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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 02-09-16
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission clears Vestar purchase of Swedish rail brake systems maker
Cardo
[02] Commission clears Cinven's buy of Britain's National Car Parks group
[03] Commission clears joint control of Oppenheim Fonds by Prudential and
Oppenheim
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Teksid aluminium business by Questor
[05] Celebration of one million "Erasmus students" : 30 Erasmus ambassadors
invited to Brussels for the European Erasmus Week
[06] Taxation des voitures : la Commission traduit la Grèce devant la Cour
de justice
[07] Commission to support peace talks in Sri Lanka
[08] Public lending right applied inconsistently across the EU, says
Commission report
[09] Commission presents first results of joint work with industry on
eSafety
[10] Commission hosts Public Hearing on the establishment of a European
Public Prosecutor for the criminal-law protection of the EU financial
interests
[11] Commission holds public workshop in Brussels on 3G study results
[12] Chris Patten to visit Kosovo and Bosnia & Herzegovina (18-20/09)
[13] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 16/09/2002
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 16/09/2002
[01] Commission clears Vestar purchase of Swedish rail brake systems maker
Cardo
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of full control of the Sweden's Cardo Rail, which
produces and supplies brake systems for rail vehicles and related products,
by the US private equity fund Vestar Capital Partners IV. (The operation,
notified on 9 August, was examined under the simplified merger review
procedure)
[02] Commission clears Cinven's buy of Britain's National Car Parks group
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of full control of Britain's National Car Parks Group by
Cinven Limited from the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. (The operation,
notified on 14 August 2002, was examined under the simplified merger review
procedure)
[03] Commission clears joint control of Oppenheim Fonds by Prudential and
Oppenheim
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of joint control of the German fund manager Oppenheim
Fonds Trust GmbH by Prudential Financial Inc. of the United States and
Germany's Sal. Oppenheim Jr. & Cie. KGaA. (The operation was examined under
the simplified merger review procedure)
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Teksid aluminium business by Questor
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of full control of the aluminium business of Italy's
Teksid S.p.A., a company ultimately controlled by Fiat, by Questor Partners
Bermuda, L.P. (Bermuda). (The operation, notified on 9 August, examined
under the simplified merger review procedure)
[05] Celebration of one million "Erasmus students" : 30 Erasmus ambassadors
invited to Brussels for the European Erasmus Week
At a press conference held today in Brussels, European Commissioner for
Education and Culture, Viviane Reding, has announced the launch of a
European Erasmus Week that will take place in the 30 Erasmus countries (15
Member States, 3 EEA countries and 12 candidate countries) and in Brussels
from 18th to 25th October. 30 students from all participating countries
will symbolise the one millionth Student and come to Brussels for the
celebration. The Erasmus programme supports students' and academic staff's
mobility in higher education. Named after a popular Renaissance humanist
and philosopher, it began in 1987 and has become one of the best known EU
initiatives in the field of education, and a flagship of European
integration.
[06] Taxation des voitures : la Commission traduit la Grèce devant la Cour
de justice
La Commission européenne a décidé de saisir la Cour de Justice européenne
concernant le régime appliqué par la Grèce aux véhicules immatriculés dans
d'autres Etats membres et utilisés temporairement en Grèce par des
résidents d'autres Etats membres. La Commission estime que la perception de
taxes sur cette catégorie de véhicules est contraire à la directive
83/182/CEE qui, en vue de supprimer toute entrave à la libre circulation,
exige l'application des franchises fiscales lors de l'importation
temporaire dans un Etat membre de certains moyens de transport utilisés à
titre privé et professionnel dans d'autres Etats membres. La Commission
estime aussi que les peines sévères prévues par la législation grecque en
cas de non-respect de certaines procédures en matière d'utilisation
temporaire du véhicule ne sont pas compatibles avec le droit communautaire.
La Cour de justice a déjà indiqué dans un arrêt concernant la Grèce que
toute amende appliquée en cas d'importation irrégulière en franchise sous
le régime d'importation temporaire établi par la directive 83/182 doit être
proportionnelle à la gravité de l'infraction et justifiée par des raisons
impératives de répression et prévention.
[07] Commission to support peace talks in Sri Lanka
The European Commission has adopted on 13 September 2002 a decision to
support the peace process in Sri Lanka under its Rapid Reaction Mechanism.
Following the February 23 Cease Fire Agreement, the Government of Sri Lanka
and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will start on Monday
September 16, formal talks in Thailand on further steps to be taken in the
peace process. The Commission's decision is timed to coincide with the
start of these talks. The additional EU funding is in recognition of the
parties' commitment to the Cease Fire Agreement. Its main objective, for
which the total budget is €1.8 million, is to finance a series of measures
to implement key provisions of the Cease Fire Agreement and to build
confidence in the peace process.
[08] Public lending right applied inconsistently across the EU, says
Commission report
The Public Lending Right (PLR) is being applied differently in different EU
Member States. In some cases, it is not being applied properly as required
by the 1992 Council Directive on the Rental and Lending Right and Certain
Related Rights. Those are the conclusions of a European Commission report
published today. The report assesses the implementation of the PLR
provisions under the Directive and reiterates the Commission's commitment
to ensuring that the PLR is effective in all Member States and to
monitoring the way increasing use of new technologies is affecting the
application of the PLR. The Directive requires that the authors of books,
films and any other copyright works and (at Member States' discretion)
other rightholders, either have the right to authorise or refuse lending of
their works by institutions such as public libraries, or that they be
remunerated for such public lending.
[09] Commission presents first results of joint work with industry on
eSafety
On September 16 at the eSafety Congress in Lyon, Erkki Liikanen, European
Commissioner responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, will
present the progress and first results of the joint industry - Commission
Working Group on eSafety. Organised by ERTICO - ITS Europe, the e-Safety
Congress in which over 600 people from 35 countries will participate will
focus on progress made so far in Information Technology solutions for
safety and security in intelligent transport. There will also be an
exhibition on this subject during the Congress.
[10] Commission hosts Public Hearing on the establishment of a European
Public Prosecutor for the criminal-law protection of the EU financial
interests
The establishment of an European Public Prosecutor is one of the main
subjects for the European Commission. On 11 December 2001 Budget and Anti-
Fraud Commissioner Michaele Schreyer announced the publication by the
Commission of a Green Paper on criminal-law protection of the financial
interests of the Community and the establishment of a European Prosecutor
[COM(2001)715] on the establishment of a European Public Prosecutor. The
purpose of the Green Paper was to launch a wide-ranging public debate with
the Member States and all concerned, but particularly with practitioners,
on the powers and modus operandi of the European Public Prosecutor. At the
end of the period of public consultation announced in the Green Paper, the
Commission is holding a public hearing on the subject. This event takes
place in Brussels on 16-17 September. The public hearing will give the
possibility for all the European Institutions, Member States, professionals
in the areas of investigation and the administration of justice as well as
representatives of civil society to give their views in a public forum on
the subject.
[11] Commission holds public workshop in Brussels on 3G study results
The European Commission will hold on 17 September a public workshop in
Brussels on the results of the study "Comparative assessment of the
licensing regimes for third generation (3G) mobile communications in the EU
and their impact on the mobile communications sector". The workshop will
provide an opportunity for interested parties to express their views on
future regulatory policy in the EU, drawing on the experience of 3G
licensing.
[12] Chris Patten to visit Kosovo and Bosnia & Herzegovina (18-20/09)
European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten will visit Kosovo
and Bosnia & Herzegovina on 18th-20th September, to review progress in each
case towards the goals set out in the Stabilisation and Association Process
(SAP). In meetings with senior members of the Kosovo Provisional
Institution of Self-Government (PISG) and the United Nations Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK), as well as the BiH Council of Ministers and the Office of
the High Represenative (OHR), the Commissioner will underline the EU's
continuing commitment to support the Western Balkan's transition from
turmoil to eventual membership. In Bosnia & Herzegovina, Mr Patten will
consult with the High Representative Lord Ashdown, with whom he will also
participate in a 'meet the public' session. He will discuss preparations
for the EU Police Mission (EUPM) which begins at the beginning of 2003, and
he will lay the foundation stone of the EU- supported Police Academy in
Banja Luka. In Kosovo, the Commissioner will meet Special Representative of
the Secretary-General Michael Steiner, and the European Agency for
Reconstruction.
[13] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de M. Solbes : "Gouvernance économique : réforme de la partie UEM
du traité" devant le Groupe de travail sur la Gouvernance économique de la
Convention (13/09, PE)
Speech by Antonio Vitorino at the Public Hearing 'Green Paper on criminal-
law protection of the financial interests of the Community and the
establishment of a European Prosecutor'
Speech by Antonio Vitorino at the 'Justice en Mouvement' Conference
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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