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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-02-24

Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>

MIDDAY EXPRESS

News from the Spokesman's midday briefing

Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Porte-Paroleb

24/02/97


CONTENTS / CONTENU

  • [01] Jacques Santer: "We must give substance to the Transatlantic Agenda"
  • [02] Jacques Santer : "Il n'y aura d'euro faible avec moi"
  • [03] Karel Van Miert gives green light to licensing arrangements concluded between Cadbury Schweppes plc. and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
  • [04] Franz Fischler at the Friedrich Ebert foundation in Bonn on the ecological challenges for agriculture
  • [05] Investment growth expected to be weak

  • [01] Jacques Santer: "We must give substance to the Transatlantic Agenda"

    Speaking in Brussels on 21 February to a conference organised by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the President of the European Commission said that "the Transatlantic Agenda does not mean anything if it is not sustained by a strong determination to build a real EU-US partnership". "Any long term vision of Euro-American relations must recognise that the present concentration of power and influence is being gradually diluted". "We need the cooperation of various emerging international forces to address global and regional issues" and "we need to assure the cooperation of countries like Russia which are in phase of transition". "We need a revitalised and more effective international system". "A sound and flexible institutional framework is needed to increase the effectiveness of decision-making at the multilateral level and to improve the efficiency with which the decisions are implemented." We must solve the difficulties that the United Nations face: "UN bashing might be fashionable - until we discover that we are shooting ourselves in the foot". President Santer called for a new shared vision for the future, saying that the US should be ready to "share influence and power more equally with its European partners" and to "understand the specificity of this unique animal which we call the European Union". "There is little point in criticising the EU for not behaving as if it were a single nation state".

    [02] Jacques Santer : "Il n'y aura d'euro faible avec moi"

    S'adressant au congrès de la CDU du Bade-Wurtemberg, Jacques Santer a dit le 22 février que tout a été prévu pour que l'euro soit au moins aussi fort que le D-Mark. A ceux qui estiment que le Pacte de stabilité est insuffisant, il rétorque: "Où en sommes-nous arrivés, si nous n'avons plus assez confiance dans notre système de démocratie parlementaire pour laisser au moins une certaine marge d'appréciation à nos Ministres des Finances dans l'évaluation d'une récession grave ?" Ceci n'enlève rien à la solidité de l'Union économique et monétaire (UEM). "Nous n'avons pas simplement transposé le modèle allemand au niveau européen. En soi, cela aurait déjà été un grand succès. Mais nous avons introduit des garanties de stabilité supplémentaire" dans l'UEM, a souligné le Président de la Commission. "En ce qui concerne la Banque centrale européenne, son indépendance et son orientation sur la stabilité des prix sont plus fortement ancrées légalement que ce n'est le cas pour la Bundesbank." Tandis que pour la politique budgétaire, les règles du Traité de Maastricht et du Pacte de stabilité et de croissance "sont sensiblement plus sévères que tout ce qui existe en République fédérale." Pour Jacques Santer, les règles sont certes très strictes, "mais nous savons très bien que même sans Maastricht, les temps d'une politique économique, monétaire et des finances laxiste sont terminés." L'UEM n'est pas un but en soi, mais seules des politiques macro-économiques saines peuvent enrayer le chômage, comme le montrent avec succès le Danemark, l'Irlande et les Pays-Bas. Aussi, il n'est pas question, pour Jacques Santer, d'envisager un report de la mise en oeuvre de la troisième phase de l'UEM. "Je crains que, si nous reportons la date, nous reporterons l'Union monétaire de toute une génération."

    [03] Karel Van Miert gives green light to licensing arrangements concluded between Cadbury Schweppes plc. and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.

    Karel Van Miert has instructed the European Commission competition services to approve the licensing arrangements forming part of the overall transaction between Cadbury Schweppes plc (CS) and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE). The agreements are for an initial period of 15 years, extendible by a further 10 years unless either party gives notice of termination. The Commission Competition services have nevertheless informed the parties that they will re-examine the agreements in the light of any new circumstances which might alter their assessment and, in any event, after a period of seven years. To this end, CS must submit a report on the operation of the agreements no later than by the end of 2003, on the basis of which the Commission services will be able to examine whether their favourable view of the arrangements should be maintained.

    [04] Franz Fischler at the Friedrich Ebert foundation in Bonn on the ecological challenges for agriculture

    (!!! embargo 5 pm !!!) In his address entitled "The future of the European integration process and common ecological challenges" in Bonn today, Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler stressed the need for a "quality-offensive" in European agriculture in order to meet consumers' increasingly high demands, especially in the wake of the BSE crisis. The Commission's initiative to protect registered agricultural and food products, Mr Fischler stated, was in line with this aim, as were two further Commission proposals currently before the Council of Ministers, namely on the identification of animals and the labelling of beef and beef products. The 130 different agra-environmental programmes in force throughout the European Union, with a 1993 to 1997 budget of DM 8 billion, were also part of this "quality-offensive", and as such welcomed by farmers. Mr Fischler warned of the danger of undermining the quality of EU agricultural produce through enlargement since there was a strong tendency towards intensive agriculture in the 10 candidate countries of Central and Eastern Europe in order to acquire more favourable quotas after accession. Equally, European quality standards must be protected and maintained throughout the next WTO negotiations, Mr Fischler declared. (!!! embargo 5 pm !!!)

    [05] Investment growth expected to be weak

    In its "Business and Consumer Survey Results" n° 1 of January 1997, the Commission expects industrial investment is set to increase by 3% in real terms during 1997, compared with 4% last year. In December industrialists assessments of their economic situation continued the recent trend of steady improvement in most countries. However, the overall result was slightly worse on account of a marked deterioration in the UK. Consumer confidence in the economic situation continued to strengthen steadily in December and the business outlook in the retail trade is also brighter.

    MIDDAY EXPRESS


    From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
    © ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996


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