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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-01-13
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] EU car industry : Commission announces initiatives to boost
competitiveness
[02] Trois ans après l'adoption de la monnaie unique, les citoyens
européens sont désormais largement à l'aise avec l'euro
[03] Netherlands : Commission takes Netherlands to Court over violations of
EU environment laws
[04] Environment : Commission takes legal action over breaches of
environmental law in Finland, Sweden and Denmark
[05] Belgique et Luxembourg : la Commission engage des actions en justice
pour améliorer l'application du droit environnemental
[06] Ireland : Commission pursues legal action for breaches of
environmental law in eight cases
[07] La Commission saisit la Cour de justice d'un recours contre le
Portugal au sujet de règles discriminatoires en matière d'exonération
fiscale des plus-values réalisées sur les ventes d'habitations
[08] Taxes on company capital : Commission considers Greek legislation
incompatible with Capital Duty Directive
[09] Statement by Margot Wallström on the European Constitution (12/01)
[10] Customs : Lászlό Kovács meets Tom Ridge
[11] Joe Borg in Spain : partnership and cooperation are key to future of
fisheries
[12] Commissioner Ján Figel' to launch eTwinning
[13] Regions : statistical yearbook - from A for Abruzzo to Z for Zuid-
Holland - data on 254 regions of the EU25
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-01-13
Reference: MEX/05/0113
Date: 13/01/2005
EXME05 / 13.1
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
13/01/05
[01] EU car industry : Commission announces initiatives to boost
competitiveness
In a joint press conference Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the
European Commission, and Bernd Pischetsrieder, President of ACEA (European
Automobile Manufacturers Association) and CEO of Volkswagen, launched a new
initiative to boost the competitiveness of the European car industry. A
high level group called "CARS 21" will be set up. The group's objective is
to generate recommendations to improve the worldwide competitiveness of the
European automotive industry. Commissioner Verheugen also announced his
intention to make life easier for the industry by the simplification of the
car type approval in the EU through the increasing application of United
Nations rules.
[02] Trois ans après l'adoption de la monnaie unique, les citoyens
européens sont désormais largement à l'aise avec l'euro
Trois ans après l'introduction des pièces et des billets en euros, les
citoyens de la zone euro sont désormais habitués à la monnaie
européenne : ils ne comptent plus mentalement en ancienne monnaie
nationale pour les achats courants, connaissent la valeur approximative de
l'euro face au dollar et s'attendent à ce que les nouveaux Etats membres de
l'UE adoptent eux aussi la monnaie unique, ce qui, selon eux, profitera Ã
l'ensemble des consommateurs. Mais un sondage réalisé par la Commission
montre aussi que les citoyens méconnaissent le fait qu'ils peuvent retirer
des espèces et effectuer des achats avec leurs cartes bancaires dans
d'autres pays de la zone euro sans frais supplémentaires. Cette enquête
révèle également que plus de la moitié des citoyens de la zone euro ont
au moins entendu parler du pacte de stabilité et de croissance, qu'ils
considèrent comme une garantie d'un euro fort et stable.
[03] Netherlands : Commission takes Netherlands to Court over violations of
EU environment laws
The European Commission is taking the Netherlands to the European Court of
Justice over three cases where the Netherlands has not implemented EU
environmental laws on time or has done so inadequately. The laws cover
industrial emissions, packaging waste and water protection. Final warnings
of a possible referral to the Court in all cases were sent to the
Netherlands last July but the violations have not been remedied. By failing
to properly implement these laws the Netherlands is not giving citizens the
high level of protection from man-made environmental risks that all Member
States have agreed to.
[04] Environment : Commission takes legal action over breaches of
environmental law in Finland, Sweden and Denmark
The European Commission has decided to pursue legal action against Finland,
Sweden and Denmark for violations of EU environmental laws on nature
protection and industrial pollution. The Commission is referring Finland to
the European Court of Justice over hunting of wolves and sending Sweden a
final written warning over the hunting and destruction of cormorants and
rooks. Denmark is to receive a final written warning over its approach to
controlling pollution from large pig and poultry farms.
[05] Belgique et Luxembourg : la Commission engage des actions en justice
pour améliorer l'application du droit environnemental
La Commission européenne engage des actions en justice contre la Belgique,
dans quatre dossiers comportant des infractions à la législation
environnementale de l'UE, et contre le Luxembourg pour un dossier. Ces
actions visent à obtenir que les Etats membres fassent cesser leurs
infractions dès que possible et améliorent ainsi leur niveau de
protection environnementale. La Commission a décidé d'assigner la
Belgique et le Luxembourg devant la Cour de justice européenne pour
n'avoir pas pleinement transposé en droit national la directive cadre dans
le domaine de l'eau. Le délai pour ce faire a expiré voici près d'un an.
La Commission poursuit également la Belgique dans les dossiers de
l'échange des droits d'émission, de la qualité de l'essence et du
carburant diesel ainsi que des substances qui appauvrissent la couche
d'ozone.
[06] Ireland : Commission pursues legal action for breaches of
environmental law in eight cases
The European Commission has decided to pursue infringement proceedings
against Ireland in eight cases involving breaches of EU environment law.
The Commission's action in these cases is aimed at reducing agricultural
and sewage-related water pollution, protecting citizens from noxious sewage
odours, ensuring safe waste disposal, ensuring that significant projects
are properly environmentally assessed, restoring an important nature site
and getting Ireland to participate more fully in wider efforts to curb air
pollution and protect the Earth's ozone layer. The Commission has a duty to
ensure that each Member State lives up to its commitments to safeguard the
environment and human health.
[07] La Commission saisit la Cour de justice d'un recours contre le
Portugal au sujet de règles discriminatoires en matière d'exonération
fiscale des plus-values réalisées sur les ventes d'habitations
La Commission européenne a décidé de saisir la Cour de justice
européenne d'un recours contre le Portugal au motif que ce pays n'a pas
modifié la législation en vertu de laquelle les plus-values réalisées
sur les ventes d'habitations ne sont exonérées que si le produit de ces
ventes est réinvesti dans une habitation portugaise. La Commission estime
que le refus d'accorder cette exonération lorsque le produit de la vente
est utilisé pour acquérir une habitation dans un autre Etat membre est
contraire aux règles du traité CE, notamment à celles concernant la libre
circulation des personnes. Le Portugal n'a pas répondu de façon
satisfaisante à la demande formelle que lui a adressée la Commission en
juillet 2004 pour l'inviter à modifier la législation en cause (voir
IP/04/938).
[08] Taxes on company capital : Commission considers Greek legislation
incompatible with Capital Duty Directive
The European Commission has decided to send a formal request to Greece to
amend its tax legislation applicable to the raising of capital. Greece
applies capital duty when a company transfers its registered office or
place of effective management to Greece and applies a general exemption
from capital duty to agricultural and maritime companies. The Commission
considers that these rules are contrary to the Directive concerning
indirect taxes on the raising of capital (69/335/EEC) which allows Member
States to subject only the formation of companies, not their transfer, to
capital duty and does not allow Greece to exempt specific economic sectors
from the tax. The request is in the form of a reasoned opinion, the second
stage of the infringement procedure under Article 226 of the Treaty. If
Greece does not amend its legislation within two months, the Commission may
refer the matter to the Court of Justice.
[09] Statement by Margot Wallström on the European Constitution (12/01)
European Commission Vice-President, responsible for Institutional Relations
and Communication Strategy, Margot Wallström, said : "The European
Parliament gave today very firm support to the Constitution. 74% of those
voting and over 2/3 of the total number of MEPs said 'Yes' to the
Constitution. This is a very clear signal which I strongly welcome. The
ratification process is now entering its decisive phase. Governments,
national parliaments and EU institutions should do their utmost to ensure
an informed debate on the Constitution. The ratification of the
Constitution is an opportunity to debate about what kind of Europe we want.
All of us have a duty to make available clear and reliable information on
what the Constitution does and the benefits that it can bring. The
Constitution will give Europe more rights, more democracy and more
openness."
[10] Customs : Lászlό Kovács meets Tom Ridge
European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Lászlό Kovács met today
with outgoing US Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge. Commissioner
Kovács and Secretary Ridge discussed the very fruitful customs cooperation
between the US and the EU in improving the security of transatlantic
maritime container transport and the promotion of EU/US standards
worldwide. "I would like to thank Secretary Ridge for his significant
contribution to the successful cooperation between US Customs and Border
Protection, the European Commission and EU Member States' Customs
Administrations", said Mr Kovács. "I look forward to the continuation of
this close cooperation with his successor". Commissioner Kovács and
Secretary Ridge noted that the EU and the US are heading towards practical
solutions that facilitate legitimate transatlantic trade while ensuring the
security of containers from all locations that are imported into,
transhipped or transit the EU and the US. They both agreed that the EU and
US partnership in the development of security standards for the supply
chain should aim at setting global standards and international coordinated
solutions to security.
For further background information on the Container Security Initiative
see:
<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/customs/policy_issues/customs_security/index_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/customs/policy_issues/customs_security/index_en.htm
[11] Joe Borg in Spain : partnership and cooperation are key to future of
fisheries
On a visit to Spain, European Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for
Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, said that the future of fishing activities
depended on the capacity of all the interested parties to work together. He
welcomed the active involvement of Spanish stakeholders in creating
Regional Advisory Councils which will allow fishermen and other interested
parties to participate in the Common Fisheries Policy process. Commissioner
Borg underlined the importance of dialogue in a number of areas such as the
development of long-term strategies to rebuild and conserve fish stocks,
technical measures for the Mediterranean and the future European Fisheries
Fund. He also stressed the need for international co-operation in the fight
against illegal fishing practices on the high seas and in helping
developing countries acquire the means to enforce fisheries rules. During
his visit, Mr Borg has been meeting with representatives from the Spanish
fishing sector in Madrid, Andalusia and Galicia. He will also speak about
the launching of the exercise towards developing an EU-wide Maritime Policy
in his address to a meeting of the Conference of Maritime Regions of Europe
in Santiago de Compostela on Friday. Commissioner Borg has also been
outlining the action taken by the Commission in finding the best ways to
help rebuild the devastated fisheries and aquaculture sector in the
countries affected by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
[12] Commissioner Ján Figel' to launch eTwinning
Tomorrow, European Commissioner Ján Figel' will launch the eTwinning
action at a conference to be held in Brussels between 14 and 16 January.
eTwinning is the main element of the e-Learning Programme and is a new
European initiative aimed at promoting the twinning of schools across
Europe, through the use of the internet. ICT have a significant impact on
the ways schools operate in the EU, as 93% of schools are now connected to
the Internet and the ratio of pupils per online PC has reduced to below 15.
Over the week-end, some 300 innovative teachers from 25 European countries,
along with representatives from the national and European services for e-
Twinning, will gather to discuss this new instrument which was requested in
the conclusions of the Barcelona European Council (March 2002). For more
information on the conference, see <a href="http://www.etwinning.net">www.etwinning.net
[13] Regions : statistical yearbook - from A for Abruzzo to Z for Zuid-
Holland - data on 254 regions of the EU25
Eurostat today publishes a new edition of the Statistical Yearbook of the
EU Regions, which covers the 25 Member States, Bulgaria and Romania. This
publication illustrates both the EU's regional diversity and the links
which have developed over recent years between regions, including across
national borders. For the 254 regions of the EU25 as defined by level 2 of
the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS), and for 14
regions in Bulgaria and Romania, the Yearbook sets out general socio-
economic data : population, GDP, household wealth, labour force and
unemployment. It investigates agriculture and covers transverse economic
themes: scientific and technological developments and the structure of
business. The daily life of Europeans in their own region is depicted
through statistics on health, tourism and urbanisation. Finally, some
statistics based on NUTS level 1 are presented.
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Key Indicators on the competitiveness of the EU's automotive Industry
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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