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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 02-08-08

Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>


CONTENTS / CONTENU

  • [01] Commission clears de-merger of cross-Channel ferry operator P&O Stena Line
  • [02] Commission clears joint venture for gas related logistic services between RWE Gas and Lattice International
  • [03] Commission clears acquisition of Castorama by Kingfisher
  • [04] Commission clears acquisition of Logesta by Logista and Gestcamp
  • [05] Commission clears acquisition of AvestaPolarit by Outokumpu
  • [06] Le PIB de la zone euro et celui de l'UE15 en hausse de 0,3%
  • [07] Indicator-based forecast for euro area GDP for 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2002
  • [08] Commission adopts proposal to implement the ban on conflict diamonds
  • [09] La Commission lance un nouvel appel à propositions dans le cadre de "l'initiative européenne pour la démocratie et les droits de l'homme"
  • [10] Commission provides humanitarian aid worth €10.3 million for Cambodia, Myanmar, Iran, Madagascar and China
  • [11] EU-Brazil agreement on mutually beneficial textile trade liberalisation boosts prospects for EU-Mercosur trade negotiations Midday Express 08/08/2002 TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 08/08/2002

  • [01] Commission clears de-merger of cross-Channel ferry operator P&O Stena Line

    The European Commission has approved a transaction by which P&O (UK) will acquire full control of P&O Stena Line, the cross-Channel ferry operator which currently is a joint venture between P&O and Stena Line UK Ltd. The analysis carried out by the Commission indicated that the change to sole control which constitutes a concentration within the meaning of the Merger Regulation - does not raise any competition concerns. The Commission however remains fully committed to closely follow cross-Channel market developments in contact with consumer organisations and national authorities.

    [02] Commission clears joint venture for gas related logistic services between RWE Gas and Lattice International

    The European Commission has granted regulatory clearance to an operation by which the German company RWE Gas and UK based Lattice International will acquire joint control of a newly created company viavera, which will offer gas related logistic services in Europe.

    [03] Commission clears acquisition of Castorama by Kingfisher

    The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation to the acquisition of sole control, by way of exercise of an option, of the French holding company Castorama Dubois Investissements S.C.A, by the British Kingfisher plc. (The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)

    [04] Commission clears acquisition of Logesta by Logista and Gestcamp

    The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of the Spanish undertaking Logesta Gestion de Transporte SA. Active by Logista S.A. (belonging to Altadis group) and Corporación Gestcamp S.L. Logista S.A. is a logistic services provider in the fields of wholesale distribution of tobacco in Spain and Portugal, distribution of stamp duty, postage stamps and other documents in Spain, wholesale distribution of newspapers and magazines in Spain and Portugal and distribution of books in Spain. Gestcamp concentrates its activities in the steel and automotive, automotive components, metal structures and warehousing sectors. Logesta will be a land freight forwarding company that will provide services to its parent companies and to third parties. (The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)

    [05] Commission clears acquisition of AvestaPolarit by Outokumpu

    The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation to the acquisition of full control of the Finnish undertaking AvestaPolarit Oyj Abp, currently jointly controlled by Outokumpu and the Corus Group plc (UK) and active in the stainless steel production, by Outokumpu Oyj, a Finnish undertaking active in copper products, metallurgy, stainless steel and other industrial operations such as mining. (The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)

    [06] Le PIB de la zone euro et celui de l'UE15 en hausse de 0,3%

    (! embargo 12h00 !) Le Produit Intérieur Brut (PIB) de la zone euro et celui de l'UE15 ont augmenté de 0,3% au cours du premier trimestre 2002, selon les estimations publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat, l'Office Statistique des Communautés européennes à Luxembourg. Ces résultats font suite à une baisse de 0,2% dans les deux zones au cours du quatrième trimestre 2001. En comparaison avec le premier trimestre 2001, le PIB de la zone euro et celui de l'UE15 ont augmenté respectivement de 0,3% et 0,4%, après une hausse de 0,4% et 0,6% au cours du trimestre précédent.

    [07] Indicator-based forecast for euro area GDP for 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2002

    (! embargo 12 am !) The indicator-based model for quarterly GDP growth for the euro area, developed by the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission, forecasts for the second quarter of 2002 a range of 0.3% to 0.6% for the percentage change of GDP vis-à-vis the previous quarter. For the third quarter of 2002, a significant acceleration is expected and quarter on quarter growth is forecast to be in the range of 0.6% to 0.9%. The latter forecast range has been revised downwards by 0.1 point compared to the release of 9 July 2002. The ISM index (previously NAPM) rally lost momentum in the second quarter of this year. The situation in the retail and construction sectors in the euro area also remained weak. Full document available on : http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/indicators_en.htm

    [08] Commission adopts proposal to implement the ban on conflict diamonds

    The European Commission today adopted a proposal for a Council Regulation concerning a Community Certification scheme for the international trade in rough diamonds. The purpose of the certification scheme is to prevent "conflict" or "blood" diamonds from fuelling armed conflicts, such as those in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the DR Congo, thereby contributing to the EU's policy on conflict prevention (see http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/cpcm/cp.htm for further details). An effective ban will deprive rebel movements of significant finances and will therefore be an important contribution to peace and stability. The scheme also aims to prevent conflict diamonds from discrediting the legitimate market for rough diamonds, which makes an important economic contribution, not least to certain developing countries in Africa. Less than 4% of global diamond production is regarded as 'conflict diamonds', while a number of developing countries that are major producers and processors of diamonds depend heavily on the legitimate diamond industry for their economic and social development. The underlying certification scheme has been developed in the 'Kimberley Process', with the active participation of the EU.

    [09] La Commission lance un nouvel appel à propositions dans le cadre de "l'initiative européenne pour la démocratie et les droits de l'homme"

    La Commission européenne a lancé un appel à propositions doté de 40 millions d'€ dans le cadre de l'initiative européenne pour la démocratie et les droits de l'homme (IEDDH). Pour assurer un meilleur impact et une utilisation plus stratégique de ces ressources, la Commission a désigné 29 pays dans lesquels l'IEDDH sera concentrée sur un nombre limité de priorités thématiques, notamment le soutien aux droits de l'homme, l'enseignement, la promotion de la liberté d'expression, le renforcement de l'Etat de droit, la démocratie et la gouvernance ainsi que la prévention des conflits.

    [10] Commission provides humanitarian aid worth €10.3 million for Cambodia, Myanmar, Iran, Madagascar and China

    The European Commission has recently adopted five humanitarian aid decisions relating to Cambodia (€4.8 million), Myanmar (€2 million), Iran (€0.5 million), Madagascar (€1 million) and China (€2 million). The assistance is channelled through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), which comes under the authority of Commissioner Poul Nielson.

    [11] EU-Brazil agreement on mutually beneficial textile trade liberalisation boosts prospects for EU-Mercosur trade negotiations

    (! embargo 2.30 pm !) The European Commission and Brazil agreed today on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which significantly improves access for textile products on each other's markets. The MoU gives Brazil better access to the EU by removing the quotas on Brazil's textiles and clothing exports to the EU. In return, Brazil will respect maximum tariff levels and refrain from applying any non-tariff barriers to EU textile and clothing exports. Both sides also make a best endeavour commitment to early tariff dismantling in textiles and clothing in the EU-Mercosur negotiations. As part of the package, Brazil should also discontinue the application of an additional tax on textile and clothing imports. Commenting on the MoU, Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : "This agreement makes a significant contribution to improving trade relations between the EU and Brazil, and is an early deliverable for the on-going trade negotiations between the EU and Mercosur. It contains concrete steps to remove trade barriers from both sides. With such an agreement, the EU is showing that it is ready to accelerate the opening of its textile and clothing market to third countries that are in turn ready to offer a suitable degree of access to their markets."

    From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
    © ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996


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