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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 96-04-24

Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory

From: News Distribution Manager <dist@hri.org>

MIDDAY EXPRESS

News from the Spokesman's midday briefing

Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Porte-Paroleb

24 / 04 / 1996


CONTENTS / CONTENU

[I] Résultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission meeting

  • [01] Commission finds French scheme to encourage investment in shipping compatible with the Treaty

  • [02] La Commission s'oppose à la fusion entre Gencor et Lonrho sur le marché du platine

  • [03] Commission allows incorporation of Montedison's polypropylene technology business into the Montell joint venture with Shell

  • [04] Commission proposes European support for non-proliferation in Korea

  • [II] Other news - Autres nouvelles

  • [05] Commission will strengthen safety rules for seat belts in buses and coaches and airbag labelling to protect children

  • [06] La Commission va renforcer l'effort de recherche européen sur la maladie de la "vache folle"

  • [07] Une première mondiale grâce à la recherche communautaire: le séquençage complet du génome d'un organisme complexe

  • [08] Brittan calls for launch of new trade negotiations before end of the century


  • [I] Résultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission meeting

    [01] Commission finds French scheme to encourage investment in shipping compatible with the Treaty

    The European Commission has approved as compatible with the Treaty and the 1989 Guidelines relating to the award of state aids in the maritime sector, a French scheme to encourage the development of French shipping by making investments tax-deductible. Under the scheme, which applies to acquisitions made between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2000, each individual financial contribution gives a share (known as a "quirat") of the vessel acquired. The French authorities have estimated that a total of eight ships a year might be brought under the French flag by virtue of this scheme. The European Commission, in a Green Paper "Towards a new Maritime Strategy" published in March 1996, pledged action to try and reverse the decline of European-registered shipping on the basis that a competitive European maritime industry is an important source of employment and a guarantee of high safety standards.

    [02] La Commission s'oppose à la fusion entre Gencor et Lonrho sur le marché du platine

    La Commission européenne a rejeté le projet de fusion dans le secteur du platine entre Impala Platinum, contrôlé par l'entreprise sud-africaine Gencor et Lonrho platinum division (LPD), une filiale de la société britannique Lonrho PLC. Elle estime, en effet, que cette opération entraînerait la création d'un duopole dominant les marchés mondiaux du platine et du rhodium. La fusion entre Gencor et Lonrho aurait permis à ces deux entreprises de devenir l'égal sur le marché du platine (28%) de l'autre groupe sud-africain Amplats (Anglo American Platinum Corporation (35%). Ensemble, les deux groupes sud-africains contrôlent 90% des réserves mondiales du platine.

    [03] Commission allows incorporation of Montedison's polypropylene technology business into the Montell joint venture with Shell

    The European Commission has decided to permit Shell and Montedison to reintegrate Montedison's PP technology business into Montell, their joint venture in the polyolefins sector. This decision was justified in view of the divestiture of Shell Oil's Unipol technology business to Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). The Commission found that, following the divestiture, Unipol would fall outside the scope of influence of Shell and UCC would be endowed with all the necessary assets and resources to continue competing effectively against Technipol on the market. The divestiture of Shell Oil's business on its own would therefore ensure that the creation of Montell would not lead to a dominant position on the market for the licensing of PP technology.

    [04] Commission proposes European support for non-proliferation in Korea

    The European Commission has today launched a proposal to give Europe a key role in the global body coordinating world efforts to make North Korea's nuclear industry safer and less military-oriented. The proposal, which requires the approval of the Council of Ministers, suggests that the European Atomic Energy Community should become a member of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO), and that the sum of ECU 15 million should be contributed to the KEDO annually from Community funds over 5 years, together with European technical expertise. The Council already decided on 26 February to contribute ECU 5 million as part of its CFSP Joint Action for the Korean peninsula. Today's request to the Council for a mandate to negotiate accession to KEDO will complement the Joint Action, which won the backing of European Government leaders in Madrid on 16 December 1995. The two actions would continue to run in parallel.

    [II] Other news - Autres nouvelles

    [05] Commission will strengthen safety rules for seat belts in buses and coaches and airbag labelling to protect children

    At its meeting held on 23 April 1996 the regulatory Committee for the adaptation of motor vehicle directives to technical Progress (CATP) approved the Commission revised proposals for three directives relating to seat belts, seat belt anchorages and seat strength for Minibuses and Medium and Large Coaches. The key provisions of the directives stipulate that manufacturers will have to fit 3-point seat belts in all seating positions of minibuses (vehicles of less than 3.5 tonnes) and at least 2-point belts and energy absorbing seats in all large coaches in order for their vehicles to benefit from free circulation in the Community. For mid size coaches manufacturers will have the choice whether to fit 3-point belts or 2-point belts and energy absorbing seats. Optional from 1 January 1997, the measures will come into force for new model types in October 1997 for large and medium sized coaches and in October 1999 for minibuses, reflecting the fact that manufacturers need a longer time period to prepare vehicles to have 3-point belts. The measures will apply to all new vehicles (i.e. not just to new models) 2 years after the above dates. The directive on safety belts also includes a provision requiring manufacturers to fix a warning label to the vehicle to warn against the use of a rearward-facing child restraint in seats protected by an airbag.

    [06] La Commission va renforcer l'effort de recherche européen sur la maladie de la "vache folle"

    Les travaux de recherche actuellement menés au niveau européen sur l'encéphalopathie spongiforme bovine (ESB - maladie de la "vache folle") et la maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob vont être étendus et renforcés. C'est ce qu'ont annoncé aujourd'hui Mme Edith Cresson, commissaire en charge de la recherche, et M. Franz Fischler, commissaire à l'agriculture. Tout en intensifiant l'effort de recherche consenti par le 4e programme-cadre européen de recherche et développement technologique (RDT) dans ce domaine, la Commission va fixer de nouvelles priorités de recherche et s'efforcer de coordonner l'ensemble des travaux entrepris dans les Etats membres.

    [07] Une première mondiale grâce à la recherche communautaire: le séquençage complet du génome d'un organisme complexe

    C'est une première scientifique mondiale, et elle est due très largement au soutien du programme-cadre européen de recherche: la totalité du génome d'un organisme vivant complexe, en l'occurrence la levure, est à présent connue. En d'autres termes, l'ensemble des gênes qui composent cet organisme - plus de 6000 - ont été déchiffrés un à un. Ce travail ouvre des perspectives considérables pour la recherche médicale. Une proportion importante du génome de la levure présente en effet de nombreuses similitudes avec les gênes humains. Découvrir la fonction précise de chacun de ces gênes devrait permettre de comprendre l'origine et l'évolution d'une quarantaine de maladies, dont de nombreux cancers. La levure étant par ailleurs très largement utilisée dans l'industrie agro-alimentaire, des retombées importantes peuvent être espérées dans ce domaine également. Les résultats de ces travaux seront révélés aujourd'hui lors de deux conférences de presse à Bruxelles (14 h) et à Bethesda (National Institute of Health, USA).

    [08] Brittan calls for launch of new trade negotiations before end of the century

    A decision to launch negotiations on further world trade liberalisation should come while the present Commission is in office, and within the political horizon of most WTO governments, says Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan in a speech to the World Trade Conference in Singapore. The first WTO Ministerial meeting in December is not the time to launch a full new trade Round, but it must launch the preparatory work to make such a decision possible in a few years' time, and certainly before the end of the century. Before such a launch, the WTO should be guided by three key principles: accelerating WTO membership of new countries, helping the poorest countries to exploit WTO benefits and persuading the public at large of the advantages of the open trading system. Sir Leon advocates three criteria to follow when handling new issues on the WTO agenda: Creating global support for sensitive topics like labour standards before they cause friction, making the WTO work in tandem with other international bodies, and increasing people's understanding of trade issues before they ripen.

    MIDDAY EXPRESS


    From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://www.cec.lu/
    © ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996

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