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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-03-27
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 Service Presse et Communicationb
27/03/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Services financiers : la Commission clôt des procédures d'infraction à
l'encontre du Portugal concernant BSCH/Champalimaud
[02] Commission closes investigation on Spanish company Gas Natural
[03] Commission clears France Télécom's acquisition of Global One
[04] Commission refers Hanson / Pioneer merger to the UK competition
authorities
[05] La Commission interdit la mise sur le marché dans les Etats membres
des médicaments contenant des substances anorexigènes
[06] Viviane Reding va proposer un plan d'action aux ministres de
l'Education pour répondre au mandat donné par le Conseil européen
[07] Poul Nielson sets out his vision on the future of EU development
cooperation
[01] Services financiers : la Commission clôt des procédures d'infraction à
l'encontre du Portugal concernant BSCH/Champalimaud
La Commission européenne a décidé de clore les deux procédures d'infraction
qu'elle avait ouvertes en 1999 à l'encontre du Portugal dans l'affaire
Champalimaud. La Commission considérait que les mesures prises par les
autorités portugaises pour s'opposer à l'acquisition d'une participation de
contrôle dans le groupe Champalimaud par Banco Santander Central Hispanico
(BSCH) (Espagne) étaient contraires aux règles du marché intérieur et de la
concurrence. Le Portugal a cependant annulé ces mesures. Il a également
annulé le recours qu'il avait formé devant la Cour contre la Commission.
[02] Commission closes investigation on Spanish company Gas Natural
The European Commission has decided to close its investigation concerning
the long-term gas supply agreement entered into by the Spanish gas company
Gas Natural and the Spanish electricity generator Endesa. The parties have
modified the terms of their agreement in line with the competition concerns
expressed by the Commission. The interest of the Commission in this case is
to ensure that the gas supply contract does not allow the dominant gas
supplier to impede the entry of new suppliers in the Spanish gas market, at
the eve of the liberalisation of the European gas market.
[03] Commission clears France Télécom's acquisition of Global One
The European Commission has decided to approve the acquisition by France
Télécom of sole control over Global One. Global One was a joint venture
between France Télécom, Deutsche Telekom and Sprint. This is the result of
a transaction in two stages : firstly, in January Sprint agreed to sell its
stake into Global One to France Télécom and Deutsche Telekom, and secondly
Deutsche Telekom committed to sell its interests to France Télécom on 26
January. This transaction puts Global One under one coherent set of
management instead of three shareholders. There are marginal overlaps
between France Télécom and Global One and the proposed transaction does not
alter the market structure since France Télécom was already a controlling
shareholder in Global One. France Télécom is a France-based telecommunications
operator that provides a wide range of telecommunications services to
residential, professional and large business users, primarily in France.
Global One offers integrated voice and data services primarily to
multinational customers, as well as carrier services and traveller services
on a world-wide and regional basis.
[04] Commission refers Hanson / Pioneer merger to the UK competition
authorities
The European Commission has decided to refer the proposed acquisition by
Hanson Ltd of Pioneer PLC to the United Kingdom competition authorities for
investigation. Both companies are active in the supply of aggregates - sand,
gravel, etc. - and related downstream products such as ready-mixed concrete
and asphalt in the UK, where possible dominant positions could be found.
Under the EU Merger Regulation, the Commission has sole responsibility for
examining all mergers above a certain size (on the basis of turnover) in
order to assess their compatibility with the common market. However, the
regulation provides, at Article 9, that, on request from a Member State,
the Commission can refer a merger to that Member State for investigation
under national competition law if it threatens to lead to the creation or
strengthening of a dominant position which would substantially reduce
competition in a distinct market within the Member State's territory. In
the present case, the UK informed the Commission that it had identified a
number of markets within the UK for various products in which the UK
authorities considered that the conditions for such a referral were met.
The Commission agreed, and moreover considered that the UK competition
authorities, with their extensive local knowledge and experience of the
markets in question, were best-placed to carry out the necessary further
examination of the case. Accordingly the Commission decided to refer the
whole of the case to the UK authorities, which now have a maximum of four
months in which to deal with it.
[05] La Commission interdit la mise sur le marché dans les Etats membres
des médicaments contenant des substances anorexigènes
La Commission européenne a décidé d'interdire des médicaments qui
contiennent des substances anorexigènes suite à l'avis du Comité des
Spécialités Pharmaceutiques de l'Agence Européenne pour l'Evaluation des
Médicaments.
[06] Viviane Reding va proposer un plan d'action aux ministres de
l'Education pour répondre au mandat donné par le Conseil européen
Mme Viviane Reding, commissaire européen responsable de l'Education, se
réjouit de la claire volonté, exprimée par le Conseil européen spécial de
Lisbonne, d'une mobilisation européenne pour entrer de plain-pied dans la
nouvelle économie, fondée sur l'innovation et la connaissance. Il est vital
pour l'Europe de combler son déficit sur les Etats-Unis dans le domaine du
numérique et de profiter du formidable potentiel d'emplois qui lui est lié.
La réalisation de cet objectif passe avant tout par l'éducation :
acquisition à l'école d'une culture numérique et développement de
l'apprentissage tout au long de la vie. Les ministres de l'Education
doivent dès maintenant répondre à la demande que leur a faite le Conseil
européen d'une réflexion approfondie sur le futur les systèmes
d'enseignement en vue contribuer aux processus de Luxembourg et de Cardiff.
La Commission soumettra dans les semaines et mois qui viennent des
propositions concrètes aux ministres de l'Education de l'Union européenne
tant sur l'adaptation de l'enseignement aux techniques numériques
(initiative eLearning) que sur les moyens de donner une impulsion forte à
l'apprentissage tout au long de la vie.
[07] Poul Nielson sets out his vision on the future of EU development
cooperation
(! embargo 7 pm !) In a keynote speech due to be made later today before
the Dutch Society for International Development (SID) in Amsterdam, the
European Commissioner for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Mr
Poul Nielson, explains how the Commission intends to improve the impact of
EU development policy. Mr Nielson argues in favour of a more clearly
defined policy at the European level, which can only take place on the
basis of far-reaching reform, the essential elements of which he sets out.
In his intervention, Mr Nielson stresses that the opportunity of 'getting
it right' has to be siezed here and now. Only thorough reform will allow
the Commission and Member States to achieve the objectives of, notably, an
increase on poverty focus, complementarity, improved coherence and better
efficiency.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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