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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-04-14Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>CONTENTS / CONTENU
MIDDAY EXPRESSNews from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefingNouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Général Presse etbCommunication14/04/05[01] José Manuel Barroso in BerlinEuropean Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso today addressed the annual Conference of Minister Presidents in Berlin. The President spoke about the priorities of the European Commission in the years ahead and how best to respond to challenges like a changing demography and global competition in a coordinated way. In particular the President discussed the re-launch of the Lisbon Strategy, the constitutional treaty and the financial perspectives. The President said : "The European Union needs a strong and committed Germany giving an example of leadership. The success of the European Union and the success of Germany depend on each other. Therefore, our policies must reinforce each other."[02] L'UE statue sur les communications électroniques - la Commission engage des procédures d'infraction contre dix Etats membresLa Commission européenne a engagé des procédures juridiques contre dix Etats membres afin de corriger les infractions aux règles communautaires en matière de communications électroniques. Elle signale des défauts dans les législations nationales et une application pratique incorrecte de la législation communautaire en Allemagne, en Italie, en Lettonie, à Malte, aux Pays-Bas, en Autriche, en Pologne, au Portugal, en Slovaquie et en Finlande. L'ouverture de ces procédures résulte des préoccupations exprimées dans les rapports de mise en œuvre de la Commission sur le secteur des communications électroniques, dont le dernier a été publié à la fin de 2004.[03] Commission and Member States agree to combine forces in tackling diseasesEuropean Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou and EU health ministers today issued an appeal to combine their forces to protect the health of European citizens, following a 2 day informal ministerial conference in Paris. Focussing on cancer, HIV and influenza, the conference identified new ways of combating these diseases, and existing measures that could be improved. The conference considered a proposal for a new "Cancer Alliance" - a network of national cancer institutes and equivalent bodies - which will pool information and best practice in prevention, screening and medical treatment. On HIV, Member States and the Commission expressed their support for the European network project for clinical research on AIDS vaccines, and vowed to continue efforts to define a European action plan to fight HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries. With regard to preparedness against an influenza pandemic, the conference concluded that a coordinated EU strategy must be developed before the end of the year, and proposed a new European initiative to accelerate the development of an influenza pandemic vaccine. Commissioner Kyprianou welcomed the Member States' commitment to work together to combat major diseases : "By working together, the EU can add value to Member States' efforts to improve public health. The moves agreed today make huge strides towards our common goal of securing protection for everyone at risk."[04] Avian influenza in North Korea : import of feathers and pet birds bannedAn outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in North Korea has been confirmed at the end of March. The Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health agreed on a Commission proposal to add North Korea to the list of eight Asian countries not allowed to export birds, their meat or products because of AI. North Korea is only authorised to export feathers and pet birds to the EU. Therefore the ban de facto only applies to these products. The suspension of the imports of poultry products and pet birds from eight Asian countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, China, Vietnam, Pakistan and Malaysia) does not change and is, for the moment, applicable until 30 September 2005 (see MEX/05/1201). For more information on avian influenza, see :<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/animal/diseases/controlmeasures/avian/index_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/animal/diseases/controlmeasures/avian/index_en.htm [05] Transport routier : l'Europe sociale avanceLe Parlement européen a voté, le 13 avril, en deuxième lecture sur un projet de nouvelle législation européenne qui améliore le temps de conduite et de repos des chauffeurs routiers. Cette législation renforce également le contrôle. Ces dispositions doivent encore faire l'objet d'une finalisation entre le Conseil des ministres et le Parlement avant leur adoption définitive. "Grâce à sa capacité d'adaptation et son dynamisme, le transport routier peut tirer pleinement parti du marché européen", a déclaré Jacques Barrot, Vice-Président de la Commission européenne en charge des transports, "mais il faut des règles communes dans le domaine social et de la sécurité routière. L'Europe sociale existe et elle est en marche. Je me réjouis de ces avancées que j'ai défendues personnellement au Parlement et qui protègeront les conditions sociales à l'intérieur de l'Europe. Elles renforceront également la sécurité routière. Nous imposerons notamment partout en Europe de respecter un « week-end » pour le repos des chauffeurs."[06] Full speed ahead for clean ships as EU Parliament adopts marine fuel Directive in second readingThe European Commission welcomed on 13 April positive second-reading vote by the European Parliament on a new marine fuel Directive. With this vote, the EU has finalised important legislation to cut sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particle emissions from seagoing ships. SO2 is an air pollutant which acidifies lake and forest ecosystems and harms human health. Particles can cause serious breathing problems and premature death. Ships have become the single biggest source of SO2 in the EU because the maritime sector has lagged behind land-based industry in environmental improvement. This agreement will reduce ship SO2 in the EU by over 500,000 tonnes a year from 2006.[07] Commission indicator forecasts euro area quarterly GDP growth of 0.2% to 0.6% for the 1st quarter and 0.3% to 0.7% for the 2nd quarter of 2005The indicator-based model for quarterly GDP growth for the euro area, developed by the European Commission's Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs, forecasts a range of 0.2% to 0.6% for GDP growth in the first quarter, and a range of 0.3% to 0.7% in the second quarter. The forecast ranges for both quarters are unchanged compared to the previous release.[08] Deuxième estimation pour le quatrième trimestre 2004 : le PIB de la zone euro en hausse de 0,2% et celui de l'UE25 de 0,3% ; +1,6% et +1,9% respectivement par rapport au quatrième trimestre 2003Au cours du quatrième trimestre 2004, le Produit Intérieur Brut (PIB) de la zone euro a augmenté de 0,2% et celui de l'UE25 de 0,3% par rapport au trimestre précédent, selon les estimations publiées par Eurostat, l'Office Statistique des Communautés européennes. Au cours du troisième trimestre 2004, les taux de croissance avaient été de +0,3% dans les deux zones. En comparaison avec le même trimestre de l'année précédente, le PIB de la zone euro a augmenté de 1,6% et celui de l'UE25 de 1,9% après respectivement +1,8% et +2,2% au cours du trimestre précédent.[09] Air transport in the EU25 : air passenger transport up by 5% in 2003 ; London-Heathrow, Frankfurt-Main and Paris-Charles de Gaulle top 3 airportsIn 2003, compared with 2002, the number of air transport passengers in the EU25 grew by 4.9% to reach 590 million. The most significant increases were registered in some of the new Member States, Slovakia (+25.9%), the Czech Republic (+18.0%), Estonia (+17.8%) and Lithuania (+13.6%), while the largest falls were observed in Sweden (-7.3%) and Luxembourg (-3.7%). The largest countries record the highest number of air passengers. In 2003, the United Kingdom registered 178 million passengers, followed by Germany (121 mn), Spain (120 mn), France (96 mn) and Italy (74 mn). Among these countries, the number of air passengers increased the most in 2003 in Italy (+13.3%), followed by Spain (+7.1%), Germany (+5.9%), and the United Kingdom (+5.5%), while it decreased in France (-0.2%). London/Heathrow (United Kingdom) remained the busiest airport in the EU25 in 2003, followed by Frankfurt/Main (Germany) and Paris/Charles-de-Gaulle (France). This information comes from a report released by Eurostat, on air transport passengers in the EU25. Additional information for Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey as well as Norway, Switzerland and Iceland is also provided.[10] La Constitution européenne dans l'espaceDemain, vendredi 15 avril 2005, l'astronaute italien Roberto Vittori emportera la Constitution de l'Union jusqu'à l'ISS (Station spatiale internationale), à bord du lanceur "Soyouz" qui décollera de Baïkonour au Kazakhstan. Cet exemplaire a été remis lors de l'ouverture de la "Semaine de la Terre et de l'Espace" à Bruxelles par le Vice-Président de la Commission européenne, Günter Verheugen, symbolisant l'aspiration de près de 500 millions d'Européens à travailler ensemble en paix. M. Verheugen a déclaré : "La Constitution européenne donne au monde un exemple de la façon dont les intérêts nationaux peuvent être transcendés, en mobilisant les aspirations de près d'un demi-milliard de citoyens venant d'horizons culturels différents sur les objectifs communs de la paix, de la liberté et de la prospérité. En orbite, la Constitution tournera non seulement autour de l'Europe, mais du globe. Espérons que ce symbole de l'identité européenne sera bien accueilli à la fois par les Européens et les peuples des autres continents du monde." Pour plus d'informations sur cette mission spatiale, contacter l'Agence Spatiale Européenne (ESA), www.esa.int[11] Autre matériel diffuséDiscours de clôture de M. Špidla : "Perspectives du dialogue social - vers les prochaines vingt années" de la Conférence '20 ans de dialogue social' organisée par le Comité économique et social européenSpeech by Günter Verheugen : "Biotechnology's contribution to an innovative and competitive Europe" at European Track (Lyons, ! embargo 16h30 !) Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner : "The International Criminal Court, Transatlantic relations and cooperation with third parties to promote the Rule of Law" at 'Parliamentarians for Global Action' ICC Round Table (Strasbourg) Speech by Margot Wallström : "Sustainable Development – A Core Objective of the European Union" at Stakeholder Forum on Sustainable Development Speech by Olli Rehn : "Progress in the Western Balkans" (13/04, EP, Strasbourg) Speech by Andris Piebalgs : "Towards Zero Emission Power Plants" at European CO² Capture and Storage Conference (13/04) Speech by Louis Michel : "Perspektiven Europäischer Entwicklungspolitik" at German Bundestag (13/04, Berlin) Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner : "Europas Globale Rolle" (13/04, PE, Strasbourg) Speech by Danuta Hübner : "For more cohesion in Europe of diversity" at
plenary session of Committee of the Regions (13/04)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/ Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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