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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-07-22
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Joint statement on the latest attacks in London by European Commission
President José Manuel Barroso and Vice President Franco Frattini (21/07)
[02] Free movement of capital : Commission reports satisfactory progress in
eliminating unjustified special rights in EU privatised companiesA
European Commission staff report published today highlights the
considerable progress made in the EU in eliminating special rights, often
referred to as golden shares, in privatised companies. Such rights often
claim to protect the general interest by giving governments veto rights on
takeovers or management decisions of such companies. In the framework of
the Internal Market they are however in most cases a restriction to capital
movements. Based on two surveys among Member States in 1997 and 2004, the
report provides the first comprehensive review of developments in this
field ten years after free movement of capital became a core freedom with
the coming into force of the Maastricht Treaty. The report highlights the
impact of the recent European Court of Justice case law in forcing Member
States to abandon special rights. Given the substantial progress in the
regulatory framework most Member States address nowadays an increasing
proportion of their general interest considerations through regulation
rather than through special rights. The report is available at :
[03] Commission issues a positive assessment on the management and control
systems in Greece
[04] Louis Michel signs a €30 million support programme for regional
integration and trade with East and Southern Africa
[05] TVA : la Commission propose de modifier les règles de taxation des
services fournis aux particuliers
[06] Commission approves joint acquisition of 23 Le Meridien hotels by
Lehman Brothers, SCG and Starwood
[07] Mai 2005 par rapport à avril 2005 : les entrées de commandes dans
l'industrie en baisse de 1,5% dans la zone euro ; baisse de 1,6% dans
l'UE25
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-07-22
Reference: MEX/05/0722
Date: 22/07/2005
EXME03 / 22.7
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
22/07/05
[01] Joint statement on the latest attacks in London by European Commission
President José Manuel Barroso and Vice President Franco Frattini (21/07)
"We are deeply shocked by the recent news from London of what seems to be
yet another terrorist attack on London, the UK, Europe and indeed our
democracy and all the values we stand for in the European Union. Our
thoughts are with the people of London, particularly those who may have
been victims of these inhuman acts, and we express our solidarity and
friendship with them, with the British people, and with Prime Minister
Blair and Home Secretary Clarke. We also express our admiration for the
capacity of the London and UK authorities to respond calmly, promptly and
effectively. This second attack unfortunately confirms that terrorism
constitutes a permanent threat from which nobody is safe. We will continue
to encourage Member States to do everything they can to implement the anti-
terrorism measures which were agreed upon at EU level. It is also vital to
focus on measures which aim at preventing terrorism and particularly
preventing young people from becoming radicalised. The EU has set in place
a coherent, consistent and comprehensive strategy in the fight against
terrorism, as recently confirmed at the extraordinary Justice, Liberty and
Security Council on 13 July. We need to implement this without any delay."
[02] Free movement of capital : Commission reports satisfactory progress in
eliminating unjustified special rights in EU privatised companiesA
European Commission staff report published today highlights the
considerable progress made in the EU in eliminating special rights, often
referred to as golden shares, in privatised companies. Such rights often
claim to protect the general interest by giving governments veto rights on
takeovers or management decisions of such companies. In the framework of
the Internal Market they are however in most cases a restriction to capital
movements. Based on two surveys among Member States in 1997 and 2004, the
report provides the first comprehensive review of developments in this
field ten years after free movement of capital became a core freedom with
the coming into force of the Maastricht Treaty. The report highlights the
impact of the recent European Court of Justice case law in forcing Member
States to abandon special rights. Given the substantial progress in the
regulatory framework most Member States address nowadays an increasing
proportion of their general interest considerations through regulation
rather than through special rights. The report is available at :
<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/capital/framework/reports_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/capital/framework/reports_en.htm
[03] Commission issues a positive assessment on the management and control
systems in Greece
The European Commission has today issued a positive assessment of the
management and control systems put in place in Greece for European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) payments under Greece's third Community Support
Framework (CSF).
[04] Louis Michel signs a €30 million support programme for regional
integration and trade with East and Southern Africa
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel,
signed today a €30 million support programme for regional economic
integration in the Eastern and Southern African region. Mr Michel
participates at the Indian Ocean Commission Summit which takes place in
Antananarivo, Madagascar.
[05] TVA : la Commission propose de modifier les règles de taxation des
services fournis aux particuliers
La Commission européenne a présenté une proposition visant à modifier
les règles de TVA applicables à certains services fournis aux
particuliers. Ces modifications ont pour but d'éliminer les distorsions de
concurrence, entre entreprises de l'UE d'une part, et entre entreprises de
l'UE et de pays tiers, d'autre part, qui fournissent des services Ã
distance à des particuliers. Elle devrait également alléger les
formalités à accomplir par les entreprises en matière de TVA en
harmonisant les règles actuellement applicables aux services fournis aux
opérateurs et à ceux fournis aux particuliers. Les modifications
s'inscrivent dans le prolongement des modifications que la Commission a
proposé d'apporter en décembre 2003 aux règles régissant les
prestations de services lorsque le preneur est un opérateur (voir
IP/03/1808).
[06] Commission approves joint acquisition of 23 Le Meridien hotels by
Lehman Brothers, SCG and Starwood
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
acquisition of 23 Le Meridien hotels, by the US firms Lehman Brothers,
Starwood Capital Group (SCG) and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
(Starwood). After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that
the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the
European Economic Area or any substantial part of it.
[07] Mai 2005 par rapport à avril 2005 : les entrées de commandes dans
l'industrie en baisse de 1,5% dans la zone euro ; baisse de 1,6% dans
l'UE25
Dans la zone euro, l'indice des entrées de commandes dans l'industrie a
baissé de 1,5% en mai 2005 par rapport à avril 2005. Cet indice avait
augmenté de 1,6% en avril et reculé de 0,3% en mars. Dans l'UE25, les
entrées de commandes ont diminué de 1,6% en mai 2005, après une hausse
de 2,1% en avril et une baisse de 1,9% en mars. Par rapport à mai 2004, les
entrées de commandes dans l'industrie ont reculé en mai 2005 de 3,3% dans
la zone euro et de 1,9% dans l'UE25. Ces estimations sont publiées par
Eurostat.
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
VAT place of taxation of supplies of services to private consumers -
frequently asked questions
Speech by Peter Mandelson : "The idea of Europe : can we make it live again
?" to the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (20/07)
Calendrier du 25 au 29 juillet
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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