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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-05-13
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
13/05/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Karel Van Miert: "Our analysis of the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas file is
conducted strictly on the basis of the European merger regulation, and
nothing else"
[02] Worker involvement: Davignon Group final report
[03] La Commission approuve la création d'une entreprise commune dans le
secteur du crédit a la consommation
[04] La téléphonie sur Internet est-elle de la téléphonie vocale de base:
la Commission demande à tous les intéressés de se manifester
[05] Victimes de guerre en Tchétchénie: la Commission approuve une aide
humanitaire d'une valeur de 1,4 million d'Ecus
[06] Christos Papoutsis: "We want to ensure the continuity of dialogue and
promote energy cooperation in the Mediterranean area"
[01] Karel Van Miert: "Our analysis of the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas file is
conducted strictly on the basis of the European merger regulation, and
nothing else"
Reacting to press reports according to which some Members of the US-Senate
take the view that the European Commission's approach to the Boeing-
McDonnell Douglas file is "politically motivated", Competition Commissioner
Karel Van Miert said: "Our analysis of this case is strictly conducted
along the lines and criteria which have been spelled out in the legal
framework of the European merger regulation, and nothing else. Our
analysis is based on facts and figures, not on so-called "political
issues". As I stated repeatedly during my recent visit to the US, the
Commission examines this file strictly on its own merits: I have not
involved and will not involve other elements into the debate. As a
consequence of our strong doubts, we have decided to initiate an in-depth
scrutiny into this merger file, on March 19 of this year, because we
express very serious reservations as to the compatibility of the proposed
merger with the European rules on competition policy. The initiation of
such an in-depth inquiry clearly demonstrates that, in its present form,
this merger case is not in line with the European merger regulation. The
deadline for a final decision by the Commission is set for July 31 of this
year. I expect a statement of objections to be ready before the end of
May: in this document which will be sent to the companies involved in this
merger case, we will clearly point out all the elements that cause our deep
worries. As usual, we expect the recipient companies to offer formal
remedies to the worries expressed."
[02] Worker involvement: Davignon Group final report
European Commissioners Padraig Flynn (Industrial Relations, Employment and
Social Affairs) and Mario Monti (Internal Market) have welcomed the final
report of the Davignon Group which suggests ways of breaking the twenty-
five year long deadlock over the issue of worker involvement in the
Commission proposal for a European Company Statute. The report suggests
that the social partners concerned should first try to agree on the system
of worker involvement for each European Company, but if they do not manage
to reach agreement, a set of reference rules should apply. The report will
be presented to the Commission on Wednesday 14 May, to the Internal Market
Council on 21 May and to the Social Affairs Council on 12 June.
[03] La Commission approuve la création d'une entreprise commune dans le
secteur du crédit a la consommation
La Commission européenne a approuvé la constitution par la Caisse Nationale
du Crédit Agricole (CNCA), Banco Ambrosiano Veneto S.p.A. (Ambroveneto) et
Banque Sofinco (Sofinco), d'une entreprise commune de prestation de
services de crédit à la consommation en Italie. Compte tenu que la part de
marché combinée des parties à la concentration n'est pas élevée et qu'il
existe d'importants concurrents, il apparaît que l'opération ne crée pas ou
ne renforce pas une position dominante qui aurait pour résultat d'entraver
la concurrence effective de manière significative dans le marché commun ou
une partie substantielle de celui-ci.
[04] La téléphonie sur Internet est-elle de la téléphonie vocale de base:
la Commission demande à tous les intéressés de se manifester
Selon certaines études récentes, la téléphonie offerte sur le réseau
Internet pourrait, à terme, être jusqu'à 80 % moins chère que les tarifs
actuels appliqués aux appels internationaux utilisant la téléphonie vocale
"traditionnelle". A quelques mois de l'échéance du 1er janvier 1998 qui
marquera la libéralisation complète des télécommunications dans la grande
majorité des pays de l'Union européenne, M. Karel Van Miert, le responsable
de la politique de concurrence au sein de la Commission européenne, a
chargé ses services d'inviter toutes les parties intéressées à se prononcer
sur le phénomène particulier de la téléphonie sur Internet.
[05] Victimes de guerre en Tchétchénie: la Commission approuve une aide
humanitaire d'une valeur de 1,4 million d'Ecus
La Commission européenne a approuvé une série d'actions d'aide humanitaire
représentant 1,4 million d'Ecus en faveur des victimes de la guerre en
Tchétchénie. L'aide, gérée par l'Office humanitaire de la Communauté
européenne (ECHO), permettra à quatre organisations non gouvernementales
européennes de réaliser un programme d'aide coordonné en Tchétchénie et
dans les régions voisines pendant les six prochains mois. Le programme
comprend principalement une aide alimentaire et médicale ainsi que des
actions dans le domaine de l'approvisionnement en eau et des installations
sanitaires.
[06] Christos Papoutsis: "We want to ensure the continuity of dialogue and
promote energy cooperation in the Mediterranean area"
In his opening speech at the first official meeting of the Euro-
Mediterranean Energy Forum, which takes place today in Brussels,
Commissioner Christos Papoutsis, responsible of energy, said that the Forum
can serve as "an important instrument for the promotion and the
implementation of cooperation in the energy sector", which is one of the
main priority areas for cooperation in the context of the Euro-
Mediterranean Partnership. Mr Papoutsis believes that the Forum can
provide a mean of reaching agreement on energy policy, "an agreement which
can be a substantial background for negotiations at regional and bilateral
level for the MEDA Programme". The Commissioner said that the Forum can
"respond positively to the present specific demands" in the field of energy
and underlined that the idea is "to create a flexible instrument to ensure
the continuity of dialogue and promote energy cooperation in the
Mediterranean area".
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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