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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 02-07-18
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] La Commission propose de dynamiser la coopération énergétique avec les
pays en développement
[02] Sustainable fisheries policy : €32 million for the reduction of the
fishing fleet
[03] VAT / road infrastructure : infringement proceedings against the
United Kingdom for failure to implement a Court of Justice ruling
[04] Libre circulation des services : la Commission demande à la Belgique
de modifier les conditions de remboursement des analyses médicales
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[05] Food : Commission proposes EU-wide safety assessment and authorisation
of smoke flavourings
[06] La Commission adopte de nouvelles règles d'étiquetage pour la caféine
et la quinine
[07] BSE : export rules under the Date-Based Export Scheme changed
[08] Coques des navires : interdiction des composés antisalissures à partir
de 2003
[09] La Commission lance un débat sur un code de bonnes pratiques
concernant les engagements de cession dans les affaires de concentration
[10] June 2002 - Euro-denominated bond markets
[11] Commission allocates €1.75 million in humanitarian aid for Eritrea
[12] "Paying farmers for what society wants" - Franz Fischler presents CAP
review in the UK
[13] "Danish farmers to benefit from competitive farm sector", says Franz
Fischler presenting CAP mid-term review in Denmark
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 18/07/2002
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 18/07/2002[I] Résultats de la Commission
du 17 juillet 2002 - Outcome of Commission meeting of 17 July 2002
(voir aussi see also ME of 17/07)
[01] La Commission propose de dynamiser la coopération énergétique avec les
pays en développement
A quelques semaines de l'ouverture du Sommet de Johannesburg sur le
développement durable, la Commission européenne a proposé des
recommandations concrètes pour dynamiser la coopération énergétique avec
les pays en développement. L'initiative de l'UE pour l'énergie, qui sera
présentée à Johannesburg, est au coeur de ces propositions. "Il est
primordial que l'énergie occupe sa place dans la coopération au
développement, reflétant son rôle central dans les trois dimensions du
développement durable : la dimension économique de sécurité d'approvisionnement,
la dimension sociale de lutte contre la pauvreté et la dimension
environnementale", a déclaré Loyola de Palacio, vice-présidente en charge
de l'Energie et des Transports. "La consommation énergétique de l'Afrique
est surtout fondée sur le bois, ramassé à la main et transporté sur
d'importantes distances, entraînant davantage de déforestation, de
désertification et de pauvreté. Si des alternatives efficaces ne sont pas
développées, l'énergie sera un frein majeur à la croissance économique et
au développement durable en Afrique", a ajouté Poul Nielson, Commissaire au
Développement.
[02] Sustainable fisheries policy : €32 million for the reduction of the
fishing fleet
The European Commission has approved an amending letter n°1 to its
preliminary draft budget 2003 covering an amount of €32 million for an EU
measure for scrapping fishing vessels. It is an important part of the major
review of the Common Fisheries Policy proposed by the Commission on the
28th of May 2002 and now under consideration in the Council. This amending
letter confirms the intention of the Commission to provide for the
financial needs deemed necessary for implementing this ambitious reform
aimed at a fishing fleet whose capacity is in line with available resources
and safeguarding the future of the sector. Budget Commissioner Michaele
Schreyer said : "The overall objective of the fishery reform is to develop
sustainable fishing activities, by adjusting fishing capacities to
sustainable stocks. To this end a supplementary contribution of €32 million
in the year 2003 will help to launch this fundamental change of policy
which also aims at protecting natural resources for future generations."
[03] VAT / road infrastructure : infringement proceedings against the
United Kingdom for failure to implement a Court of Justice ruling
The European Commission has decided to send the United Kingdom a formal
request to take measures to comply with the Court of Justice ruling issued
on 12 September 2000 on VAT on road tolls. The formal request is in the
form of a reasoned opinion, the second stage in the procedure laid down in
Article 228 of the EC Treaty, applicable where a Member State fails to
notify the measures taken to comply with a Court of Justice ruling. If
there is no satisfactory response to the reasoned opinion within two months,
the Commission may refer the case to the European Court of Justice and ask
it to impose daily penalties on the Member State.
[04] Libre circulation des services : la Commission demande à la Belgique
de modifier les conditions de remboursement des analyses médicales
La Commission européenne a décidé de demander formellement à la Belgique de
modifier certaines dispositions de l'arrêté royal n° 143 du 30 décembre
1982, qui ont pour effet que les opérateurs non-belges souhaitant gérer des
laboratoires d'analyses de biologie clinique en Belgique et s'y établir
sont désavantagés par rapport à certains professionnels belges. En
particulier, le fait que seuls les laboratoires répondant aux conditions
restrictives préconisées par ledit arrêté royal puissent effectuer des
prestations remboursables par le système d'assurance maladie décourage les
assurés sociaux de s'adresser aux laboratoires ne répondant pas à ces
conditions, et restreint de ce fait l'effectivité de la liberté
d'établissement, en contravention à l'article 43 du Traité CE. La demande
de la Commission sera adressée sous forme d'avis motivé, la deuxième étape
de la procédure d'infraction prévue à l'article 226 du Traité CE. En
l'absence d'une réponse satisfaisante dans les deux mois suivant la
réception de l'avis motivé, la Commission pourrait décider de traduire la
Belgique devant la Cour de Justice européenne.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[05] Food : Commission proposes EU-wide safety assessment and authorisation
of smoke flavourings
The European Commission has acted to safeguard public health by proposing
new procedures for the safety assessment and authorisation of 'smoke'
flavourings. A smoky flavour is attributed to a lot of products, from
smoked ham to smoked salmon. Smoke flavourings are often used instead of
fresh smoke to impart a smoky flavour to foods such as meat, fish or
snacks. The chemical composition of smoke is complex and smoked foods in
general give rise to health concerns. Smoke flavourings are produced by
condensing fresh smoke in water. The condensed smoke is then fractionated
and purified during the production of smoke flavourings. Because of this
purification process, the use of smoke flavourings is generally considered
to be of less health concern than the traditional smoking process.
[06] La Commission adopte de nouvelles règles d'étiquetage pour la caféine
et la quinine
La Commission européenne a adopté aujourd'hui de nouvelles règles
d'étiquetage en faveur des consommateurs qui évitent les boissons et les
aliments contenant de la caféine ou de la quinine, ou présentant une teneur
élevée en caféine. Alors que la consommation de faibles quantités de
caféine ou de quinine ne présente généralement aucun risque pour la santé
de la plupart des consommateurs, ces substances peuvent entraîner chez
certaines personnes des effets néfastes, même si elles ont été absorbées en
quantités infimes. Grâce à la nouvelle réglementation, les consommateurs
seront avertis de la présence de ces substances et, dans le cas de la
caféine, du dépassement d'un certain seuil.
[07] BSE : export rules under the Date-Based Export Scheme changed
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health voted in favour
of a European Commission proposal changing the rules for the dispatch from
the United Kingdom of bovine products under the Date-Based Export Scheme
(DBES). Under the existing rules slaughterhouses and processing plants
operating under the scheme cannot be used for the slaughter or processing
of non-DBES eligible animals and only deboned meat can be exported. The
proposal removes the requirement for dedication of slaughterhouses and
processing plants. Companies participating in the export scheme will also
be authorised to slaughter and process DBES ineligible bovine animals
provided that adequate separation arrangements are in place. The proposal
also foresees authorising the export of bovine embryos and removes the
requirement for DBES beef from animals between 6 and 9 months to be
deboned. The new rules will enter into force after formal adoption by the
Commission.
[08] Coques des navires : interdiction des composés antisalissures à partir
de 2003
A compter du 1er janvier 2003, il sera interdit d'appliquer certaines
peintures contenant des composés à base d'étain sur les coques des navires
de fort tonnage. L'emploi de ces produits sur les navires de moins de 25
mètres est déjà interdit depuis l'an 2000. Cette mesure de précaution
s'appuie sur des informations largement acceptées mettant en lumière des
risques pour l'environnement aquatique et suscitant des préoccupations en
ce qui concerne la chaîne alimentaire ; elle complète des propositions
récentes de la Commission européenne visant à interdire aux navires battant
pavillon d'un Etat membre qui sont traités avec ces composés d'entrer dans
les ports de l'UE ou d'en sortir (cf. IP/02/1045).
[09] La Commission lance un débat sur un code de bonnes pratiques
concernant les engagements de cession dans les affaires de concentration
La Commission européenne a publié à des fins de consultation un projet de
modèles types pour les engagements de cession proposés par les parties à
une concentration dans les cas qui soulèvent des problèmes de concurrence.
Ces modèles types - engagements de cession et mandats des personnes
chargées de veiller à leur exécution -, doivent constituer un code de
bonnes pratiques destiné à faciliter les relations des parties à la
concentration et de leurs représentants avec la Commission.
[10] June 2002 - Euro-denominated bond markets
The discovery of accounting fraud at WorldCom shook investors' confidence
in the health of the US business sector and in the prospects for a dynamic
US recovery in the coming months. The resulting flight out of equities into
the comparable safety of government bonds shifted the euro yield curve
significantly downward over the whole maturity spectrum, with a slight
steepening of the yield curve toward the end of the month. Total bond
issuance decreased from about €138 billion in May to €113 billion in June.
Although this pattern is not unusual, mainly reflecting the end of
government bond front-loading in the first two quarters, issuance was
sharply lower than in June 2001. The composition of issuance in terms of
issuer categories does not seem to reflect the full extent of investors'
risk aversion, which has been indicated by the evolution in credit risk
derivatives (strong increase in activity and short-term credit risk
premiums). Full document available on : http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/bondmarkets_en.htm
[11] Commission allocates €1.75 million in humanitarian aid for Eritrea
The European Commission has announced a further allocation of €1.75 million
for humanitarian operations in Eritrea. The funds are being channelled
through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) which comes under
the authority of Commissioner Poul Nielson.
[12] "Paying farmers for what society wants" - Franz Fischler presents CAP
review in the UK
Presenting yesterday the European Commission's CAP mid-term review
proposals, Franz Fischler, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development
and Fisheries, said that 80% of the citizens in the United Kingdom want the
EU farm policy to ensure safe food and a healthy environment. But only less
than one third of those surveyed in the UK think that the existing CAP
achieves these goals. Mr Fischler rejected criticism that the capping of EU
aids at a level of €300,000 would place larger farms at a competitive
disadvantage. "We want to set a limit to public support going to a single
farm. Under the current system single landowners or farms can receive
millions of euros of public support every year. This clearly is a matter of
social acceptability. Capping farm aids is also justifiable on the ground
that large farms would be able to benefit from economies of scale and of
course from our new quality programmes. Similar limits by the way exist
also in other countries, even in the United States, hardly a country known
for its zeal to disadvantage the biggest of the big farmers", he said.
[13] "Danish farmers to benefit from competitive farm sector", says Franz
Fischler presenting CAP mid-term review in Denmark
Presenting the European Commission's CAP mid-term review proposals in
Denmark today, Franz Fischler, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural
Development and Fisheries, said that changing the Common Agricultural
policy was in the interest of Danish farmers. "With a surplus of €5 billion
the Danish agricultural trade balance is clearly positive. This clearly
shows how important it is to have a competitive farm sector in the future.
To achieve this, the CAP has to be changed, so that Danish farmers are
freed from tedious paperwork and are allowed to return to being businessmen,
producing for their customers, exporting their quality produce rather than
at artificial prices for an artificial market or intervention stocks. Above
all, we can no longer afford to ignore the growing loss of public
confidence in the present version of the CAP in the wake of a seemingly
never-ending series of food scandals and crises such as BSE and foot and
mouth. Civil society is right to support a common agricultural policy that
provides incentives for producing what people want and not what attracts
the highest subsidies", Mr Fischler said.
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Déclaration de M. Lamy à la session d'ouverture du Sommet ACP (Fidji)
Discours de M. Lamy : "Le partenariat et la solidarité entre les ACP et
l'UE dans le contexte de la mondialisation" à la session plénière du Sommet
ACP (Fidji)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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