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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-05-29
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission outlines details of its relief funding for victims of the
Indonesia earthquake
[02] Choléra en Angola : la Commission double son intervention d'urgence
[03] Commission proposes strategy to strengthen partnership with the
Pacific islands
[04] La Commission lance une campagne de sensibilisation au changement
climatique
[05] Marché italien des télécommunications : La Commission accepte, pour
une période transitoire, des mesures visant à encourager les nouveaux
entrants sur le marché de la téléphonie fixe
[06] Commission approves acquisition of Schering by Bayer
[07] Commission approves acquisition of Degussa's Construction Chemicals
business by BASF
[08] Book on "Patient Mobility in the European Union - Learning from
experience" launched today
[09] Commission to open in Brussels Info Point dedicated to external
cooperation
[10] Andris Piebalgs delivers an optimistic message and a challenge to the
European coal sector
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-05-29
Reference: MEX/06/0529
Date: 29/05/2006
EXME06 / 29.5
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
29/05/06
[01] Commission outlines details of its relief funding for victims of the
Indonesia earthquake
Health, shelter and logistics are key components in the European
Commission's fast track humanitarian aid decision formally adopted on 28
May following the earthquake in Java, Indonesia, which implements the €3
million of aid announced on 27 May. With reports of up to 20,000 people
injured and 200,000 displaced, vital initial needs include medical aid to
treat the wounded and temporary accommodation for those who have lost their
homes. Support is also available for transporting humanitarian aid, and for
the provision of safe water and household items. In calling for
international assistance, Indonesia has triggered the EU's mechanism for
civil protection, which is sending two experts to the earthquake site.
[02] Choléra en Angola : la Commission double son intervention d'urgence
La Commission européenne a affecté un montant supplémentaire de €1,5
million, sous forme d'aide humanitaire d'urgence, Ã la lutte contre la
propagation du choléra en Angola. Plus de 36.000 cas ont été signalés
depuis la première apparition de la maladie le 13 février. Onze des 18
provinces angolaises sont désormais contaminées, y compris la capitale
Luanda. Plus de 1.300 personnes sont décédées et, selon l'UNICEF, 35%
des victimes sont des enfants de moins de cinq ans. Cette nouvelle aide
s’ajoute à un premier don d'urgence de €1,5 million annoncé par la
Commission le 21 avril (voir IP/06/516). A cette époque, la Commission
avait déjà envisagé la possibilité de mobiliser des ressources
supplémentaires si le besoin s'en faisait sentir. Les épidémiologistes
s'attendent désormais à l'apparition d'au moins 30.000 nouveaux cas au
cours des deux à trois mois à venir. En raison de la propagation rapide de
la maladie, les organisations humanitaires et les organismes internationaux
comme l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) ont continué à renforcer
leurs opérations. La contribution de la Commission constitue un
élément essentiel de cet effort international.
[03] Commission proposes strategy to strengthen partnership with the
Pacific islands
The European Commission has today adopted a proposal to deepen the EU's
relations with the Pacific Islands, in particular the 15 Pacific ACP
countries. This is the first formal strategy in 30 years of EU-Pacific
relations, and it aims to strengthen political dialogue, provide greater
focus to development cooperation and improve the effectiveness of aid
delivery. The Commission's proposal reflects the growing environmental,
political and economic importance of the Pacific region.
[04] La Commission lance une campagne de sensibilisation au changement
climatique
Le président de la Commission européenne José Manuel Barroso et le
commissaire chargé de l'Environnement Stavros Dimas donnent aujourd'hui Ã
Bruxelles le coup d'envoi d'une campagne de sensibilisation intitulée "Le
changement climatique: vous pouvez le maîtriser". La campagne exhorte
chacun à modifier un peu ses habitudes quotidiennes afin de contribuer Ã
réduire sensiblement les émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Elle offre
une multitude de conseils pratiques et faciles à appliquer et vise à donner
au citoyen la mesure de sa responsabilité et de ses possibilités dans ce
domaine pour l'aider à participer à la lutte contre le changement
climatique. Les ménages de l'UE sont à l'origine d'environ 16% de
l'ensemble des émissions de gaz à effet de serre de l'Union, dont la plus
grande partie provient de la production et de l'utilisation d'énergie. La
campagne débutera dans les Etats membres au niveau national au cours des
tout prochains jours.
[05] Marché italien des télécommunications : La Commission accepte, pour
une période transitoire, des mesures visant à encourager les nouveaux
entrants sur le marché de la téléphonie fixe
Les nouveaux entrants sur le marché italien des télécommunications
peuvent facturer des tarifs de gros pour la terminaison d'appel plus
élevés que ceux de l'opérateur dominant Telecom Italia, mais seulement
pour une période transitoire de quatre ans. Dans une lettre de
commentaires adressée aujourd'hui à l'autorité italienne des
télécommunications "Autorità de télécommunications par comunicazioni le
garanzie nelle" (AGCOM), la Commission européenne demande cependant Ã
l'AGCOM de spécifier les détails du programme de quatre ans de baisse des
tarifs de gros de la terminaison d'appel des opérateurs de réseau
alternatifs. En outre, afin de mieux préserver les intérêts des
consommateurs, l'AGCOM est invitée à élaborer un modèle de coût pour
évaluer les tarifs de terminaison des opérateurs alternatifs qui tienne
compte de la nécessité pour ces derniers de devenir efficace dans la
durée. La décision de la Commission se fonde sur l'article 7 de la
directive "cadre" pour les communications électroniques (2002/21/CE), qui
requiert de la Commission de s’assurer de la mise en œuvre cohérente
des principes du droit de la concurrence par les autorités nationales de
réglementation dans ce secteur.
[06] Commission approves acquisition of Schering by Bayer
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of the German pharmaceutical company Schering AG by
Bayer AG also of Germany. The Commission has investigated the markets where
the parties' activities overlap and considers that the operation will not
significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area or
any substantial part of it.
[07] Commission approves acquisition of Degussa's Construction Chemicals
business by BASF
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of Degussa's Construction Chemicals business (DCC) by
BASF AG (BASF). After examining the operation, the Commission concluded
that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition
in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it .
[08] Book on "Patient Mobility in the European Union - Learning from
experience" launched today
Today the official book launch on Patient Mobility of the EU Sixth
Framework Programme (FP6) research project 'Europe For Patients' (E4P) will
take place at the European Parliament in Brussels, hosted by John Bowis,
MEP and Rapporteur on patient mobility and healthcare developments in the
European Union (April 2005). The book, one of the products resulting from
the EU-funded research project, 'Europe for Patients' provides evidence on
patient mobility, thus contributing to the ongoing policy discussions. E4P
is one of many projects funded under the EU's Scientific Support for Policy
(SSP) scheme. The project team, which includes universities, officials and
health organisations from Spain, Belgium, the UK, Estonia, Slovenia,
Ireland and Italy, has examined ways of streamlining cross-border patient
mobility. E4P begins from the premise that an increasingly integrated
Europe offers potential benefits to patients through developments such as
greater access to centres of excellence and actions that overcome existing
trans-frontier imbalances between demand and supply. A PDF version of the
book is available at the Project website <a href="http://www.europe4patients.org">www.europe4patients.org
[09] Commission to open in Brussels Info Point dedicated to external
cooperation
The European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will tomorrow open an Info Point dedicated to all
aspects of the Commission activities in the area of external cooperation
and assistance. The Info Point is an innovative and multi-faceted tool
consisting of both a physical location (EuropeAid Cooperation Office, rue
de la Loi 41, Brussels) and virtual space where citizens as well as NGOs
and other interested bodies can seek information, ask questions and
contribute to the debate on issues related to EU external cooperation. The
official opening will take place tomorrow Tuesday 30Â May 2006 at 12h30,
rue de la Loi 41, Brussels. A light lunch will be served after the opening.
Journalists interested in covering this event are invited.
[10] Andris Piebalgs delivers an optimistic message and a challenge to the
European coal sector
At a conference on the future EU energy mix organized by the Silesian
University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland, today, European Energy
Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, addressed the role of coal in the future
European energy mix. He challenged the European coal sector to demonstrate
the future viability of coal as an energy source, stressing that coal has
the potential to provide the necessary flexibility in terms of security of
supply. However, coal can only fulfill this role if its use is not
compromised by unsustainable, environmentally damaging consequences. The
full roll-out of clean coal and CO² capture and storage technologies is
the precondition for the sustained presence of coal in the European energy
mix. The conference took place in the heart of one of the most important
coal-mining regions in the EU. Poland boasts one of the most important coal
reserves in Europe and is the EU's largest coal producer. Moreover, coal
meets approximately 70% of Polish primary energy needs and accounts for
more than 90% of national electricity generation. Some companies involved
in energy production from lignite in Poland have already embarked on
ambitious investment programmes for retrofitting and upgrading lignite-
fuelled power plants in order to meet current EU emission standards.
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Climate change campaign "You control climate change"
Speech by Andris Piebalgs : "A place for coal in the EU Energy Mix" at the
Conference 'Future EU Energy Mix - will coal play an important role?'
(Gliwice, Poland, ! embargo 15h00 !)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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