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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 99-05-20
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-Parole 20/05/1999b
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Media and racism
[02] Franz Fischler : "The EU wants to avoid confrontation in beef dispute"
[03] Ritt Bjerregaard : "The threat from chemicals is a global one and is
ultimately shared by all of us"
[04] Padraig Flynn salutes the contribution of civil society to creating a
genuinely social Europe
[01] Media and racism
The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia is organising the
European Media Forum "Cultural Diversity against Racism" in cooperation
with the WDR and in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union and
the European Institute for the Media. It will take place on 20-21 May 1999
in Köln during the German Presidency of the European Union (EU). Main
points are : (1) to what extent have the media contributed to the rise in
racism ? ; (2) what positive examples and approaches exist in the media
industry which could help to overcome these problems ? The concrete
proposals of the conference will be transmitted to interested organisations
and will also be integrated in the discussions of the UN-World Conference
on Racism to be organised next year. The Europe Monitoring Centre on Racism
and Xenophobia is an independent body in the EU. Its main objectives are to
review critically the extent and development of racist, xenophobic and anti-
semitic phenomena in the EU and submit to the European Commission and the
Member States objective, reliable and comparable information including
analyses of their causes, consequences, effects and examples of successful
counteraction and proposals for specific measures to be taken. This ground
work is designed to help the Commission and the Member States to plan
appropriate action in their respective fields of responsibility.
[02] Franz Fischler : "The EU wants to avoid confrontation in beef dispute"
Addressing the World Meat Congress in Dublin yesterday, Franz Fischler,
European Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that given
the scientific opinion on the risks associated with the use of hormones in
beef production "it is quite clear that the ban on either the use of
hormones within the European Union or the import of beef produced using
hormones cannot be lifted". Mr Fischler stressed that the European Union's
(EU) position on this issue is determined solely by the motivation to
protect human health and rejected the suggestion that there is an ulterior
motive, i.e. the protection of the EU beef market against imports. It is
absurd, he said, to suggest that the EU would risk jeopardising our close
relations with important trading partners merely to exclude about 10,000
tonnes of beef imports into a market where 7.5 million tonnes are consumed
annually especially given that we import about 450,000 tonnes from all over
the world each year.
[03] Ritt Bjerregaard : "The threat from chemicals is a global one and is
ultimately shared by all of us"
Speaking today in Cernobbio (Italy) at a European Union (EU) / United
States Conference on chemicals European Commissioner for the Environment
Ritt Bjerregaard underlined the need "to develop and strengthen the links
in the environment field between the world's two largest economies". "We
have an obligation to ensure that we continually improve protection of both
the environment and human health. We need to help developing countries to
do the same. It is our duty to assist these countries to promote
sustainable practices for the management of chemicals and pesticides." On
the assessment and management of chemicals, the Commissioner recalled that
"persistent bio-accumulative chemicals pose long-term threats to the
environment and human health, including cancer. In my opinion, we can no
longer defend the continued use of these chemicals. The precautionary
principle should be applied fully and measures taken at international level
against this category of toxic chemicals before they cause irreversible
harm or injury." She singled out the development in the EU policy on
chemicals : "In response to the wide public and political concern about the
effects of industrial chemicals on human health and the environment, the
Commission is undertaking a thorough review of the instruments which govern
industrial chemicals in the EU. These issues will be discussed in the
Council of Ministers on 25 June in Luxembourg, and be taken on board later
this year in a Commission Communication to the Council and European
Parliament, which will set out a strategy for future chemicals policy,
including possible legislative options."
[04] Padraig Flynn salutes the contribution of civil society to creating a
genuinely social Europe
At today's Conference "Organisations, Initiatives and Services in the
Social Field - an Engine for Social Policy in Europe" in Aachen, jointly
organised by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior
Citizens, Women and Youth and the European Commission, Padraig Flynn,
Commissioner responsible for Social affairs, paid tribute to the role that
civil society plays in developing Europe's social policies. In his opening
address, he stated that "the contribution of welfare organisations, non
governmental organisations and all civil society partners to social policy
in Europe is as immense as it is undervalued. Our common purpose here is to
celebrate and underline your achievements". The Conference aims to
highlight the important role played by civil society organisations in the
development of social policy at national and European level, including as
regards the provision of services and representing the views of citizens.
Mr Flynn took also the opportunity to review the progress made in
developing the civil dialogue and stated that a real blossoming and
maturing in the relationships between social non-profit organisations and
European institutions has been realised, not least with the Commission. The
conference was also opened by Dr Christine Bergmann, Federal Minister for
Family affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and Mr Helmut Puschmann,
President of the German Federal Organisation of Non Governmental Social
Welfare Organisations.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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