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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-11-17
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
17/11/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] EU requests WTO compliance panel and authorisation to impose sanctions
against the US in Foreign Sales Corporation trade dispute
[02] Euro-zone annual inflation down to 2.7% in October 2000 ; EU15 down to
2.4%
[03] Aide humanitaire pour lutter contre Ebola en Ouganda
[04] SSC publishes BSE related opinions
[05] Scientific opinion on information by Germany on Bt-maize
[06] Scientists call for early warning system on emerging risks and
uncertainties
[07] Participation de la Commission à l'Observatoire européen de
l'audiovisuel
[01] EU requests WTO compliance panel and authorisation to impose sanctions
against the US in Foreign Sales Corporation trade dispute
Today the EU has requested the WTO to authorise trade sanctions on the
United States up to a maximum amount of $4.043 billion in the Foreign Sales
Corporation (FSC) trade dispute. This amount is based on the value of the
subsidy granted by the US under the FSC scheme which the WTO found to be
illegal earlier this year. As required by the WTO, the EU has also
submitted an indicative list of those products that would be eligible for
sanctions. The EU will also ask for a WTO compliance panel to rule on the
FSC replacement legislation signed into law on 16 November. European Trade
Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : "This request is designed to protect our
rights in the WTO, fully in line with the procedural agreement reached with
the US in September. Whilst wishing to de-escalate this dispute, our aim is
to see the WTO-incompatible FSC export subsidies removed. Although we
believe the FSC replacement legislation does not solve the problem, the EU
will leave it to the WTO to rule on this question. That's what the WTO is
there for."
[02] Euro-zone annual inflation down to 2.7% in October 2000 ; EU15 down to
2.4%
(! embargo 12 am !) Euro-zone annual inflation fell from 2.8% in September
to 2.7% in October, Eurostat reports today. A year earlier the rate was
1.4%. Highest annual rates were in Ireland (6.0%), Luxembourg (4.3%) and
Spain (4.0%) ; lowest rates were in the United Kingdom (1.0%), Sweden
(1.3%), France and Austria (both 2.1%). EU15 annual inflation fell from
2.5% in September to 2.4% in October. In October 1999 it was 1.3%.
[03] Aide humanitaire pour lutter contre Ebola en Ouganda
La Commission européenne prend les mesures nécessaires pour fournir une
aide humanitaire d'un montant de 250.000 euros au district de Gulu dans le
nord de l'Ouganda à la suite de l'apparition de cas de fièvre hémorragique
causée par le virus Ebola. A cette enveloppe s'ajoute un montant de 650.000
euros réservé aux populations vulnérables déplacées dans le nord et l'ouest
du pays, ce qui porte l'aide humanitaire à 810.000 euros. Commentant cette
décision, Poul Nielson, commissaire chargé de la coopération au
développement et de l'aide humanitaire a déclaré : "Ebola est une maladie
horrible qui inflige de terribles souffrances à ses victimes et dont le
taux de mortalité est extrêmement élevé. Les autorités ougandaises et la
communauté internationale, notamment la Commission européenne, réagissent
rapidement à la crise, ce qui, nous l'espérons, devrait permettre
d'endiguer très vite l'épidémie." A la mi-octobre, 111 cas avaient été
recensés et 41 personnes avaient perdu la vie.
[04] SSC publishes BSE related opinions
The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), advising the European Commission
on BSE related issues, has today published advice against the feeding of
rendered BSE risk materials to fur animals in response to a Finnish
proposal to that effect. Feeding fur animals with tissues likely to present
a BSE risk would unavoidably create a risk of introducing BSE into the mink
population. The SSC has confirmed its standing opinions on the safety of
blood in the light of additional data published in September this year by
Houston et al in the Lancet. The Committee finds that these data are
preliminary and need to be confirmed by the results of controls as well as
further details on the identity of strains concerned. Irrespective of such
confirmation, the Committee concludes that its previous opinions and
recommendations on blood safety stand unchallenged by these new data. The
texts adopted by the SSC can be consulted at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/index_en.html
[05] Scientific opinion on information by Germany on Bt-maize
The Scientific Committee on Plants has today published an opinion
concerning the invocation by Germany of the safeguard clause of Council
Directive 90/220 with respect to the authorisation of a specific
genetically modified Bt-maize line. The Committee examined the scientific
information submitted by the German authorities to substantiate its action,
but found that this information does not alter or invalidate the original
risk assessment of the product made in 1996 which formed the basis for its
marketing approval in 1997. The Committee adds that this conclusion applies
not only to the specific Bt maize under consideration, but to all other Bt-
products already evaluated by it. The full text of the opinion is available
at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/index_en.html
[06] Scientists call for early warning system on emerging risks and
uncertainties
The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) today published an opinion on
strategies for dealing with emerging and re-emerging scientific issues that
may directly or indirectly have an impact on human health in the near
future. The scientists suggest that arrangements are made to make sure that
emerging risks and uncertainties in risk assessment are regularly reviewed
by a multidisciplinary committee of scientists. They also say that more
contact is desirable between scientists and stakeholders to discuss
communication on emerging risks and uncertainties in risk assessment. The
SSC also published an opinion addressing risk assessment in a rapidly
evolving field, that of genetically modified plants. New methods for
assessing the risks presented by multiple gene-modifications, as well as
for better assessment of long-term and delayed effects are needed, and
coming on line as a result of the same technological developments. The
opinions are available at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/index_en.html
[07] Participation de la Commission à l'Observatoire européen de
l'audiovisuel
Le 16 novembre, la commissaire européenne Viviane Reding, chargée de la
politique communautaire dans le secteur de l'audiovisuel, a fait connaître
au Secrétariat général du Conseil de l'Europe l'intention de la Commission
d'officialiser, sous forme d'échange de lettres, la participation de
l'Union européenne à l'Observatoire européen de l'audiovisuel.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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