|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 07-07-27
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] New report on car prices across Europe available
[02] Commission clears acquisition of BAG by Casco and Bizerba
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Aeroflex by Veritas, GG and GS
[04] La Commission autorise le projet de rachat d'Invex par Superior Essex
[05] Commission confirms sending of Statement of Objections to Intel
[06] Ententes : la Commission engage des procédures formelles contre
Electrabel et EDF en raison d'une suspicion de verrouillage des marchés
belge et français de l'électricité
[07] Cohesion policy 2007-2013 : Czech Republic has plan and priorities
agreed with the Commission
[08] Cohesion policy 2007-2013 : Commission approves national strategy and
priorities for Ireland
[09] Commission welcomes abolition of the death penalty in Rwanda
[10] Somalia : Commission allocates €10 million for victims of continuing
insecurity and climatic hazards
[11] Benita Ferrero-Waldner dismayed at arrest of Belarus opposition
members
[12] United States and European Union announce final design for GPS-Galileo
common civil signal
Midday Express of 2007-07-27
Reference: MEX/07/0727
Date: 27/07/2007
EXME07 / 27.7
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
27/07/07
[01] New report on car prices across Europe available
The European Commission has published its latest report on car prices
across Europe, covering the first semester of 2007. This Commission report
is undertaken as a service for consumers to enable them to compare car
prices across Europe and so to take advantage of the opportunities offered
by the EU Single Market. During this period, car prices increased on
average less than the general inflation rate, while price dispersion across
the EU slightly decreased despite the interpretation, for the first time,
of price data from Bulgaria and Romania. The report and its main highlights
are available at:
<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/sectors/motor_vehicles/prices/report.html">http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/sectors/motor_vehicles/prices/report.html
[02] Commission clears acquisition of BAG by Casco and Bizerba
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of BAG Bizerba Automotive
GmbH (BAG) of Germany by Casco Schoeller GmbH (Casco) of Germany,
controlled by Sequa Corporation, and Bizerba GmbH & Co. KG (Bizerba) of
Germany. Casco is an automotive supplier. BAG manufactures weight sensors
to control airbag inflation in cars and is currently solely controlled by
Bizerba, which is active in weighing, information, communication and food
service technology. The operation was examined under the simplified merger
review procedure.
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Aeroflex by Veritas, GG and GS
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Aeroflex Incorporated
(Aeroflex) of the US by The Veritas Capital Fund III L.P, a part of the
Veritas group (Veritas), Golden Gate Capital Management LLC (GG) and the
Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS), all of the US. Veritas and GG are private
equity investment companies. GS is active in global investment banking,
securities and investment management. Aeroflex designs and manufactures
microelectronic products and test solutions for the communications,
aerospace and defence industries. The operation was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure.
[04] La Commission autorise le projet de rachat d'Invex par Superior Essex
La Commission européenne a autorisé, en vertu du règlement communautaire
sur les concentrations, le projet de rachat de la société italienne Invex
par la société américaine Superior Essex, les deux sociétés exerçant
leurs activités dans le secteur des fils et des câbles. La Commission a
conclu que l'opération envisagée n'entraverait pas de manière
significative l'exercice d'une concurrence effective dans l'Espace
économique européen ou dans une partie substantielle de celui-ci.
[05] Commission confirms sending of Statement of Objections to Intel
The European Commission can confirm that it has sent a Statement of
Objections (SO) to Intel on 26th July 2007. The SO outlines the
Commission’s preliminary view that Intel has infringed the EC Treaty
rules on abuse of a dominant position (Article 82) with the aim of
excluding its main rival, AMD, from the x86 Computer Processing Units (CPU)
market.
[06] Ententes : la Commission engage des procédures formelles contre
Electrabel et EDF en raison d'une suspicion de verrouillage des marchés
belge et français de l'électricité
La Commission européenne a décidé d'ouvrir deux procédures formelles de
lutte contre les ententes, la première contre Electrabel, opérateur
historique du secteur de l'électricité en Belgique qui fait partie du
groupe français SUEZ, et la seconde contre EDF, opérateur historique du
secteur de l'électricité en France, en raison d'une suspicion
d'infractions aux règles du traité CE sur l'abus de position dominante
(article 82). Selon la Commission, Electrabel et EDF pourraient avoir
introduit des obligations d'achat exclusif à long terme dans leurs contrats
d'approvisionnement avec des consommateurs industriels, raison pour
laquelle il est difficile, pour les nouveaux fournisseurs d'électricité,
de rallier cette clientèle en Belgique et en France. Le développement
d'un marché de l'électricité plus compétitif dans ces Etats membres
pourrait s'en trouver retardé. Un tel retard risque d'entraîner une
hausse des prix et une baisse de la qualité des services pour l'ensemble
des consommateurs d'électricité dans ces pays, qu'il s'agisse
d'entreprises ou de particuliers.
[07] Cohesion policy 2007-2013 : Czech Republic has plan and priorities
agreed with the Commission
The Czech Republic has reached agreement with European Regional policy
Commissioner Danuta Hübner and Employment and social affairs Commissioner
VladimÃr Å pidla on its national plan and priorities for Cohesion Policy
2007-2013. In their National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), the
Czech authorities describe how they plan to invest €26.3 billion over
seven years in line with the Lisbon Strategy for growth and Jobs.
[08] Cohesion policy 2007-2013 : Commission approves national strategy and
priorities for Ireland
European Regional policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner and Employment and
social affairs Commissioner VladimÃr Å pidla have reached agreement with
Ireland on its national plan and priorities for Cohesion policy 2007-2013.
In their National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), the Irish
authorities describe how they plan to invest EU funding of €750.7 million
over seven years in line with the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs.
[09] Commission welcomes abolition of the death penalty in Rwanda
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel,
and Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, today welcomed the formal abolition of the death
penalty in Rwanda.
[10] Somalia : Commission allocates €10 million for victims of continuing
insecurity and climatic hazards
The European Commission is providing humanitarian aid worth €10 million
to meet the needs of vulnerable people affected by the crisis in Somalia.
The focus of its humanitarian "global plan" for Somalia will mainly be on
supporting basic sectors such as health, nutrition, food security, water
and sanitation. Assistance will be particularly targeted at central and
southern areas of the country that have been badly affected by civil strife
and extreme natural hazards. An estimated 1.5Â million Somalis will benefit
including inhabitants of the most vulnerable communities and people who
have recently been displaced from their homes. All funds are channelled
through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), under the
responsibility of the European Commissioner for Development and
Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel.
[11] Benita Ferrero-Waldner dismayed at arrest of Belarus opposition
members
European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood
Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said on 26 July: "I am dismayed at the
arrest and detention of several members of the Belarus democratic
opposition over the last days, including Pavel Severinets and Aleksei
Shein. I call on the Belarusian authorities to release all those detained
on political grounds without delay. It should be remembered that
politically-motivated arrests are in contradiction to the EU's offer to
Belarus to engage in a full partnership as part of the European
Neighbourhood Policy, as is clearly set-out in the 'non-paper to Belarus'
that we issued last November. The EU's offer is subject to Belarus taking
steps towards democratisation and respect for human rights, including the
inalienable right of the people of Belarus to express themselves freely."
[12] United States and European Union announce final design for GPS-Galileo
common civil signal
On 26 July 2007, the United States and the European Union announced their
agreement to jointly adopt and provide an improved design for their
respective Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. These signals
will be implemented on the Galileo Open Service and the GPS IIIA new civil
signal.
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
|
