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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-12-18
From: 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 Galileo
[02] Next steps for European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
[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
sociale
[04] Commission clears take-over by Flextronics of Telaris Södra
[05] Commission approves split-up of Concert telecoms JV between British
Telecommunications and AT&T
[06] La nouvelle directive sur l'information et la consultation des
travailleurs: "un outil moderne au service des entreprises", selon la
Commission
[07] Penalties in case of non-respect of the conversion rules
[08] Euro-denominated bond issuance rose to euro 138 billion in November
2001
[09] November 2001 - Euro-zone annual inflation down to 2.1% ; EU15 down to
1.8%
[10] Octobre 2001 - La production industrielle en baisse de 1,4% dans la
zone euro ; baisse de 1,3% dans l'UE15
[11] Commission appoints Small Business Envoy
[12] Commission promotes closer dialogue with Russia on sustainable
development and environment
[13] Promotion of EU agricultural products outside the EU
[14] Commission supports euro 11.6 million of NGO-led recovery projects in
favour of Afghans
[15] The Afghan crisis - the humanitarian response of the European Union
[16] ECHO Flight launches new weekly service from Nairobi to Goma (DRC)
[17] Caraïbes : la Commission adopte un plan de 3 millions d'euros en
faveur de la préparation et de la prévention des catastrophes naturelles
[18] EU queries US findings over European exports of uranium
[19] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 18/12/2001
[01] Après Laeken, Loyola de Palacio appelle les Etats membres à des
décisions rapides car des délais supplémentaires risquent de compromettre
le projet Galileo
Interrogée 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
sociale
Le 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 Södra
The 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&T
The 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
Commission
Après 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 rules
In 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
2001
According 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'UE15
La 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 Envoy
The 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 environment
In 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 EU
The 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 Afghans
Chris 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 Union
Since 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 naturelles
La 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 uranium
The 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 diffusé
Discours 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/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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