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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-04-28
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] EU and China to link up high-speed electronic networks for an open
exchange among their best researchers and students
[02] Commission welcomes changes to EU law to allow export of patented
medicine to countries in need
[03] The Commission on track to mobilize €100 Million to combat Bird Flu
around the world
[04] Commission to recover € 128.2 million of CAP expenditure from the
Member States
[05] April 2006: Business Climate Indicator for the euro area improves
strongly
[06] April 2006: Economic sentiment improves strongly in both the EU and
the euro area
[07] Estimation rapide - avril 2006 - L'inflation de la zone euro estimée
2,4%
[08] Fourth quarter of 2005 - EU25 current account deficit 32.0 bn euro -
14.4 bn euro surplus on trade in services
[09] Declaration by Vice President Franco Frattini on the Joe Van Holsbeeck
murder case
[10] Mergers: Commission clears proposed takeover of Maxtor by Seagate in
hard-disk drive business
[11] Discharge 2004 gives new impetus to the Commission’s Action Plan for
further improvements
[12] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-04-28
Reference: MEX/06/0428
Date: 28/04/2006
EXME06 / 28.4
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
28/04/06
[01] EU and China to link up high-speed electronic networks for an open
exchange among their best researchers and students
Communication and collaboration among 45 million researchers and students
across Europe and China will be greatly facilitated by a new Sino-European
high-speed network connection announced today. Co-funded by the European
Union, China and European National Research and Education Networks, the
€4.15 million ORIENT (Oriental Research Infrastructure to European
NeTworks) project will benefit all Sino-European research, including radio
astronomy, sustainable development, meteorology, and grid computing, by
helping to step up the flow of information between Europe and China. The
ORIENT project is supported by the EU’s 6th Research Framework Programme.
[02] Commission welcomes changes to EU law to allow export of patented
medicine to countries in need
The European Commission today welcomes the adoption by the European Council
of a regulation allowing companies to produce copies of patented medicines
under license for export to “countries in need” without sufficient
capacity to produce them. The regulation implements within the EU the
necessary conditions to meet a WTO Agreement of December 2005, under which
national authorities can grant compulsory licences for such production if
certain conditions are fulfilled. Yesterday, the European Commission
formally recommended that Member States approve EU ratification of the
historic changes to WTO law. Today’s move is a clear signal of their
intention to do so. The compulsory licensing regulation represents a
crucial measure for some of the poorest countries in the world, which will
gain improved access to affordable medicines which are safe and effective.
[03] The Commission on track to mobilize €100 Million to combat Bird Flu
around the world
The European Commission is well on track to fully mobilize €100 million
pledged at the Beijing conference to combat Avian Influenza around the
world, ahead of the target date. Funds pledged will help poorer countries
tackle Bird flu in the animal population, and increase preparedness for a
possible human pandemic. The Commission aimed to deploy the whole amount
pledged before the Senior Officials Meeting that will bring together donors
and beneficiary countries in Vienna on 6/7 June, and is set to achieve that
goal well within the deadline.
[04] Commission to recover € 128.2 million of CAP expenditure from the
Member States
A total of € 128.2 million of EU farm money unduly spent by Member States
is to be claimed back, following a decision adopted by the European
Commission. The money will be recovered because of inadequate control
procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure.
Member States are responsible for paying out and checking expenditure under
the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the Commission is required to
ensure that Member States have made correct use of the funds.
[05] April 2006: Business Climate Indicator for the euro area improves
strongly
The Business Climate Indicator (BCI) for the euro area improved strongly in
April, suggesting that industrial production growth should be sustained
throughout the first half of this year. The increase in the BCI was largely
due to marked improvements in industry managers' assessment of the
production trend observed in recent months and of both total order books
and export order books. A smaller improvement was reported for the stocks
of finished products, while managers' production expectations for the
months ahead remained unchanged.
[06] April 2006: Economic sentiment improves strongly in both the EU and
the euro area
The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) improved for the fifth consecutive
month in both the EU and the euro area. The indicator for the EU increased
by 2.9 points, while a more moderate improvement of 1.7 points was observed
for the euro area. Since the recovery started about 1 year ago, the ESI has
risen by around 10 points in both areas.
[07] Estimation rapide - avril 2006 - L'inflation de la zone euro estimée
2,4%
Selon une estimation rapide publiée par Eurostat, l'Office statistique des
Communautés européennes, le taux d'inflation annuel de la zone euro
s'établirait 2,4% en avril 2006. En mars, le taux était de 2,2%.
L'inflation de la zone euro est mesurée par l'Indice des Prix la
Consommation de l'Union Monétaire (IPCUM). Pour élaborer les estimations
rapides de l'IPCUM, Eurostat utilise les informations préliminaires sur
les prix du mois de référence, diffusées par les Etats membres4 pour
lesquels les données sont disponibles, ainsi que des informations
préliminaires sur les prix de l'énergie. La procédure d'estimation
rapide de l'IPCUM combine des informations historiques avec des
informations partielles sur les variations récentes de prix de manière
obtenir un indice total pour la zone euro. Il n'existe pas de ventilation
détaillée. L’expérience a montré que la procédure d'estimation
était fiable (anticipation exacte du taux d'inflation dans 14 cas,
différence de 0,1 dans 9 cas et différence de 0,2 dans un cas, en janvier
2005, au cours des deux dernières années). Des informations
complémentaires sont disponibles dans le communiqué d'Eurostat 113/2001
du 5 novembre 2001.
[08] Fourth quarter of 2005 - EU25 current account deficit 32.0 bn euro -
14.4 bn euro surplus on trade in services
According to the latest revisions, the EU25 external current account
recorded a deficit of 32.0 billion euro in the fourth quarter of 2005, as
compared to a surplus of 4.1 bn in the fourth quarter of 2004 and a deficit
of 23.1 bn in the third quarter of 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2005, the
EU25 external current account recorded a surplus with the USA (+20.3 bn
euro), Switzerland (+1.4 bn) and Canada (+2.8 bn), and a deficit with Japan
(-5.0 bn) and remaining partners as a whole (-51.4bn). In the fourth
quarter of 2005, compared to the fourth quarter of 2004, a higher deficit
was recorded in the goods account (-29.8 bn euro compared to -10.0 bn),
while the surplus of the services account increased (+14.4 bn compared to
+9.7 bn). The balance of the income account deteriorated (-3.7 bn compared
to +16.7 bn), while the balance of the current transfer account remained
nearly stable (-12.8 bn compared to -12.3 bn). The surplus recorded in the
services account4 (+14.4 bn euro) is the result of surpluses in the
transportation (+4.1 bn) and “other services” components (+12.3 bn),
and a deficit in travel (-2.1 bn). Preliminary annual results for 2005,
compared to 2004, show an increase in the EU25 external current account
deficit (-94.2 bn euro compared to -12.8 bn), mainly due to a sharp rise in
the goods deficit (-84.6 bn compared to -28.0 bn) and a deterioration in
the income account (-11.2 bn compared to +14.3 bn). The surplus on the
services account further increased (+47.8 bn compared to +43.8 bn), as did
the deficit for the current transfers account (-46.2 bn compared to -42.8
bn). These provisional data, issued by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of
the European Communities, are subject to revision.
Rédiffusion
[09] Declaration by Vice President Franco Frattini on the Joe Van Holsbeeck
murder case
In response to the arrest in Poland of the suspected murderer of the young
man Joe Van Holsbeeck at Brussels Central Station on 12 April 2006 and
Prime Minister Verhofstadt’s statement that Belgian will demand his
extradition from Poland to Belgium on the basis of the European Arrest
Warrant, Vice-President Franco Frattini, Commissioner responsible for
Freedom, Security and Justice instructed his staff to examine the legal
situation regarding the theoretical possibility of using the European
Arrest Warrant to transfer the suspected sixteen-year-old killer, who is
the same age as the boy already in custody, from Poland to Belgium.
Following these deliberations, and after taking due account of the views of
the judicial authorities in the countries concerned, the conclusion is that
the suspect can indeed be surrendered. The obligatory refusal in the case
of minors set out in the framework decision would not appear to apply.
Under Polish law, in such serious cases the age limit is set at 15 years,
by way of derogation from the general requirement that criminal liability
can be assumed only from the age of seventeen. It equally appears that the
ruling by the Polish Supreme Court on 27 April 2005 on the national
legislation implementing the arrest warrant, which held that it was
unconstitutional to surrender Polish nationals on this basis, is no
impediment. The Polish Court itself suspended the effects of the ruling for
18 months, thereby consenting to the surrender of Polish nationals until
the Constitution has been amended. Vice President Frattini said ‘I am
confident that the relevant provisions of the European Arrest Warrant, in
combination with its national implementing measures in regard to the
specific legal position of minors, will ensure that suspects, even if they
are minors, can be surrendered from one EU Member State to another. This is
particularly the case when they are suspected of having committed a very
serious crime. The law must be applied in the best interests of the child
but suspected murderers cannot be allowed to hide from justice.’
[10] Mergers: Commission clears proposed takeover of Maxtor by Seagate in
hard-disk drive business
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed merger between two US manufacturers of hard-disk drives (HDD),
Seagate and Maxtor. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not
significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area
(EEA) or any significant part of it.
[11] Discharge 2004 gives new impetus to the Commission’s Action Plan for
further improvements
The European Parliament voted today by a large majority (523 votes in
favour) to grant the Commission discharge for the general budget 2004. Vice-
President Siim Kallas welcomed the positive vote of the Parliament and its
broad support for the Commission’s efforts and achievements in
modernising and fine-tuning its budgetary praxis. The role of the European
Parliament, and further of the European Court of Auditors, is decisive in
giving momentum to the Commission’s Action Plan to an Integrated Internal
Control Framework
[12] Autre matériel diffusé
Rediff: Memo : "Return Preparatory Actions in the area of Migration co-
financed by the Commission: Twenty operational projects selected
Memo : "mesures transitoires pour la libre circulation des travailleurs
visées au Traité d’adhésion de 2003”
Memo : "Calendrier hebdomadaire du 1er au 7 mai”
Memo : "Decisions of the Commission on the conformity of CAP expenditure
with the EU law »
Speech by Viviane Reding “The new Television without frontiers Directive:
the Commission proposal to boost Europe’s audiovisual sector »
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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