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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-11-04
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
04/11/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] L'Union européenne soutient la reconversion industrielle au Luxembourg
[02] Drug use spreads among young Europeans
[03] La Commission présente un plan pluriannuel d'action pour renforcer la
compétitivité de l'industrie européenne du textile et de l'habillement
[04] Removing barriers to EU/US trade: Commission outlines key issues for
Transatlantic Business Dialogue Conference (Rome, 6-7 November 1997)
[05] Commission pushes for further opening of foreign markets
[06] Padraig Flynn says that labour market reforms and employment policies
to date have been too timid
[07] Christos Papoutsis: "Tourism is the ideal sector for the
implementation of integrated strategies for job creation"
[08] Franz Fischler: EU food legislation should be effective, rational and
transparent to ensure highest consumer proctection
[01] L'Union européenne soutient la reconversion industrielle au Luxembourg
La Commission européenne a approuvé une aide des Fonds structurels
communautaires de 13,6 millions d'Ecus pour la région située entre Esch-sur-
Alzette et Capellen, dans le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg. Cette aide
intervient dans le cadre d'un programme lié à deux initiatives
communautaires, Resider et Konver, qui visent respectivement la
diversification économique des zones dépendantes de la sidérurgie et du
secteur de la défense. Ce programme conjoint devrait permettre la création
d'environ 460 emplois directs et 30 emplois indirects ainsi que le maintien
de plus de 3000 emplois. Il viendra renforcer les actions, menées dans le
cadre de l'Objectif 2 pour la période 1997-1999, destinées à encourager la
reconversion des zones en déclin industriel et à améliorer la qualité de
l'environnement.
[02] Drug use spreads among young Europeans
"In some European Union (EU) countries, unprecedented numbers of
increasingly young Europeans have adopted the use of synthetic drugs such
as ecstasy, LSD and amphetamines in the context of a mass youth culture...
Users are mostly young, employed or students, and relatively affluent."
The above is among the many findings of the EMCDDA's (European Monitoring
Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiciton) Annual Report on the State of the
Drugs Problem in the EU in 1997. Cannabis remains the most commonly used
illegal drug throughout the EU. However, in most EU Member States, it is
heroin that triggers the most problematic consequences of drug use, such as
the demand for treatment, drug-related deaths and HIV infection. The
President of the European Commission, Jacques Santer, commented upon the
report by stressing the alarming planetary dimension of drug addiction and
trafficking. "The report shows the importance of demand reduction as a
component of global action - a priority which the Commission has underlined
in its annual work programme on the prevention of drug dependence".
(for more information, please contact: K. Robertson, EMCDDA. Tel: (351 1)
811 3000. Fax: (351 1) 813 06 15. Rua da Cruz de Santa Apolónia, 23-25,
1100 Lisbon, Portugal. Highlights of the Report available on
http:\\www.emcdda.org.)
[03] La Commission présente un plan pluriannuel d'action pour renforcer la
compétitivité de l'industrie européenne du textile et de l'habillement
La Commission européenne a adopté une Communication sur un plan d'action
pour la compétitivité de l'industrie européenne du textile et de
l'habillement. Les mesures envisagées seront notamment axées sur l'emploi
et la formation, le développement de nouveaux produits, des procédés et
d'équipements, l'application des technologies de l'information et le
fonctionnement effectif du marché intérieur ainsi que le développement
régional. La Commission réaffirme également dans cette Communication son
intention d'assurer l'accès aux marchés des pays tiers et le strict respect
des règles et disciplines librement acceptés dans le cadre des accords
internationaux.
[04] Removing barriers to EU/US trade: Commission outlines key issues for
Transatlantic Business Dialogue Conference (Rome, 6-7 November 1997)
Business leaders and officials from the European Union (EU) and the United
States (US) meet in Rome on 6-7 November for the third Conference of the
Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD). Alongside European Commissioners
Martin Bangemann and Sir Leon Brittan and the US Secretary of Commerce
William M. Daley, the conference brings together more than 100 Chief
Executive Officials (CEO) and representatives from administrations in
Europe and the US. The agenda will focus on more than twenty issues,
divided among four key working groups: the Transatlantic Committee on
Standards (including 15 sectoral groups); Business facilitation; Global
issues; and a group dealing with issues facing small and medium-sized
enterprises. It is also expected that the TABD again will voice its strong
concern about extraterritorial sanctions legislation, particularly the
Helms-Burton and D'Amato acts. The conference is expected to adopt a
number of recommendations to the EU and the US Government on ways to
increase transatlantic trade and investment opportunities.
[05] Commission pushes for further opening of foreign markets
Over 1,200 representatives of European industry and the European Commission,
meeting today at a symposium organised by the Commission at the Parc des
Expositions in Brussels to review progress under the Commission Market
Access Strategy, will discuss new priorities for opening foreign markets.
Although much progress has been made since the strategy was launched in
1996, Sir Leon Brittan, Vice-President of the European Commission, will
stress that more needs to be done, especially for the services industry.
Sir Leon will also launch a new database,"Access to World Markets for
Services", providing comprehensive on-line information for businesses about
access to world services markets. Internet address: http: //europa.eu.int.
E-mail address: market.access@dgl.cec.be.
[06] Padraig Flynn says that labour market reforms and employment policies
to date have been too timid
Speaking in Brussels at the opening session of Employment Week 1997,
Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner, Padraig Flynn, said that
"Member States' reforms and policies have, at times, been too timid,
considering the scale of the problems and the degree of action which is
required. Often, action has been patchy, or ad hoc, or it has been
applied only at the margins of our structural problems. Clearly, it is
mainstream action, not piecemeal initiatives, that we need. It is
coordinated and well thought out action which we must bring to bear if we
are to meet effectively and credibly the employment challenge." He went
on to say that the most important lessons we should learn from past
failures is that we must "do a great deal more to equip people without jobs
to rejoin the labour market, focus on the prevention of long term
unemployment as a strategy, and change our systems so that they engage
young people in the process of developing skills and competences."
[07] Christos Papoutsis: "Tourism is the ideal sector for the
implementation of integrated strategies for job creation"
(!!! embargo 2.30 pm !!!) "We must now take full advantage of the
possibilities of the tourist industry to create jobs. We expect European
leaders to adopt concrete measures in favour of employment in tourism, this
major European industry" said today in Luxembourg Commissioner Christos
Papoutsis, responsible for Tourism, in his opening speech at the Conference
"Employment and Tourism" organised jointly by the European Commission and
the Presidency of the Council. Mr Papoutsis emphasised that tourism is the
"ideal sector" for the implementation of integrated strategies and policies
in favour of employment and said that "the guidelines for activities and
initiatives in the tourism sector must be: the creation of a new spirit of
entrepreneurship, the creation of a new spirit for the possibility of
professional inclusion, the support and encouragement for the possibility
to adapt to the new demands of the labour market, and the strengthening of
policies of equal opportunity". (!!! embargo 2.30 pm !!!)
[08] Franz Fischler: EU food legislation should be effective, rational and
transparent to ensure highest consumer proctection
Franz Fischler, Member of the European Commission responsible for
agriculture and rural development has justified necessary adjustments in
the European Union's (EU) food quality and safety legislation. Fischler
stressed that an effective and transparent "from farm to table" legislation
must restore consumer confidence while protecting the livelihood of those
involved in food production. Referring to the hormone dispute, he said "it
is unacceptable for the EU to have such a fundamental responsibility as the
protection of the health of its citizens taken away by panel of ajudicators
to a trade dispute." While supporting the necessity of giving consumers
all the indications they want, as long as the information is accurate and
can be verified, he added, that food labelling "cannot be a substitute for
legislative actions to ensure a high level of consumer protection and we
cannot hide behind health warnings on labels". Speaking at the European
Parliament on a conference on food law, Mr Fischler further raised the
question of banning the feeding of any animal protein to ruminants, "as
these species are vegetarian by nature". He further questions the use of
material in animal feed from animals which have been found dead of unknown
causes. Finally, Commissioner Fischler mentioned that the EU will play an
active part in multi-lateral conferences to ensure a high level of health
protection throughout the food chain in the world and in this context he
rejected the suggestion of labelling of beef as a solution to the hormone
dispute.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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