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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-09-15
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
15/09/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] La Commission autorise Salzgitter à acquérir le fabricant de tubes en
acier Mannesmannröhren-Werke
[02] Triumph's export ban for motorcycles brought to an end upon
Commission's intervention
[03] La Commission propose une directive pour garantir l'harmonisation des
instruments de mesure
[04] Adoption of further rural development programmes
[05] Euro-zone government deficit at 1.3% and debt at 72.2% of GDP in 1999
[06] Conference on projects in support of Roma communities (Brussels, 17-18
September 2000)
[07] Rencontre entre Romano Prodi, Poul Nielson et Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasongo, Président de la Guinée équatoriale
[08] Commission publishes first survey of fiscal developments in candidate
countries
[09] Commission publishes study on the Czech financial sector
[01] La Commission autorise Salzgitter à acquérir le fabricant de tubes en
acier Mannesmannröhren-Werke
La Commission européenne a approuvé, en vertu à la fois du Traité
instituant la Communauté européenne du charbon et de l'acier et du
règlement sur les concentrations, l'acquisition de Mannesmannröhren-Werke
AG, fabricant allemand de tubes, par Salzgitter AG.
[02] Triumph's export ban for motorcycles brought to an end upon
Commission's intervention
The European Commission has decided to end its antitrust action against the
motorcycle manufacturer Triumph after the company stopped prohibiting its
Benelux dealers to sell to UK customers. Following a number of letters from
British customers claiming that they were not able to purchase Triumph's
motorcycles in the Netherlands and Belgium, the Commission carried out a
"dawn raid" at the premises of Triumph in the UK, its Benelux importer and
a number of dealers in the above-mentioned countries in April 1999.
Evidence of an export prohibition was indeed found. Later Triumph
acknowledged the facts for the period from April 1997 until March 1998 and
offered to cooperate with the Commission. By its action the Commission
sends a clear message to the motorcycle manufacturers that it will act
against similar infringements should they occur and sanction them where
appropriate.
[03] La Commission propose une directive pour garantir l'harmonisation des
instruments de mesure
La Commission européenne a adopté une proposition de directive sur les
instruments de mesure qui ont une importance au niveau de l'UE. Des
exemples de ces instruments sont les taximètres, les compteurs de pompes à
essence, les appareils à alcotests, les compteurs d'eau et d'électricité et
les instruments de pesage automatique utilisés dans les lignes de
production de produits préemballés.
[04] Adoption of further rural development programmes
The European Commission has adopted the following Rural Development
Programmes for the period 2000-2006 : Spain, Horizontal Rural Development
Plan (total cost euro 829,426 million ; EU contribution euro 397,343
million) ; Spain Madrid (total cost euro 139,042 million ; EU contribution
euro 69,526 million) ; Italy, Bolzano (total cost euro 266 million ; EU
contribution euro 120 million) ; Italy, Trento (total cost euro 210,200
million ; EU contribution euro 90,250 million) ; Italy, Lombardia (total
cost euro 805,435 million ; EU contribution euro 337,071 million).
[05] Euro-zone government deficit at 1.3% and debt at 72.2% of GDP in 1999
(! embargo 12 am !) Eurostat publishes today the 1999 data on government
deficit and debt notified by the EU15 Member States to the European
Commission. This press release includes also, for the first time, ratios of
annual data on government expenditure and revenue to GDP. For the euro-zone,
the deficit ratio decreased from -2.1% of GDP in 1998 to -1.3% in 1999 and
for the EU15 from -1.5% to -0.7%. Seven Member States had surpluses in
1999: Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and
the United Kingdom. Government debt ratio to GDP decreased in the euro-zone
from 73.5 % in 1998 to 72.2% in 1999 and in the EU15 from 68.9% to 68.1%.
The ratio was reduced in all Member States, except in Germany, Austria and
Portugal where it increased slightly in 1999.
[06] Conference on projects in support of Roma communities (Brussels, 17-18
September 2000)
In view of its support to the socio-economic and democratic development of
the Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe, the European Commission
is organising a conference to identify best practices for future
programming, based on past and ongoing initiatives. The conference will
take place on Monday 18 September 2000 at the Charlemagne building in
Brussels and gather 60 representatives from those projects that have been
financed by the Commission in the framework of various Phare initiatives,
most notably the LIEN programme but also Partnership and Democracy. All
participants will come from the beneficiary countries and a considerable
number of them belong to the local Roma communities. The coordination group
of the Phare multi-beneficiary programmes will attend the conference, as
well.
[07] Rencontre entre Romano Prodi, Poul Nielson et Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasongo, Président de la Guinée équatoriale
Le 15 septembre, le Président de la Commission européenne, M. Romano Prodi,
et le Commissaire au Développement, M. Poul Nielson, ont rencontré le
Président de la Guinée Equatoriale, M. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasongo. La
rencontre se situe dans le cadre du dialogue politique que la Commission a
établi avec la Guinée Equatoriale depuis 1996 afin d'atteindre une
amélioration dans le domaine de la bonne gouvernance, du développement de
l'Etat de droit et de la promotion des droits de l'homme dans le pays.
[08] Commission publishes first survey of fiscal developments in candidate
countries
The European Commission's Directorate General for Economic and Financial
Affairs has completed a survey of recent fiscal developments in each of the
candidate countries. The survey provides a preliminary assessment on the
quality of fiscal data, recent fiscal developments and progress towards
fiscal reform for each of the candidate countries. It concludes that, while
all candidate countries have made considerable progress towards fiscal
consolidation and structural reform in the area of public finances, much
remains to be done. The survey has been carried out in preparation of the
launch of the Pre-Accession Fiscal Surveillance Procedure in 2001.
Enlargement Paper Nr. 2; "Recent fiscal developments in the candidate
countries" http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/document/enlargement/elp02en.pdf
[09] Commission publishes study on the Czech financial sector
The European Commission's Directorate General for Economic and Financial
Affairs has carried out a comprehensive analysis of the Czech financial
sector from 1990 until now, including banking, insurance and the securities
markets. The study reveals rapid progress made so far in establishing a
performing universal banking system, a functioning insurance and securities
sectors. Competition has emerged mainly from new market entrants from
abroad, which found an overall favourable environment in the Czech Republic,
but the financial system remains still directly and indirectly quite
heavily controlled by the state. Supervisory rules and institutions, which
were considered to be insufficient in the past, have been reinforced.
However there is still a need to continue adjustment and reforms in order
to achieve a fully functioning, open, competitive and stable financial
system. Enlargement Paper Nr. 3; "Czech republic The Financial Sector"
http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/document/enlargement/elp03en.pdf
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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