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