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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-03-10Midday 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 Générale Presse etbCommunication10/03/06[01] Louis Michel awards the 2005 Lorenzo Natali Prize to Wijedasa NaminiThe European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, today awarded the Sri Lankan journalist Wijedasa Namini the "grand prix" of the 2005 Natali Prize for his report "Blatant Relentless Child Recruitment" on the practice of recruiting children as soldiers by the Sri- Lankan Tamil-Tigers. Fourteen other journalists also received Natali Prizes for their commitment to Human Rights and Democracy.[02] Rapport de la Commission sur les mesures adoptées par les Etats membres afin d'assurer la coexistence des cultures génétiquement modifiées et de l'agriculture conventionnelle et biologiqueL'élaboration d'une législation communautaire concernant la coexistence des cultures génétiquement modifiées (GM) et de l'agriculture conventionnelle et biologique ne semble pas se justifier à l'heure actuelle compte tenu de l'expérience limitée acquise en matière de cultures GM et de la nécessité de conclure le processus de mise en place de mesures au niveau national. Telle est la principale conclusion d'un nouveau rapport publié aujourd'hui par la Commission européenne. Toutefois, avant d'adopter une décision dans ce domaine, la Commission engagera avec les parties intéressées un vaste processus de consultation. Une conférence organisée à Vienne les 5 et 6 avril prochains fournira l'occasion idéale de ce débat. Les mesures de coexistence font l'objet d'une recommandation de la Commission de juillet 2003. Elles visent à garantir que des productions génétiquement modifiées puissent être cultivées à côté de productions non génétiquement modifiées sans conséquences économiques négatives pouvant résulter du mélange accidentel des deux types de cultures. La Commission propose une collaboration avec les Etats membres et les parties intéressées pour la mise au point de recommandations en vue de mesures techniques de confinement spécifiques aux différentes cultures.[03] EU-US wine accord will help EU wine trade with USThe European Union and the United States today in London signed a bilateral wine accord which will bring major benefits for EU wine producers. The agreement, which was approved by EU agriculture ministers in December 2005, follows 20 years of negotiation. It will help EU winemakers to build on their current success in the US, which is by far the EU's largest export market. Annual EU wine exports to the US are worth more than €2 billion, around 40 percent of EU exports in terms of value. This agreement provides a clear demonstration that the US and the EU can resolve important and complex issues through bilateral negotiations and both sides are committed to doing so in the future. The EU and US will start talks within 90 days on a more ambitious second-phase agreement.[04] Solidarity Fund : €106 million for 2005 floods in Bulgaria, Romania and AustriaIn the first "preliminary draft amending budget" (PDAB) of the year 2006, adopted today, the European Commission proposes to grant €20.4 million to Bulgaria, €71.2 million to Romania and €14.8 million to Austria, to reimburse a part of the public expenditure for emergency operations carried out during devastating floods in spring and summer last year. Since 2002, over €860 million have been mobilised through the European Solidarity Fund to help repair the damage caused by major disasters in the EU and accession countries.[05] Commission clears acquisition of Fresh & Co by TCCC and CCHBCThe European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Fresh & Co. Fabrika Za Peradu Voća D.O.O. (Fresh & Co) of Serbia by The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) of the US and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. (CCHBC) of Greece. TCCC is a brand owner and supplier of soft drink concentrates, which it sells to bottling and canning companies. CCHBC is a licensed bottler that produces and sells TCCC-branded beverages in the EEA, Eurasia and Africa. Fresh & Co. produces and distributes fruit juices, principally in Serbia and Montenegro. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.[06] Commission clears acquisition of PRS by FSCThe European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of the business division Product Related Services GmbH & CO. OHG (PRS) of Siemens Business Services (SBS) of Germany by Fujitsu Siemens Computers (Holding) BV. (FSC) of the Netherlands. FSC is a Dutch joint venture between Fujitsu and Siemens. It offers a wide range of complete product and solution portfolio including PCs, notebooks, workstations, handhelds, storage solutions, infrastructure solutions, etc. PRS manages information technology infrastructures in various countries. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.[07] Ján Figel' to attend the opening ceremony of the IX Paralympics Games in TorinoThis evening, European Commissioner Ján Figel' in charge of Education & Training will attend the opening ceremony of the IX Paralympics Games in Torino. At this occasion, Commissioner Figel' said : "Sport can make a difference in everybody's life, contributing to the integration of people into society. There are approximately 37 million people with a disability in Europe and 5% of them practise sport at rehabilitation, recreational or elite level. Events like the Paralympics underline the important role of sport for an individual, for a community and society and give people with a disability the opportunity to reach their potential, achieve self- determination and have fun." Traditionally, Europe has led the Paralympic Movement towards its present successes. Sport for athletes with a disability began with WWII veterans in England in the late 1940s. The first Paralympics Games took place in Rome in 1960 and the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics brought the Games to a new, professional level. The Paralympic Games in 2004 in Athens gathered around 4,000 athletes from more than 140 countries in 19 sports, making these Paralympics the largest ever. For more information on the EU and sport : <a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/sport/index_en.html">http://europa.eu.int/comm/sport/index_en.html[08]Preliminary results for 2005 : EU25 current account deficit €88.0 billion ; €44.9 billion surplus on trade in servicesThe EU25 external current account recorded a deficit of €6.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005, as compared to a surplus of €.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2004 and a deficit of €21.8 billion in the third quarter of 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2005 the EU25 external balance of trade in services recorded a surplus of €11.6 billion as compared to a surplus of €9.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2004 and a surplus of €8.5 billion in the third quarter of 2005. Preliminary results for 2005, compared to 2004, show an increase in the EU25 external current account deficit (-€88.0 billion compared to -€18.5 billion) and a slight increase in the surplus of the services account (€44.9 billion compared to €43.9 billion). These provisional data, issued by Eurostat, will be subject to revision. [09] Quatrième trimestre 2005 comparé au troisième trimestre 2005 : la production du secteur de la construction en hausse de 0,5% dans la zone euro et dans l'UE25Dans le secteur de la construction, la production corrigée des variations saisonnières a progressé de 0,5% tant dans la zone euro que dans l'UE25 au quatrième trimestre 2005, par rapport au trimestre précédent. Au troisième trimestre 2005, la production avait augmenté de 0,6% dans la zone euro et de 0,4% dans l'UE25. Par rapport au quatrième trimestre 2004, la production au quatrième trimestre 2005 a enregistré une hausse de 1,6% dans la zone euro et de 1,8% dans l'UE25, après respectivement +1,1% et +1, 3% au troisième trimestre 2005. L'indice moyen de la production du secteur de la construction en 2005 a baissé de 0,3% par rapport à celui de 2004 dans la zone euro et a augmenté de 0,1% dans l'UE25. Ces premières estimations sont diffusées par Eurostat.[10] Autre matériel diffuséCompetition : Commission publishes information on the role of the Monitoring Trustee in the Microsoft caseNote sur le Conseil Emploi et Affaires sociales London meeting brings key WTO negotiators together to prepare for April deadline Preparation of the Competitiveness Council (13/03) Speech by Ján Figel' : "Multilingualism is essential for the Union's democratic legitimacy" at the SCIC Universities Conference Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner : "Corporate Social Responsibility - Freiheit und Verantwortung in einer globalisierten Welt" at the 'Women in Business' Conference organised by the Deutsche Bank (09/03, Frankfurt) Speech by Olli Rehn : "Deepening and widening: the false dichotomy" at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (09/03, Athens) Calendrier du 13 au 17 mars 2006
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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