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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-01-20
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Peter Mandelson puts development at the heart of EU trade agreements
with ACP countries
[02] La Commission approuve une partie de l'aide à finalité régionale en
faveur de De Tomaso Cutro en Italie
[03] Commission takes Italy to the Court of Justice for failure to recover
illegal aid
[04] La Commission autorise Banco Comercial Português à céder une partie
de son activité "assurance vie" à Fortis
[05] November 2004 : Euro-zone external trade surplus €2.9 billion -
€8.5 billion deficit for EU25
[06] Décembre 2004 : le taux d'inflation annuel en hausse à 2,4% dans la
zone euro et dans l'UE25
[07] 2005 : EU-Japan Year of People to People Exchanges
[08] Corporate governance : Charlie McCreevy outlines his views to European
Forum
[09] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-01-20
Reference: MEX/05/0120
Date: 20/01/2005
EXME05 / 20.1
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
20/01/05
[01] Peter Mandelson puts development at the heart of EU trade agreements
with ACP countries
European Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson today told European NGOs
and Civil Society representatives that he would put development at the
heart of the EU's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries. He announced that he would set up a review
mechanism for regions negotiating EPAs to ensure that the EPA process was
closely tied to the delivery of development goals. He argued that EPAs are
a key tool for building the capacity of developing economies. The
Commissioner also launched a discussion paper that is designed to answer
questions about the nature and function of EPAs.
[02] La Commission approuve une partie de l'aide à finalité régionale en
faveur de De Tomaso Cutro en Italie
La Commission européenne a partiellement autorisé, en application des
règles du traité CE sur les aides d'Etat, l'aide à l'investissement en
faveur de De Tomaso Cutro pour son projet de nouvelle usine de production
de voitures à Cutro (Calabre, Italie). A l'issue d'une enquête approfondie,
la Commission a conclu que cette partie de l'aide proposée par l'Italie
était nécessaire à la réalisation des investissements et qu'elle était
compatible avec les règles du traité CE, qui interdisent aux Etats
membres d'accorder des aides ou des subventions susceptibles de fausser la
concurrence au sein du marché unique (article 87), mais qu'une autre
partie de l'aide envisagée n'était pas compatible avec les règles sur
les aides d'Etat.
[03] Commission takes Italy to the Court of Justice for failure to recover
illegal aid
The European Commission has decided to take Italy to the Court of Justice
for failure to comply with a decision of 5 June 2002 which ruled that the
aid granted by Italy to utilities was incompatible and must be recovered
from the beneficiaries (see IP/02/817). Over two years after the decision
was adopted, the Commission has noted that Italy has not taken the
necessary measures to recover the aid in question. It has therefore decided
to apply to the Court in order to have its decision enforced.
[04] La Commission autorise Banco Comercial Português à céder une partie
de son activité "assurance vie" à Fortis
La Commission européenne a autorisé, en application du règlement sur
les concentrations de l'UE, le projet d’acquisition de 51% de l'activité
"assurance" de la société portugaise Banco Comercial Português (BCP) par
l'entreprise néerlandaise Fortis Insurance International NV (Fortis), qui
appartient au groupe international Fortis. Etant donné que les activités
de BCP dans le domaine des assurances sont concentrées exclusivement au
Portugal et que Fortis n'est pas présente sur le marché portugais des
assurances, la Commission est parvenue à la conclusion que cette opération
n'aurait pas pour conséquence d'entraver de manière significative une
concurrence effective dans l'Espace Economique Européen (EEE) ou une
partie substantielle de celui-ci.
[05] November 2004 : Euro-zone external trade surplus €2.9 billion -
€8.5 billion deficit for EU25
The first estimate for euro-zone trade with the rest of the world in
November 2004 was a €2.9 billion surplus, compared with +5.2 billion in
November 2003. The October 2004 balance was +5.7 billion, compared with
+9.1 billion in October 2003. In November 2004, exports, seasonally
adjusted, rose by 2.5% compared with October 2004 and imports by 3.4%. The
first estimate for November 2004 extra-EU253 trade was a €8.5 billion
deficit, compared with -5.9 billion in November 2003. In October 20042 the
balance was -6.5 billion, compared with -2.4 billion in October 2003. In
November 2004, exports, seasonally adjusted, rose by 2.2% compared with
October 2004 and imports by 2.9%. These data are released today by
Eurostat.
[06] Décembre 2004 : le taux d'inflation annuel en hausse à 2,4% dans la
zone euro et dans l'UE25
Le taux d'inflation annuel de la zone euro est passé de 2,2% en novembre Ã
2,4% en décembre 2004, indique aujourd'hui Eurostat. Un an auparavant, il
s'élevait à 2,0%. Le taux d'inflation mensuel a été de 0,4% en décembre
2004. Le taux d'inflation annuel de l'UE25 s'est établi à 2,4% en
décembre, contre 2,2% en novembre. Un an auparavant, il s'élevait à 1,9%.
Le taux d'inflation mensuel a été de 0,4% en décembre 2004. Le taux
d'inflation annuel de l'IPCE a été de 2,2% en décembre 2004.
[07] 2005 : EU-Japan Year of People to People Exchanges
Today marks the official launch in Brussels of the EU-Japan Year of People
to People Exchange. This campaign will encourage and promote face to face
exchanges and contacts between people, as well as events and initiatives
throughout 2005 to promote better understanding of European and Japanese
society and culture. The event will be celebrated with an invitation-only
reception for European and Japanese VIPs at the newly opened Berlaymont
building of the European Commission and will feature Japanese music and
dance. Eneko Landaburu, European Commission Director General for External
Relations, will co-host the event with His Excellency Kazuo Asakai,
Ambassador of Japan to the EU. They will also welcome Japanese
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Itsunori Onodera.
[08] Corporate governance : Charlie McCreevy outlines his views to European
Forum
European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services Charlie McCreevy
opened today the first meeting of the European Corporate Governance Forum
which was formally established by the Commission on 15 October 2004 (see
IP/04/1241). Welcoming some of the most prominent European personalities in
the field of corporate governance, the Commissioner underlined again the
fundamental importance of sound corporate governance for the European Union,
as an element in boosting market confidence, encouraging investment and
therefore in helping push the EU meet its Lisbon competitiveness
objectives.
[09] Autre matériel diffusé
Economic Partnership Agreements: putting a rigorous priority on development
Speech by Peter Mandelson : "Economic Partnership Agreements: putting a
rigorous priority on development" to Civil Society Dialogue Group
Speech by Markos Kyprianou : "The new European Healthcare Agenda" at the
European Voice conference 'Healthcare: Is Europe getting better?'
Speech by Mariann Fischler Boel : "Landwirtschaft und ländlichen Räume in
der EU25 – ein Blick nach vorn" at the Green Week (Berlin, ! embargo 6 pm
!)
Speech by Charlie McCreevy : "Corporate Governance in Europe" at European
Corporate Governance Forum
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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