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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-09-09
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] LIFE Environment 2004 : Commission supports 109 environmental
innovation projects with €76 million
[02] LIFE Nature 2004 : la Commission octroie 76 millions d'€ 77
projets en faveur de la protection de la nature
[03] LIFE Third Countries 2004 : Commission funds environment projects in
third countries with close to €8 million
[04] European Tax Survey highlights need for single EU-wide corporate tax
base and for VAT one-stop shop system
[05] Schéma de l'UE pour un programme de recherche sur la sécurité
[06] Agreement between the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Bulgaria
[07] EU-ACP : launch of trade and development negotiations with the Pacific
region
[08] Mental health of children and young people : Commission to hosts
international conference on 20 and 21 September
[09] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2004-09-09
Reference: MEX/04/0909
Date: 09/09/2004
EXME04 / 9.9
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Général Presse etb
Communication
09/09/04
[01] LIFE Environment 2004 : Commission supports 109 environmental
innovation projects with €76 million
The European Commission has approved funding for 109 environmental
innovation projects in 18 Member States under the LIFE Environment
programme 2004. The projects apply ground-breaking technologies to tackle
environmental problems in several areas, thus contributing to improving
Europe's environment. LIFE Environment is one of three funding strands
under the EU's environmental funding programme LIFE whose goal is to
support the implementation of EU environmental policies and legislation.
Funding under LIFE approved in 2004 totals €160 million.
[02] LIFE Nature 2004 : la Commission octroie 76 millions d'€ 77
projets en faveur de la protection de la nature
La Commission européenne a approuvé le financement de 77 projets en
faveur de la protection de la nature au titre du programme LIFE Nature
2004. Ces projets contribueront la mise en place du réseau Natura 2000
qui regroupe, l'échelle de l'UE, les zones abritant des habitats
naturels importants et des espèces menacées d'extinction. Les projets ont
pour objectif la remise en état des zones protégées, ainsi que de leur
faune et de leur flore, l'établissement de structures de gestion durables
et la sensibilisation du public. 75 des projets sélectionnés seront
menés dans les Etats membres de l'UE et les deux projets restants seront
réalisés en Roumanie. LIFE Nature est l'un des trois volets du programme
LIFE de l'UE en faveur de l'environnement qui vise soutenir la mise en
œuvre des politiques et de la législation de l'UE en matière
d'environnement. L'enveloppe budgétaire approuvée en 2004 pour le
programme LIFE s'élève 160 millions d'€.
[03] LIFE Third Countries 2004 : Commission funds environment projects in
third countries with close to €8 million
The European Commission has approved funding for 20 new environment
projects under the LIFE Third Countries programme 2004. These projects will
share a total EU contribution of €7,828,320. The EU co-funding will
contribute to improving the environment and achieving sustainable
development in the Mediterranean and Baltic regions. The 20 selected
projects focus on capacity building and the establishment of administrative
structures, as well as the development of environmental policies and action
programmes in Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
Morocco, Russia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and West Bank and Gaza. LIFE Third
Countries is one of three funding strands under the EU's environmental
funding programme LIFE whose goal is to support the implementation of EU
environmental policies and legislation. Funding under LIFE approved in 2004
totals €160 million.
[04] European Tax Survey highlights need for single EU-wide corporate tax
base and for VAT one-stop shop system
A survey of the compliance costs of EU companies published today confirms
the need for the Commission's suggestion (see IP/03/1593) that companies
should be allowed to use a single basis of assessment for corporate tax for
all their EU-wide activities so as to avoid the costly inefficiencies of
dealing with EU Member States' twenty-five different company tax systems.
The survey also underlines the need for the proposal that the Commission
intends to present in the next few months for a one-stop shop system
whereby a trader could fulfil his Value Added Tax (VAT) obligations for his
EU-wide activities solely in the Member State in which he is established
(see IP/04/654). The Commission's European Tax Survey, in which seven
hundred EU companies participated, shows that cross-border activity
currently leads to higher company tax and VAT compliance costs for
companies. Compliance costs are significantly higher for companies with at
least one subsidiary in another EU Member State compared to companies
without subsidiaries abroad and the costs increase according to the number
of such subsidiaries. Compliance costs are also proportionately greater for
SMEs than for large companies.
[05] Schéma de l'UE pour un programme de recherche sur la sécurité
L'UE devrait lancer un véritable programme européen de recherche sur la
sécurité d'ici 2007 avec des moyens budgétaires suffisants. Voil le
message central d'une communication intitulée "La recherche sur la
sécurité : les prochaines étapes" que vient d'adopter la Commission
européenne. Ce document représente la réponse de la Commission aux
recommandations d'un groupe haut niveau de vingt-sept cadres industriels
et décideurs politiques européens de haut rang qui ont été publiées en
mars dernier. Ce rapport, intitulé "La recherche pour une Europe sûre",
souligne la nécessité de renforcer la coordination dans ce domaine et
préconise un budget annuel de 1 milliard d'€ au niveau de l'UE pour la
recherche en matière de sécurité.
[06] Agreement between the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Bulgaria
The agreement between the European Community and the Government of the
Republic of Bulgaria concerning the participation of Bulgaria in the
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug addiction (EMCDDA) was
initialled today in Brussels.
[07] EU-ACP : launch of trade and development negotiations with the Pacific
region
On 10 September the EU will open negotiations for an Economic and
Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and 14 Pacific countries.
Meeting in Nadi, Fiji, European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and
Development colleagues will officially launch these negotiations aimed at
promoting trade and development by concluding a region-to-region agreement.
Before leaving for Nadi, Pascal Lamy said : "The launch of negotiations
with the Pacific region marks another stepping stone in our common efforts
to make regional integration and trade contribute to development. Now that
we have started talks with all six ACP regions, we should switch gear and
move into full negotiating mood." Development Commissioner Poul Nielson
added : "With the EU Pacific launch the EPA process is now thoroughly on
track. This is evidence that the EU and ACP's are succeeding in making
trade and regional integration work for development."
[08] Mental health of children and young people : Commission to hosts
international conference on 20 and 21 September
Suicide is the third largest cause of death among adolescents worldwide and
the leading cause of death amongst teenage girls. By the time they reach 18
some 9% of young people have experienced at least one major depression. A
conference in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 September will focus on what the EU
and its Member States can do to promote positive mental health among
children, adolescents and young people. The meeting will be organised
jointly by the European Commission, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and
the Ministry for Health and Social Security of Luxembourg. It will
constitute a pre-event to the WHO Ministerial Conference on Mental Health
which will be held in Helsinki from 12 to 15 January 2005, where the
Commission will also be a partnering organisation. The opening speakers at
the 20 to 21 September conference will be Commissioner Pavel Telička, Mr
Mars Di Bartolomeo, Luxembourg's Minister for Health and Social Security
and Dr. Marc Danzon, Regional Director for the WHO in Europe. Commenting
ahead of the conference, Commissioner Telička said: "Mental illness is, to
a large degree, preventable. Europe must rise to the challenge of promoting
positive mental health amongst its children and young people and reducing
the misery caused by diseases such as depression. Such an investment in
good health will produce long term human, social and economic benefits for
Europe."
Further information about the conference can be found at: <a
href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/ev_20040921_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/ev_20040921_en.htm.
Journalists wishing to attend should contact Mr Jürgen Scheftlein (Tel.:
+352 4301 36643) in the Commission's Directorate-General for Health and
Consumer Protection.
[09] Autre matériel diffusé
Commission reaction to WTO dispute on EU sugar regime - statement of
Agriculture Spokesman (08/09)
Social Dialogue in Europe - a Partnership for Change
Note on informal Ecofin Council
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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