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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-12-19
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Concurrence : la Commission publie un document de réflexion sur les
abus de position dominante
[02] Commission clears acquisition of Kwintet by Industri Kapital
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Sidenor by Gerdau, Grupo Santander
and Bogey
[04] Commission clears joint venture between Logista and Planeta de
Agostini
[05] Commission clears joint venture between Logista and Editorial Planeta
[06] Cabotage maritime : la Commission demande au Portugal et la Grèce
d'appliquer les règles
[07] Compétence externe de l'UE en matière de politique des transports :
la Commission adresse un avis motivé la Grèce
[08] Formation des marins : la Commission envoie des avis motivés
l'Italie et au Royaume-Uni
[09] Maritime safety and port State control : Commission requires proper
implementation of the rules
[10] Passenger ships safety : Commission summons Belgium and UK to
implement the rules
[11] Port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues
: three Member States summoned to implement the rules
[12] Statement by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on the European
Council decision to grant candidate status to the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia (17/12)
[13] EU move on export subsidies takes Doha forward - statement by
Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel (18/12, Hong Kong)
[14] EU move on export subsidies takes Doha forward - statement by Trade
Commissioner Peter Mandelson (18/12, Hong Kong)
[15] Octobre 2005 par rapport septembre 2005 : baisse de 0,8% de la
production industrielle dans la zone euro ; baisse de 0,7% dans l'UE25
[16] First estimates for 2005 : EU25 real agricultural income per worker
down by 6.3%
[17] Suite au referendum constitutionnel, Louis Michel se rend ce lundi en
République Démocratique du Congo
[18] EU response to Tsunami
[19] Commission to host Sri Lanka Co-Chairs' meeting
[20] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-12-19
Reference: MEX/05/1219
Date: 19/12/2005
EXME05 / 19.12
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Presse etb
Communication
19/12/05
[01] Concurrence : la Commission publie un document de réflexion sur les
abus de position dominante
La Commission européenne a publié un document de réflexion sur
l'application des règles de concurrence du traité CE relatives aux abus
de position dominante (article 82). Ce document est destiné lancer le
débat sur la manière de protéger au mieux les marchés de l'UE contre
les comportements d'éviction des entreprises en position dominante,
comportements qui risquent d'affaiblir la concurrence sur un marché. Ce
document propose un cadre pour pouvoir continuer appliquer strictement
l'article 82, en s'appuyant sur l'analyse économique menée dans de
récentes affaires, et en exposant une méthode qu'il serait possible de
suivre pour apprécier certaines des pratiques abusives les plus courantes,
telles que les ventes liées, ainsi que les rabais et remises. Les autres
formes de pratiques abusives, telles que le comportement discriminatoire et
l'exploitation abusive d'une position dominante, feront l'objet de travaux
complémentaires de la Commission en 2006. La Commission invite les parties
concernées lui soumettre leurs observations sur le présent document
d'ici le 31 mars 2006.
[02] Commission clears acquisition of Kwintet by Industri Kapital
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Kwintet A/S (KT) of
Denmark by Industri Kapital 2000 Ltd (IK) of the UK. IK is a private equity
company and KT is active in industrial professional wear. The operation was
examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Sidenor by Gerdau, Grupo Santander
and Bogey
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Corporación Sidenor,
S.A. (Sidenor) of Spain by Gerdau S.A. (Gerdau) of Brazil, Banco Santander
Central Hispano S.A. (Grupo Santander) of Spain and Bogey Holding Company
Spain S.L. (Bogey). Gerdau manufactures and sells long common and special
steel products. Grupo Santander is a Spanish group of companies active in
the banking and financial sectors in Europe and South America. Bogey is
active in the securities sector. Sidenor is a Spanish manufacturer of
special steels, forgings and castings. The operation was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure.
[04] Commission clears joint venture between Logista and Planeta de
Agostini
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to a joint venture between Compañía de Distribución Integral
Logista S.A. (Logista) of Spain, belonging to the Altadis group and
Editorial Planeta de Agostini S.A (Planeta de Agostini) also of Spain.
Logista belongs to the French-Spanish group Altadis. Its main activities
are logistics and the distribution of different products in Spain and
Portugal (tobacco, stamps, books and publications). Planeta de Agostini is
jointly controlled by the Spanish group Planeta and the Italian company De
Agostini S.p.A. Its main activities are editing and marketing of
publications. The joint venture will create a new company based in Spain.
Its main activity will be logistics related to the distribution of
publications in Spain and Portugal. The operation was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure.
[05] Commission clears joint venture between Logista and Editorial Planeta
he European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of joint control of a newly created company by
Compañía de Distribución Integral Logista S.A. (Logista) of Spain and
Editorial Planeta S.A. of Spain. Logista belongs to the French-Spanish
group Altadis. Its main activities are logistics and the distribution of
different products in Spain and Portugal (tobacco, stamps, books and
publications). Editorial Planeta belongs to the Spanish Planeta group and
is active in the edition and sale of books. The new joint venture will be
active in the logistics related to book distribution in Spain and Portugal.
The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[06] Cabotage maritime : la Commission demande au Portugal et la Grèce
d'appliquer les règles
La Commission européenne a décidé de saisir la Cour de Justice
l'encontre du Portugal et d'envoyer un avis motivé la Grèce pour non
respect de la réglementation européenne en matière de cabotage maritime.
[07] Compétence externe de l'UE en matière de politique des transports :
la Commission adresse un avis motivé la Grèce
La Commission européenne a décidé d'envoyer un avis motivé
la Grèce, dernière étape avant une éventuelle saisine de la Cour de
justice, pour n'avoir pas respecté sa compétence externe exclusive pour
la mise en œuvre de la politique commune des transports.
[08] Formation des marins : la Commission envoie des avis motivés
l'Italie et au Royaume-Uni
La Commission européenne a décidé d'envoyer des avis motivés, dernière
étape avant une éventuelle saisine de la Cour de justice, l'Italie et
au Royaume-Uni pour défaut de transposition dans leur droit national des
règles européennes sur le niveau minimal de formation des gens de mer.
[09] Maritime safety and port State control : Commission requires proper
implementation of the rules
The European Commission sent reasoned opinions – the last step before
lodging a case to the Court of Justice – to Italy and Malta for failure
to respect EU legislation on port State control of shipping. Latvia was
also sent a reasoned opinion for failure to transpose into national law EU
legislation on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution by ships.
[10] Passenger ships safety : Commission summons Belgium and UK to
implement the rules
The European Commission sent reasoned opinions – the last step before
lodging a case to the Court of Justice – to Belgium and the United
Kingdom for failure to fully transpose into national law EU legislation on
ro-ro passenger ships. The Commission will not tolerate Member States'
delay in fully implementing rules related to people's safety when they
travel by ship.
[11] Port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues
: three Member States summoned to implement the rules
The European Commission sent reasoned opinions to Greece and Slovenia and
decided to lodge a case to the Court of Justice against Poland for failure
to respect EU legislation on the improvement of the availability and use of
port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues.
[12] Statement by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on the European
Council decision to grant candidate status to the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia (17/12)
"I welcome the decision of the European Council to grant the status of
candidate country for EU accession to the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. The European Commission recommended taking such a decision
because the country deserves it on objective grounds. The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia has achieved the necessary track record in
implementing its Stabilisation and Association Agreement and made
substantial progress in implementing the political agenda of the Ohrid
Framework Agreement. (Stabilisation and Association Agreement is a
contractual relation established between the EU and each of the countries
of the Western Balkans, it has both a free trade and an important political
component.) At this stage, the Commission has not recommended the opening
of accession negotiations. As regards further steps, the European Council
gave a clear orientation. It will depend on the country's ability to meet
its obligations under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and to
comply sufficiently with the membership criteria. The Commission will
continue to assess the progress made by the country and report on it to the
Member States. This decision is also the right political signal to send to
the region of the Western Balkans as a whole : the EU has given a clear
European perspective to these countries, provided they fulfil the
conditions. It proves the credibility of our policy for the Western Balkans
and that the EU respects its commitments."
[13] EU move on export subsidies takes Doha forward - statement by
Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel (18/12, Hong Kong)
"I am happy that 2013 is in this paper as the phase-out date for export
subsidies. This is clearly linked to the period when the current CAP
reforms will be fully operational. The rest of the text on the phase-out is
not a Christmas gift for us. However, what matters is that we will define
later what the word “substantial” means, in terms of how much we have
to reduce export subsidies before 2013. We will not accept that it is so
high that it disrupts our markets and makes new reforms necessary. We have
achieved good changes on parallel commitments on export subsidies for other
countries. And the US will now have to make significant farm reforms, for
example to the infamous Counter Cyclical Payments. All this is a good step
for the negotiations over the coming months, when we hope to get agreement
on final modalities."
[14] EU move on export subsidies takes Doha forward - statement by Trade
Commissioner Peter Mandelson (18/12, Hong Kong)
"Today Europe has gone further in its existing commitment to eliminate its
export subsidies by setting a clear end date in 2013. I said we came to
Hong Kong to do business and this shows we meant it. We have demanded, and
received, equivalent commitments from others for similar subsidy reform.
This is a genuine advance for the agriculture negotiation and for the
development goals of the Doha Round. Europe made it happen and we are
pleased to have done so. We rejected the demand for a 2010 final date for
what it is: a political gesture that would see Europe withdraw from global
export markets faster than is economically sustainable. We have insisted on
equal reform from others because effective reform means that all export
subsidies are eliminated, not just Europe's. That is what can be achieved
in a multilateral negotiation. We will continue to demand that others move
with us, every step, and every cut until all forms of export subsidy are
ended. In a week of disappointments this is no small prize. It is not
enough to make this meeting a true success. But it is enough to save it
from failure."
[15] Octobre 2005 par rapport septembre 2005 : baisse de 0,8% de la
production industrielle dans la zone euro ; baisse de 0,7% dans l'UE25
Selon les estimations publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat, la production
industrielle corrigée des variations saisonnières a baissé de 0,8% dans
la zone euro en octobre 2005 par rapport septembre. La production avait
diminué de 0,3% en septembre et progressé de 0,8% en août. Dans l'UE25,
la production a reculé de 0,7% en octobre 2005, après des hausses de 0,1%
en septembre et de 0,3% en août. En octobre 2005, par rapport octobre
2004, la production industrielle a augmenté de 0,1% dans la zone euro et
de 0,2% dans l'UE25.
[16] First estimates for 2005 : EU25 real agricultural income per worker
down by 6.3%
According to the first estimates from Eurostat, EU25 real agricultural
income per worker has dropped by 6.3% in 2005. This decrease is the result
of a reduction in real agricultural income (-8.4%) and a reduction in the
volume of agricultural labour input (-2.3%). The fall in EU25 real
agricultural income in 2005 is itself the result of a combination of
various elements: a) a decrease in the overall output at producer prices of
agriculture in real value terms (-5.0%) ; b) decreases in input costs (-
1.6%) and depreciation (-0.3%), in real terms ; c) a rise in the overall
value of subsidies : product specific subsidies and other subsidies on
production net of taxes (1.9%). The strongest rises have been estimated for
the Lithuania (+25.9%), Estonia (+23.0%), Ireland (+12.8%), Latvia (+5.7%),
the Netherlands (+5.4%) and the Czech Republic (+4.0%). The largest
declines in agricultural income are expected in Hungary (-19.3%), Slovakia
(-14.9%), Spain (-12.0%), Portugal (-11.0%), Slovenia (-10.4%), France (-
10.1%) and Italy (-9.6%).
[17] Suite au referendum constitutionnel, Louis Michel se rend ce lundi en
République Démocratique du Congo
Suite au referendum sur la nouvelle Constitution, Louis Michel, Commissaire
européen au Développement et l'Aide humanitaire, se rend ce lundi en
République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) pour faire le point sur la
continuation de la transition. Avec €149 millions, la Commission est le
premier donateur du processus électoral.
[18] EU response to Tsunami
A year after the Asian Tsunami the EU can record a rapid and coherent
response, both in humanitarian and reconstruction aid, to the disaster, and
a substantial contribution made by the EU to support the resolution of long-
standing conflicts in some of the affected countries. The EU remains fully
aware of the dire conditions in which many people are still living, and
will continue to work to restore communities and livelihoods. Details of
the EU response to the Tsunami are set out in a Progress Report (<a
href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/world/tsunami/index.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/world/tsunami/index.htm).
[19] Commission to host Sri Lanka Co-Chairs' meeting
The European Commission will host on Monday 19 December in Brussels a
meeting of the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and
Development of Sri Lanka. The meeting will be chaired by the European
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and will be attended by representatives of Japan,
Norway, the US and the Council Presidency of the EU. The Co-Chairs will
review the current political situation and examine ways to support the
efforts towards a peaceful solution in Sri Lanka. The participants will
also discuss the coordination of the Tsunami assistance in the light of the
current political situation. The EU is one of four Co-Chairs of the Tokyo
Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka (June 2003). It
was agreed in Tokyo that the four Co-Chairs would continue to meet
regularly and monitor progress in the peace process in Sri Lanka.
[20] Autre matériel diffusé
Document de réflexion de la Commission sur les abus de position dominante
– questions les plus fréquentes
Note on the preparation of the Agriculture/Fisheries Council of December
2005
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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