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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 08-06-23
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Statement By Commissioner Louis Michel on situation in Zimbabwe
[02] Commission's lobby register: it's time to sign up
[03] Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner participates in Berlin Conference on
Palestinian Civil Security and Rule of Law
[04] La Commission propose le renforcement du Réseau Judiciaire Européen
[05] Thalys train gets makeover with the logo of the European Year of
Intercultural Dialogue (EYID) 2008
[06] Commission clears acquisition of Oerlikon by Renova
[07] Consumer affairs: Commissioner Kuneva attends conference on
strengthening consumer policy in Western Balkans and Turkey
[08] Eurobarometer survey examines the Irish referendum on the Lisbon
Treaty
[09] Commissioner Louis Michel welcomes EU decision to lift diplomatic
measures on Cuba
[10] Lebanon: Commission increases its aid to the victims of the Nahr Al
Bared crisis to €28 million
[11] Commissioner Louis Michel expresses deep concern over Zimbabwe
crackdown
[12] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2008-06-23
Reference: MEX/08/0623
Date: 23/06/2008
EXME08 / 23.06
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
23/06/08
[01] Statement By Commissioner Louis Michel on situation in Zimbabwe
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel,
today expressed his belief that Zimbabwe’s electoral process can no
longer be considered legitimate following continued extreme state-sponsored
violence and intimidation.
[02] Commission's lobby register: it's time to sign up
The European Commission launched today its online register of interest
representatives. All interest representatives engaged in influencing the
policy formulation and decision-making processes of the European
institutions are invited to register. When registering, they will be asked
to disclose some information to enhance the transparency of the relations
between lobbies and the Commission.
[03] Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner participates in Berlin Conference on
Palestinian Civil Security and Rule of Law
International support for improving Palestinian Civil Security and
strengthening the respect for rule of law will be in the centre of a
conference on 24 June in Berlin. Commissioner for External Relations and
European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner will be one of the
keynote speakers during the opening session of this conference and confirm
the high level of commitment of the European Commission in continued
support for the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people.
[04] La Commission propose le renforcement du Réseau Judiciaire Européen
La Commission a adopté une proposition révisant la décision de 2001 sur
le réseau judiciaire européen en matière civile et commerciale entre les
États membres. Cette nouvelle proposition a pour but de doter le réseau
d'un cadre juridique rénové, d'une organisation plus efficace et de
moyens renforcés pour lui permettre de s'imposer l'avenir au sein de
l'espace de justice européen comme le rouage essentiel de la coopération
entre tous les acteurs de la justice civile.
[05] Thalys train gets makeover with the logo of the European Year of
Intercultural Dialogue (EYID) 2008
On 24 June 2008 Ján Figel', European Commissioner for Education, Training,
Culture and Youth will take part in a press conference to launch a special
Thalys high speed train decorated with the logo of European Year of
Intercultural Dialogue 2008 (EYID). Thalys trains link the capitals and
cities of four EU member states and carry thousands of passengers of
various nationalities every day, and are a good symbol of intercultural
exchange in Europe. The decorated train will run from 24 June until the end
of the year. The press conference will take place in Brussels South Station
(Salons Royaux) at 11am.
[06] Commission clears acquisition of Oerlikon by Renova
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of OC Oerlikon Corporation AG
(Oerlikon) of Switzerland by Renova Industries Ltd (Renova) of the Bahamas.
Renova is an investment company with holdings in engineering, chemical,
financial and other sectors, mainly in Russia. Oerlikon is active in high-
technology engineering in textile, coatings and other sectors. The
operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[07] Consumer affairs: Commissioner Kuneva attends conference on
strengthening consumer policy in Western Balkans and Turkey
Today European Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva attended a
conference on "Safe Markets and Empowered Consumers in a Globalised World"
in Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference gathered representatives from government
and consumer organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (UNSCR I244), Montenegro,
Serbia and Turkey. Representatives from the Bulgarian government and
consumer organisations were also present. The objective of the event was to
exchange views on consumer policy so as to assist the participating
countries in developing consumer policies and co-operation between
government institutions and consumer organisations. The event was opened by
the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and attended by the Bulgarian
Minister of Economy Petar Dimitrov and by Ministers in charge of consumer
policy in the participating countries. Issues addressed by the participants
included product safety, market surveillance and the way consumer
organisations can work together. The seminar was organised by the
Commission's Health and Consumers' Directorate-General, along with the
Commission's Technical Assistance Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX).
For further information please visit: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/index_en.htm
and http://taiex.ec.europa.eu/
Rediffusion
[08] Eurobarometer survey examines the Irish referendum on the Lisbon
Treaty
A nationwide referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was held in Ireland on 12 June
2008. After the result was known, a Flash Eurobarometer survey was
conducted by Gallup, from 13 to 15 June, at the request of the European
Commission Representation in Ireland. Altogether, a randomly selected 2,000
respondents, aged 18 and older, were interviewed by telephone. The main
objectives of the survey were to understand the reasons for the “yes”
or “no” votes as well as non-participation in the referendum, the
respondents’ views about the campaign and views of the consequences.
[09] Commissioner Louis Michel welcomes EU decision to lift diplomatic
measures on Cuba
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel,
has welcomed the unanimous decision by EU member states to fully lift
measures on Cuba. This decision to lift the diplomatic measures, which have
already been suspended since January 2005, allows the EU to fully re-engage
in a political dialogue with Havana.
[10] Lebanon: Commission increases its aid to the victims of the Nahr Al
Bared crisis to €28 million
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relation and
Neighbourhood Policy, will co-chair the International Donor Conference for
the Recovery and Reconstruction of the Palestinian Refugee Camp at Nahr Al
Bared taking place on 23 June in Vienna. The Commission remains among the
biggest donors helping the victims of last year's fighting between Lebanese
armed forces and the Islamic movement Fatah al Islam in and around this
Palestinian refugee camp in Northern Lebanon. Nahr el Bared has been
largely destroyed and remains partly inaccessible almost one year after the
cessation of hostilities. Approximately 31,000 displaced refugees still
need international support to meet their basic needs. The Lebanese
population living in the direct neighbourhood of the camp suffered also
greatly from the military operation. The Commission reacted to this crisis
with the mobilisation of several instruments at its disposal: the
Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO, €13.5 million), the
Instrument for Stability (IfS, €6.8 million) and the European
Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (ENPI, €8 million).
[11] Commissioner Louis Michel expresses deep concern over Zimbabwe
crackdown
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel,
has expressed his deep concern over the worsening situation in Zimbabwe.
Exactly a week ahead of the second round of Presidential elections in the
country, Commissioner Michel believes the Zimbabwean authorities must take
immediate action to stop the campaign of smears, intimidation and violence.
[12] Autre matériel diffusé
• Memo on Antitrust: Commission has carried out inspections in the
consumer detergents sector
• Memo on The Commission's register of interest representatives —
Frequently asked questions
• Memo sur Le réseau judiciaire européen en matière civile et
commerciale
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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