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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 96-05-13
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
13 / 05 / 1996
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Jacques Santer: The Information Society can reconcile the
industrialised world and the developing countries
[02] European conference on rural development
[03] Liberian refugees: Commission appeals for an end to the "Bulk
Challenge"'s odyssey
[04] Ritt Bjerregaard: Sustainability - the Irish way
[01] Jacques Santer: The Information Society can reconcile the industrialised
world and the developing countries
!!! embargo 5.30 pm !!!
Speaking today at the opening of the Information
Society and Development Conference in Midrand, South Africa, President Santer
said: "The Information Society can trigger a new vision of humanity, a new spirit
of reconciliation and common interest between the industrialised world and the
developing countries. The European Union is already contributing to this process
with the largest aid and assistance programmes in the world." President Santer
made an appeal to the private sector to help developing countries entering the
Information Society. "The Information Society is not just about future new
markets, the bottom line, the company shareholder stock options and profits."
The private sector "should help in a spirit of partnership by being as generous as
possible with technology and expertise". !!! embargo 5.30 pm !!!
[02] European conference on rural development
Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Franz Fischler announced
today that the Commission will organize a major European Conference on Rural
Development in Cork, Ireland from 7 - 9th November 1996. Mr Fischler said:
"The purpose of the Conference will be to discuss the future perspectives for the
Union's Rural Development policy. It will help the Commission design the
objectives and content of a new, fully-fledged integrated Rural Development
policy. This policy will seek to address the challenges faced by rural areas in a
way that considers all economic sectors and all aspects of rural life, and which
builds on their strengths". The Conference will be a key stage in developing the
ideas for the future EU policy as set out in the Commission's Agricultural Strategy
Paper of November 1995.
[03] Liberian refugees: Commission appeals for an end to the "Bulk Challenge"'s odyssey
The Commission announced ECHO's (European Community Humanitarian Office)
readiness to finance emergency assistance to the thousands of refugees which
have fled Liberia, and appealed to the main humanitarian agencies, in primis the
ICRC and the UNHCR, to step up efforts to create a humanitarian space for this
purpose in the region, with the help of consenting governments. ECHO will
pursue, in the meantime, financing of the few humanitarian agencies and NGOs
(WFP, MSF, AICF) still operating in Liberia.
[04] Ritt Bjerregaard: Sustainability - the Irish way
At a meeting with the Irish press in Dublin today, Environment Commissioner Ritt
Bjerregaard said there are two key issues which occupy the day to day reality of
all the citizens of the EU - employment and the quality of the environment. The
assertions that EU environmental policy means too much regulation, a burden for
idustry, anti-jobs are not true. They represent the rhetoric of the past. The
recent State of the Environment report for Ireland estimates over 155,000
persons are in direct employment dependent on high environmental quality. This
is a clear demonstration of how environment and socioeconomic development
can be mutually supporting.
"We must try to achieve similar degrees of
relationship between environment and economy if we are to reach our goal of
sustainable development. We must also be on our guard to ensure that in
exploiting the environment we do not degrade it", Ritt Bjerregaard said.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://www.cec.lu/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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