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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 02-02-18
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] VAT : Commission proposes to simplify rules for travel agents selling
holiday packages
[02] La Commission autorise, sous certaines conditions, le rachat de Royal
Canin par Masterfoods
[03] Commission gives €700,000 to support UN humanitarian information
services in Africa and Central Asia
[04] ECHO Director visits Kabul
[05] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 18/02/2002
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 18/02/2002
[01] VAT : Commission proposes to simplify rules for travel agents selling
holiday packages
The European Commission has presented a proposal to modify the special
value added tax (VAT) rules applicable to travel operators selling holiday
packages for destinations within the European Union. Under the present
special rules, travel agents are normally authorised to charge VAT on their
profit margin instead of on the full value of their sales. The proposal
would amend these rules to eliminate double taxation problems which
currently arise when travel agents make sales to other agents rather than
the public. The proposal would also remove unfair competitive advantages
for some travel operators arising due to uneven application of the current
rules by different Member States and to the non-application of VAT to non-
EU operators selling holiday packages to EU residents. The proposal would
also modernise and simplify the special rules.
[02] La Commission autorise, sous certaines conditions, le rachat de Royal
Canin par Masterfoods
La Commission européenne a approuvé, sous certaines conditions, le projet
de rachat par Masterfoods Holding, filiale française du groupe américain
Mars Inc., de l'entreprise française d'aliments pour animaux de compagnie
Royal Canin SA. Mars s'est engagé à céder, sur l'intégralité du marché
européen, les activités liées à cinq des marques d'aliments pour animaux de
compagnie appartenant à l'entité issue de l'opération - Advance, Premium,
Royal Chien, Playdog et Brekkies -, deux grands sites de production, ceux
de La Chappelle et de Moulin, situés l'un dans le centre (Loir-et-Cher) et
l'autre dans le Sud-Est de la France, ainsi que tous les actifs liés aux
activités cédées. L'opération de concentration ne pourra être mise en œuvre
tant que les conditions fixées ne seront pas respectées.
[03] Commission gives €700,000 to support UN humanitarian information
services in Africa and Central Asia
The European Commission has decided to allocate €700,000 to the Integrated
Regional Information Network (IRIN) which operates as a project of the
United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-
OCHA). Using the latest technology, this service provides accurate and
timely information on current crises to a world-wide range of humanitarian
ac-tors. IRIN currently has 15,000 direct subscribers. This money,
channelled through the Humanitarian Aid office of the Commission (ECHO)
which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson, will
allow UN-OCHA to expand further its reporting capacities through the esta-
blishment of a Humanitarian Information and Analysis Unit based in Nairobi.
The setting up of this new unit will boost its present capacity to produce
ana-lytical reports on humanitarian developments in major disaster-affected
countries in Africa and Central Asia. The funds made available through ECHO
will also be used to support IRIN's editorial operations, evaluate its
performance and help chart its future expansion. ECHO's support to IRIN is
part of the increasing collaboration between the Commission and the United
Nations in addressing humanitarian crises.
[04] ECHO Director visits Kabul
Costanza Adinolfi, the Director of the EU's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO),
begins a three-day visit to Afghanistan today. During her mission, she will
inspect ECHO-funded humanitarian aid projects and hold meetings with
government officials, partner humanitarian organisations and local staff.
She will also formally inaugurate the ECHO office in Kabul, which was re-
opened in January 2002. The European Commission has a long-standing
commitment to the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan. During the Taliban
period, despite the closure of the ECHO office, it was able to mount
significant relief efforts, targeting the most vulnerable sections of the
population, through partner agencies working in the country. After
September 11, when expatriate humanitarian workers were obliged to leave
the country, most ECHO-funded projects continued thanks to the dedicated
efforts of local staff. ECHO staff resumed working in Afghanistan almost
immediately after the fall of Kabul. Commissioner Poul Nielson paid tribute
to these Afghan staff when he visited Kabul on 4-5 December 2001. During
2001, ECHO allocated almost €55 million in humanitarian assistance for the
Afghan population, half of which was before 11 September. The funding has
been used for a range of relief actions in favour of refugees, internally
displaced people and resident populations as well as for logistical
support.
[05] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de Mme Reding : "Exporter plus d'oeuvres télévisées européennes"
au Forum européen des programmes de télévision (Barcelone)
Speech by Pascal Lamy : "Sustainable development irrigated agriculture in
Buleleng and Karang Asem" at the signing Ceremony of EC-Indonesia Financial
Agreement (16/02, Jakarta)
Speech by Anna Diamantopoulou : "Breaking the silence : Preventing Violence
against Women in Europe" at the Ministerial Conference on Violence against
Women, organised by the Spanish Presidency (Santiago de Compostela)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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