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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-05-02
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Poul Nielson on humanitarian mission to visit Iraq (6-7 May)
[02] Commission welcomes Quartet's presentation of the Middle East Road Map
[03] Loyola de Palacio meets Spencer Abraham for a further energy dialogue
between EU and the USA
[04] Premier Conseil des ministres à 25 : les principaux points à l'agenda
du Conseil Education / Culture des 5 et 6 mai
[05] Commission clears joint venture between ABN and Delta Lloyds
[06] Commission publishes best practice guidelines for divestiture
commitments in merger cases
[07] Les ministres du commerce discutent de l'avenir du commerce des
produits textiles
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 02/05/2003
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 02/05/2003
[01] Poul Nielson on humanitarian mission to visit Iraq (6-7 May)
Mr Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid,
is to visit Iraq from 6-7 May. This visit is intended as a signal of the
European Union's continuing support and solidarity for the Iraqi people. He
will also explore the possibility of establishing a Humanitarian Aid office
in Baghdad. On the eve of his departure, Mr Nielson stated : "For more than
10 years now, the Commission has been managing a large humanitarian
programme in Iraq. Following the outbreak of the war the Commission
committed a further €100 million, and I would like to assess the
humanitarian situation on the ground first-hand. This visit will give me
the opportunity to meet with our partners implementing ECHO projects in
Iraq, who are doing an excellent job under extremely difficult conditions.
Both the Iraqi people and our partners need all the support they can get."
Mr Nielson will visit humanitarian projects funded by the Humanitarian Aid
Office (ECHO). He will also meet ECHO partners including the International
Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (ICRC) and Non-
Governmental Organisations.
[02] Commission welcomes Quartet's presentation of the Middle East Road Map
On 30 April, on the occasion of the presentation of the Quartet's Road Map
to the Israeli and Palestinian governments European Commission President
Romano Prodi said : "I welcome the presentation of the Quartet Road Map to
the parties as a means to re-launch the Peace Process, and an important
stabilising factor for the entire region. The Road Map offers the best
chance of achieving the vision of a two-state solution set out by President
Bush last summer." External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said : "It
is in the interest of both parties to start making rapid progress to
implement the provisions of the Road Map with the support of the
international community. Too much blood has been shed : it is imperative to
re-energise the quest for peace without further delay. The Commission looks
forward to working with the Quartet partners in support of the
implementation of the Road Map."
[03] Loyola de Palacio meets Spencer Abraham for a further energy dialogue
between EU and the USA
Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Energy, Loyola de
Palacio met, on 1st May in Madrid, Spencer Abraham, US secretary of Energy,
with Rodrigo Rato, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister.
During this long and fruitful meeting, several fields of common interest
were discussed, in particular security of energy supply, potential of
hydrogen economy, strengthening of the EU-US dialogue on energy, opening of
European energy markets and development of ITER (International
Thermonuclear Energy Reactor). "On energy policy we share with the US a
common priority, which is to ensure security of energy supply", said Loyola
de Palacio. "This means that we must work together on several very
important fields, like the development of alternative energies, development
of hydrogen use, or peaceful uses of nuclear energy", she added.
[04] Premier Conseil des ministres à 25 : les principaux points à l'agenda
du Conseil Education / Culture des 5 et 6 mai
Le Conseil des ministres de l'Education et de la Culture se réunira le
lundi 5 mai à partir de 9h30 et le mardi 6 mai. La partie "éducation et
jeunesse" sera traitée le lundi, le mardi étant consacré à la partie
"culture et audiovisuel". Lors de la conférence de presse concluant la
partie "éducation" le lundi, la Commissaire européenne Viviane Reding
présentera à la presse les résultats d'un sondage Eurobaromètre sur
l'éducation et la formation tout au long de la vie dans l'UE.
[05] Commission clears joint venture between ABN and Delta Lloyds
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the full-function joint venture between two Dutch companies ABN AMRO
Bank N.V., active in the provision of financial services, and Delta Lloyd
N.V., which forms parts of the Aviva group and which is active as an
underwriter and distributor of insurance products with limited other
activities such as banking, asset management and real estate. The newly
established JV will be active as an underwriter of insurance products. (The
operation, notified on 27 March 2003, was examined under the simplified
merger review procedure)
[06] Commission publishes best practice guidelines for divestiture
commitments in merger cases
European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti today announced the
publication of best practice guidelines for divestiture commitments in
merger cases. These guidelines - containing standard texts for divestiture
commitments and trustee mandates - are designed to help merging parties and
their legal representatives in their dealings with the Commission and
should further enhance efficiency and transparency of merger proceedings.
[07] Les ministres du commerce discutent de l'avenir du commerce des
produits textiles
Les ministres du commerce et les principaux décideurs politiques venus du
monde entier se réunissent à Bruxelles les 5 et 6 mai pour analyser
l'incidence de la suppression des contingents textiles en 2005, qui met fin
à près de quatre décennies de restrictions quantitatives qui ont limité les
échanges de produits textiles et de vêtements. Cette manifestation réunit
près de 800 représentants des pouvoirs publics, du monde de l'industrie et
du commerce, des syndicats et des ONG, émanant de plus de 70 pays. M.
Pascal Lamy, commissaire européen chargé du commerce a indiqué à ce sujet
que "la mesure de l'incidence de la fin des contingents n'a pas encore été
prise pleinement à ce jour. La seule certitude que nous ayons, c'est que
l'enjeu est important. Des millions de personnes sont occupées dans ce
secteur et bon nombre de pays, plus particulièrement ceux du monde en
développement, sont fortement dépendants de l'activité textile. Nous sommes
amenés à analyser soigneusement ce qui va changer, et l'ouverture effective
des marchés à l'échelle mondiale suscite de réelles inquiétudes. Nous
comptons examiner les principales options de politique commerciale qui se
présentent pour ce secteur et nous efforcer de nous mettre d'accord sur des
formules qui tiennent compte des préoccupations diverses de toutes les
parties concernées".
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de Mme Reding : "Quelle place pour la musique dans les politiques
communautaire ?" au Congrès européen de musiques et danses traditionnelles
(Luxembourg)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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