poland
[03] GMOs : Commission reaction on Council votes on safeguards and GM maize
MON863
[04] Commission welcomes groundwater agreement but disappointed at INSPIRE
deal
[05] Commission clears Avnet's acquisition of Memec in the distribution of
electronic components industry
[06] La Commission approuve l'acquisition de Allied Domecq par Pernod
Ricard sous certaines conditions
[07] Joe Borg visits Estonia
[08] Louis Michel and Peter Mandelson to participate in UN High Level
Dialogue on Financing for Development in New York
[09] Invitation aux journalistes Ă l'inauguration du nouveau centre
d'information au Public : INFEUROPA SCHUMAN 14
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-06-27
Reference: MEX/05/0627
Date: 27/06/2005
EXME05 / 27.6
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
27/06/05
[01] North Korea : Commission approves more than €10 million in
humanitarian aid
The European Commission has adopted a €10.715 million humanitarian aid
plan to support the health sector in the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK). The aid is being provided through ECHO, the Commission's
humanitarian aid department, which comes under the responsibility of
Commissioner Louis Michel. It will provide much-needed equipment and
medicines, and help rehabilitate health centres, hospitals and special
services. Since 1996, ECHO has contributed more than €92 million to
support humanitarian work in the region.
[02] Commission co-finances civil protection exercise in Poland
Following the recent EURATECH field exercise in France, which tested EU
level emergency response to a major train accident, the European Commission
will be supporting another real-life exercise in Poland. More than 250
rescue specialists from 14 European countries are gathering near Wroclaw in
Poland this week (27Â June to 1 July) for a practical exercise, simulating
search and rescue operations after a major natural disaster. The exercise
is 75% co-financed by the Commission, which is contributing €140,000. The
exercise is part of the Commission's civil protection training programme.
It finances field exercises and training for civil protection authorities
within Europe out of a total budget of €4 million per year. The field
exercise simulates a major earthquake combined with a spill of hazardous
chemicals and a train accident leaving hundreds of victims. Search and
rescue teams will operate under real-life conditions, using heavy equipment,
helicopters and sniffer dogs to locate victims buried under debris and
collapsed buildings. The objective of these real-life simulations is to
enhance the levels of preparedness of European search and rescue teams in
the event of major disasters. Cooperation is facilitated by the
Commission's Civil Protection Monitoring and Information Centre.
[03] GMOs : Commission reaction on Council votes on safeguards and GM maize
MON863
The Environment Council voted on 24 June on a package of proposals from the
European Commission concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The
proposals require the lifting of bans or restrictions (so-called national
safeguard clauses) imposed by Austria, France, Germany, Greece and
Luxembourg on eight authorised GM products. The Council voted against all
eight Commission proposals. This is the first time that Council found a
qualified majority against a Commission proposal on GMOs. It is thus a new
situation in terms of subsequent action. The Commission will have to
carefully consider the legal and scientific bases that underpin any further
proposals, as well as the implications for EU internal market and trading
partners. In a separate proposal involving the authorisation of placing
MON863 maize on the European market for import, processing and feed use,
the Council did not find the required qualified majority for or against.
This case will now go back to the Commission for a final decision.
[04] Commission welcomes groundwater agreement but disappointed at INSPIRE
deal
European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas welcomed political
agreement by the Environment Council on 24 June on the proposed directive
to protect groundwater against pollution. But he expressed disappointment
with the Council’s political agreement on the 'INSPIRE' directive,
designed to remove obstacles to the sharing of environmentally relevant
data, as it is considerably less ambitious than the Commission's original
proposal.
[05] Commission clears Avnet's acquisition of Memec in the distribution of
electronic components industry
The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed merger of two electronic components distributors Avnet and Memec.
The investigation has shown that the concentration will not significantly
impede competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it.
[06] La Commission approuve l'acquisition de Allied Domecq par Pernod
Ricard sous certaines conditions
La Commission européenne a autorisé la proposition d'acquisition de
Allied Domecq plc par Pernod Ricard SA en vertu du règlement communautaire
sur les concentrations. L'autorisation de la Commission est subordonnĂ©e Ă
la vente par Pernod Ricard des marques Ă©cossaises de whisky "Glen Grant",
"Old Smuggler" et "Braemer" ainsi que des marques portugaises de cognac
"1920" et "CR&F". Elle dépend également de la cessation de certains
accords de distribution concernant la marque de whisky irlandaise
"Tullamore Dew" et, pour le Portugal uniquement, la distribution du
champagne "Moët et Chandon". A la lumière de ces engagements, la
Commission a conclu que l'opération ne devrait pas entraver de manière
significative la concurrence effective dans l'EEE ou dans une partie
substantielle de cet espace.
[07] Joe Borg visits Estonia
Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, has
been visiting Estonia since yesterday morning. Earlier today, he had a
meeting with Estonian President Arnold RĂĽĂĽtel, in Talinn, where both gave
speeches at a Conference entitled 'Influence of EU fisheries policy on
Estonia'. The Commissioner has been accompanied throughout his visit by
Estonia's minister for Agriculture Ester Tuiksoo. He also met with
Environment minister Villu Reiljan. Yesterday, he toured fish and shellfish
farms in Härjanurme, before being given an overview of the local fishing
industry in Kallaste and a demonstration of fishing operations on Lake
Peipsi. In a meeting with representatives of the fisheries and aquaculture
sector, earlier today, Commissioner Borg told stakeholders that he had come
to see for himself the problems they face and to listen to their
suggestions. Some of the current measures to help Baltic stocks reach
healthier levels were tough but they needed to be taken now so that fishing
remains and continues to sustain coastal communities in the future, the
Commissioner said. He urged stakeholders to become more involved in the
fisheries management process as that was the best way to ensure the setting
up and implementation of effective conservation measures. Mr Borg will be
travelling to Lithuania later on this afternoon.
[08] Louis Michel and Peter Mandelson to participate in UN High Level
Dialogue on Financing for Development in New York
European Commissioner for Development Louis Michel and European
Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson will be in New York on June 27 and
28 2005 to participate in the UN High Level Dialogue on Financing for
Development. This event is an important step in the preparation of the UN
Summit in September, which will assess the progress towards the Millennium
Development Goals. Both Commissioners call on all to ensure that the UN
Summit is followed by concrete efforts to do more, faster and better in the
fight against poverty.
[09] Invitation aux journalistes Ă l'inauguration du nouveau centre
d'information au Public : INFEUROPA SCHUMAN 14
InfEuropa schuman 14 ouvrira ses portes le 30 juin prochain Ă 10h00 au Rond-
Point Schuman, au cœur du quartier européen à Bruxelles.
L'inauguration se fera en présence de M. Javier Solana, Haut représentant
pour la politique étrangère et de sécurité commune, et de Mme Margot
Wallström, vice-présidente de la Commission européenne en charge des
Relations Institutionnelles et de la Stratégie de Communication, et sera
suivie d'une réception. L'accès au centre se fait par la rue Archimède
1. Le nouveau centre est né de l'action conjointe du Conseil de l'Union
européenne et de la Commission européenne. La cérémonie d'ouverture
sera l'occasion d'assister en avant-première à l'exposition "EU Posters
1970-2000", une collection d'affiches, produites essentiellement par la
Commission dans les trois dernières décennies, prêtées pour
l'événement par les Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles.
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Note on Telecom Council (Luxembourg)
Speech by Joaquin Almunia : "For a closer economic and financial
cooperation between Europe and Asia" at the ASEM financial ministerial
(25/06, Tianjin)
Speaking notes by Stavros Dimas on Climate Change at Environment Council
(24/06, Luxembourg)
Discours de M. Michel : "La politique de développement, une projection
concrète et ambitieuse de l'UE" au Conseil des ministres ACP-UE (25/06,
Luxembourg)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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