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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-12-18Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Après Laeken, Loyola de Palacio appelle les Etats membres à des décisions rapides car des délais supplémentaires risquent de compromettre le projet GalileoInterrogée sur les résultats du Conseil européen de Laeken sur le projet Galileo, Loyola de Palacio a hier fait part de sa déception pour les délais retenus. "Nous sommes à la limite de la cohérence et tout nouveau délai met en danger la rentabilité du projet", a-t-elle déclaré. "Selon toutes les études menées depuis plusieurs années, Galileo a pour principal avantage son déploiement dès 2008 : nous ne pouvons pas repousser davantage les décisions sur le financement", a-t-elle rappelé. "Tous les éléments permettant de se prononcer sont sur la table du Conseil : nous verrons dans les prochaines semaines si les conclusions de Laeken rappelant l'importance stratégique de Galileo permettent enfin de prendre une décision politique définitive", a-t-elle conclu.[02] Next steps for European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)Commenting on European Council's decision to locate the EFSA temporarily in Brussels, David Byrne, European Commissioner responsible for Health and Consumer Protection, said : "I am committed to getting the Authority up and running quickly. The Commission has already rented office space in Brussels in order to get the EFSA operational as soon as possible. With this provisional decision on location, the recruitment of personnel for the agency can proceed rapidly for Brussels. I have also already taken steps to ensure the continuity of the existing scientific advice while the Authority is being set up."[03] Loyola de Palacio se félicite de l'accord final sur le temps de travail dans le transport routier : une importante avancée pour l'Europe socialeLe Conseil des Ministres et le Parlement européen sont parvenus hier à un accord sur la proposition de directive sur le temps de travail des routiers. Cette directive régule le temps de travail au niveau européen en retenant une durée hebdomadaire de 48 heures, et en prévoyant la possibilité d'une extension jusqu'à 60 heures, à condition que la moyenne de 48 heures ne soit pas dépassée sur une période de référence de quatre mois. L'accord prévoit que 7 ans après l'entrée en vigueur de la directive, les indépendants seront inclus dans son champ d'application. Cependant, la Commission réalisera une étude sur les conséquences de la non-inclusion des indépendants, ce qui permettra de définir les modalités de leur intégration dans le champ d'application de la directive, en tenant compte des circonstances particulières des Etats membres. Loyola de Palacio, vice- présidente en charge des Transports et de l'Energie, s'est réjouie d'un tel accord, qui "constitue une avancée essentielle sur le terrain de l'Europe sociale dans un secteur qui en était exclu jusqu'à présent". Elle a également souligné "qu'au-delà de l'application des droits sociaux fondamentaux, cette directive contribue à renforcer la sécurité routière : aujourd'hui, nous avons franchi une étape indispensable pour un transport routier plus sûr et plus concurrentiel. Elle complète les autres propositions en matière de formation, d'attestation du conducteur, de temps de repos et de conduite ou de règles harmonisées sur les interdictions de circulation".[04] Commission clears take-over by Flextronics of Telaris SödraThe European Commission has given its blessing to the proposed acquisition by Flextronics Network Services Sweden AB of Telaris Södra AB, another Swedish company which sells switches (PABX) for routing telephone calls.[05] Commission approves split-up of Concert telecoms JV between British Telecommunications and AT&TThe European Commission has cleared the buy back by British Telecommunications plc (BT) and AT&T Corp of the assets they had contributed to Concert, a global telecommunications joint venture created by the parties in 2000. The operation does not give rise to any competition concerns in Europe.[06] La nouvelle directive sur l'information et la consultation des travailleurs: "un outil moderne au service des entreprises", selon la CommissionAprès trois années de débats souvent animés, un compromis proposé par la Commission a permis d'aboutir hier à un accord faisant l'unanimité sur une directive établissant des règles à respecter par les entreprises en matière d'information et de consultation de leurs travailleurs. Ce nouveau cadre législatif, qui doit à présent être transposé dans les législations nationales des quinze Etats membres de l'UE, oblige toute entreprise de plus de cinquante travailleurs à assurer une information et une consultation véritables de ses travailleurs avant de prendre une décision majeure la concernant, tout particulièrement en matière d'emploi. Ce cadre entrera en vigueur dans trois ans, mais prévoit des périodes de transition plus longues pour les plus petites entreprises des Etats membres qui ne possèdent pas de tradition en ce qui concerne l'information et la consultation formelles au sein des entreprises. Les gouvernements devront déterminer des sanctions d'un niveau suffisamment élevé pour dissuader les entreprises d'enfreindre la directive. Il s'agit du premier acte législatif de l'UE généralisant l'obligation d'informer et de consulter les travailleurs. Jusqu'à présent, les directives déterminaient des situations particulières dans lesquelles les entreprises étaient obligées de procéder à des échanges de vues avec leurs travailleurs : en cas de licenciements collectifs ou de transfert de propriété des entreprises, ou lorsqu'elles possédaient un comité d'entreprise européen.[07] Penalties in case of non-respect of the conversion rulesIn the early days of 2002 and until the end of the transition period, citizens will start paying in euro but will very often still pay attention to the price expressed in the national currency unit. Respecting the conversion rules while making a dual display of prices is therefore a key element to preserve customer confidence. The protection of the customer against potential fraud is ensured by all national legislations : intentional violations can lead to heavy penal sanctions, while accidental mistakes generally could give rise to compensation for possible loss. To help limit non-intentional mistakes, several Member States have distributed widely euro converters.[08] Euro-denominated bond issuance rose to euro 138 billion in November 2001According to the latest monthly note on the euro-denominated bond markets published today by the European Commission, total bond issuance rose to euro 138 billion in November 2001 from euro 124 billion in the previous month, as market conditions have returned to normal following the disturbances linked to the terrorist attacks on 11 September. The euro yield curve rose by about 20 basis points at the short end, while yields at the longer end of the maturity spectrum remained unchanged. The composition of issuance was unusual in November 2001. The share of central government in total issuance fell to 31%, while the shares of financial, pfandbriefe and corporate issuers all increased significantly. The share of BBB rated bond issues rose significantly, as France Telecom and AT&T returned to the market issuing a total volume of more than euro 10 billion in euro- denominated bonds. The full document will be available at 13.00 on this address : http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/bondmarkets_en.htm[09] November 2001 - Euro-zone annual inflation down to 2.1% ; EU15 down to 1.8%Euro-zone annual inflation fell from 2.4% in October to 2.1% in November, Eurostat reports today. A year earlier the rate was 2.9%. EU15 annual inflation fell from 2.2% in October to 1.8% in November. A year earlier the rate was 2.6%. In November, highest annual rates were in the Netherlands (4.8%), Portugal (4.1%) and Ireland (3.4%) ; lowest rates were in the United Kingdom (0.8%), France (1.3%) and Luxembourg (1.4%). Compared with November 2000, rises were observed in the Netherlands (2.9% to 4.8%), in Sweden (1.8% to 2.9%) and in Portugal (3.6% to 4.1%) ; the biggest relative falls were in Luxembourg (4.5% to 1.4%), Belgium (3.7% to 1.8%) and Ireland (6.0% to 3.4%).[10] Octobre 2001 - La production industrielle en baisse de 1,4% dans la zone euro ; baisse de 1,3% dans l'UE15La production industrielle de la zone euro, ajustée des variations saisonnières, a baissé de 1,4% au mois d'octobre 2001 par rapport au mois de septembre 2001, selon les estimations publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat. Ceci fait suite à une baisse de 0,7% en septembre et une hausse de 1,4% en août. La production de l'UE15 a baissé de 1,3% en octobre, après avoir enregistré une baisse de 0,8% en septembre et une hausse de 1,3% en août. En octobre 2001 et par rapport à octobre 2000, la production industrielle a baissé de 2,7% dans la zone euro et de 2,9% dans l'UE15.[11] Commission appoints Small Business EnvoyThe European Commission today appointed a "SME Envoy" to step up exchanges with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and their representative bodies. This new task will be entrusted ad personam to Mr Timo Summa, Director at the Commission's Enterprise Directorate-General. He will provide a special contact point on issues such as SME access to finance and innovations, competitiveness, better regulation, implementation of the Internal Market, access to EU programmes, and how best to enhance enterprise policy consultation mechanisms. He will act as Commission representative and key interface with the SME community, presenting enterprise policy initiatives and collecting their feedback.[12] Commission promotes closer dialogue with Russia on sustainable development and environmentIn order to achieve sustainability in Europe and globally, the EU's partnership with Russia is of growing importance. The need for environmental cooperation is increasing steadily as EU enlargement to the east comes closer and the economic transformation of central and eastern Europe and Russia gathers pace. Recent EU-Russia Summits have underlined the commitment of both sides to deepening environmental cooperation. In its Communication on EU-Russia Environmental Cooperation adopted today, the Commission sets out ideas and proposals in order to work towards this objective. It argues that the time is ripe to develop a closer and more coordinated bilateral dialogue on environmental issues with a common strategic agenda and reinforced cooperation procedures. It stresses the key importance of the interdependence of environmental, economic and social objectives.[13] Promotion of EU agricultural products outside the EUThe European Commission has approved measures to provide information on, and to promote agricultural products outside the EU. Member States have submitted 33 promotion and information programmes to the Commission to be examined. The 18 programmes that have been accepted are mostly targeted at countries in the Far East, the USA and the enlargement countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The products covered are wine, fruit and vegetables, cheeses and pigmeat. The estimated expenditure for the EU is euro 9.8 million.[14] Commission supports euro 11.6 million of NGO-led recovery projects in favour of AfghansChris Patten, European Commissioner for External Relations, has today signed on behalf of the Commission a set of nine decisions providing support to a wide range of NGO activities in the fields of Primary Health Care, Rural Rehabilitation and Water Supply and Education in several Afghan provinces, as well as in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan. Speaking in advance of the Afghanistan Reconstruction Conference to be held with donors and NGOs in Brussels on 20/21 December he said : "This confirms the strong long-standing commitment of the EU to support the Afghan population, especially displaced people. These European and Afghan NGOs implementing the projects have proved to be solid and reliable partners. They have maintained their activities throughout the recent period, despite the withdrawal of expatriate staff after 11 September and the subsequent military activities in Afghanistan. It is thanks to these brave and effective organisations on the ground that we can provide immediate support to the Afghan people who so desperately need it".[15] The Afghan crisis - the humanitarian response of the European UnionSince 1991, the European Commission has committed some euro 500 million in aid to Afghan populations in need - implemented through UN agencies, the Red Cross movement and NGOs. For 2001, the Commission is committing almost euro 103 million. Euro 52.4 million of this is being channelled through the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). The total EU response (Commission plus Member States) for 2001 is euro 352 million.[16] ECHO Flight launches new weekly service from Nairobi to Goma (DRC)ECHO, the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission, has announced the launch of a new weekly air service between Nairobi and Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ECHO Flight operation, based in Nairobi, has provided a vital link to crisis zones in southern Sudan and the Horn of Africa for many years. The aircraft are used to transport humanitarian workers and essential cargo to otherwise inaccessible areas. Goma, which is on the shores of Lake Kivu close to the border with Rwanda, has become the major hub for aid operations in eastern DRC, serving large numbers of displaced people. The new air service will significantly boost the efforts of ECHO and its partner agencies to deliver essential humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable population of the region. ECHO Flight will run the service with a nine-seater King Air Beechcraft 200 which has a maximum payload of 810 kg. The first flight is scheduled for 21 December 2001.[17] Caraïbes : la Commission adopte un plan de 3 millions d'euros en faveur de la préparation et de la prévention des catastrophes naturellesLa Commission européenne, par le biais de l'Office d'aide humanitaire ECHO, qui relève de la compétence du commissaire Poul Nielson, a octroyé un montant de 3 millions d'euros en faveur de la préparation et de la prévention des catastrophes naturelles pour la région Caraïbes. Cette décision concerne 15 Etats ACP signataires de l'Accord de Cotonou, 7 Territoires d'Outre Mer ainsi que Cuba. Ce plan d'action intervient dans le cadre du programme DIPECHO (DIsaster Preparedness ECHO). Il s'agit d'un programme initié par ECHO en 1997 pour financer des projets de préparation aux catastrophes naturelles - formation, renforcement institutionnel, campagnes de sensibilisation, systèmes d'alerte précoce ou organisation des secours - dans cinq régions du monde particulièrement exposées.[18] EU queries US findings over European exports of uraniumThe EU has raised serious concerns about the way the United States Department of Commerce reached a decision Friday that EU exports of uranium were dumped and subsidised. European Commission officials expressed their disappointment and have questioned the methodology the Department of Commerce used to arrive at its findings. They said the data and arguments provided by the EU and the European industry over the last six months had not been properly taken into account. EU exports worth around $500 million are at stake, and would be heavily hit by any duties. European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : "The EU will now carefully examine this decision and reserves its right to take the matter up in the World Trade Organisation if this dispute cannot be amicably resolved."[19] Autre matériel diffuséDiscours de M. Prodi : "Laeken : la voie de l'avenir" (17/12, PE)Speech by Erkki Liikanen : "The European Commission's Vision on eGovernment" at a Forum on e-government issues, Antwerp Digital Mainport (ADM) (17/12, Antwerp) Speech by Erkki Liikanen : "E-commerce in Russia" at a Conference organised by Russian Association of Networks and Services (RANS), by video-link (18/12, Moscow) Speech by Erkki Liikanen : "State of play of enterprise policy issues" at the European Parliament, SME intergroup (18/12) Discours de M. Busquin : "Cellules souches : thérapies pour l'avenir ?" Note sur la préparation du Conseil Agriculture From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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