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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-05-31
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
Midday Express 31/05/2001
[01] President Arafat meets President Prodi and Commissioner Patten in
Brussels
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Yassir Arafat, will today meet
European Commission President Romano Prodi and External Relations
Commissioner Chris Patten in Brussels. They will review the current
situation in the Middle East and the role of the EU in supporting efforts
to end violence and bring about a resumption of peace talks. Commissioner
Patten and Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Nabeel
Shaath will also sign a Financing Agreement on EC budgetary aid to the
Palestinian Authority.
[02] Renewal of Fisheries Protocol between EU and Guinea Bissau
The European Commission and Guinea Bissau have initialled a Protocol to the
Fisheries Agreement for a period of five years from 16 June 2001. The
financial compensation will amount to a total of euro 51 million. Following
a meeting with the Finance Minister, Mr Rui Duarte Barros, who led the
Delegation from Guinea Bissau, Mr Franz Fischler, Commissioner responsible
for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, expressed his
satisfaction at the outcome of the negotiations. "This is good news, not
only for the European fishermen, but also for the fisheries sector of
Guinea Bissau. We have struck a fair balance of mutual benefit. As well as
allowing our fishermen to continue their activities in the waters of Guinea
Bissau, the new Protocol will strengthen sustainable fisheries and support
the fishing sector of Guinea Bissau with targeted measures for the local
artisanal sector, scientific and technical programmes and training", Mr
Fischler said.
[03] Franz Fischler in Ireland : "The future of agriculture is in the hands
of consumers"
Speaking at a food conference in Dublin today, Franz Fischler, European
Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, called on
the food processors to ensure that any food passing from "stable to table"
meets the quality standards consumers nowadays demand. According to Mr
Fischler it was not only the Irish beef market that suffered from the BSE
crisis, consumer confidence also suffered a blow to consumer confidence.
"We must now concentrate our efforts on restoring it. There is no doubt
that the future of our food and agricultural policies rests in the hands of
the consumers." In response to the demands for a sustainable agricultural
system, Commissioner Fischler announced his intention to further strenghten
the Rural Development Policy and agri-environmental under the mid-term
review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) next year.
[04] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by David Byrne : "A Future in Food - Ingredients for Success" at the
Food Industry Information Day (Dublin)
Discours de M. Lamy : "EU/US : une nouvelle donne dans les relations
commerciales internationales ?" à la Conférence internationale COFACE
(Paris, ! embargo 18h00 !)
Discours de Mme Reding : "La Suisse dans quelle Europe ?" à l'Alliance
française (Berne, ! embargo 20h30 !)
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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