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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-06-19
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] EU – US Summit, Vienna, 21 June 2006
[02] Sustainability at the heart of new European fisheries fund
[03] North Sea sandeel fishery to reopen
[04] Un Européen sur deux pense que les biotechnologies amélioreront la
qualité de la vie
[05] Internal Market: public hearing on future patent policy
[06] Commission welcomes adoption of Capital Requirements Directive
[07] Soutien de la Commission européenne au Fonds européen en faveur de
l’Europe du Sud-Est
[08] Transfer of passenger name records (PNR): The Commission adopts two
initiatives to comply with the Ruling of the European Court of Justice on
the transfer of PNR to the United States of America
[09] Aeronautics: Tackling tomorrow’s challenges
[10] April 2006 - Euro area external trade deficit 2.0 bn euro - 14.8 bn
euro deficit for EU25
[11] Commission clears acquisition of parts of Corus by Aleris
[12] Commission welcomes ratification of tuna-fisheries convention for the
Eastern Pacific
[13] Rédiffusion
[14] Commission consults public and experts on the welfare of laboratory
animals
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-06-19
Reference: MEX/06/0619
Date: 19/06/2006
EXME06 / 19.6
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
19/06/06
[01] EU – US Summit, Vienna, 21 June 2006
Commission President José Manuel Barroso, President of the European
Council and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and US President George
W. Bush will meet at the EU-US Summit on 21 June in Vienna to discuss
foreign policy co-operation, energy security, economy and trade, and other
global challenges. On energy, leaders are expected to step up EU-US
cooperation to a strategic level and to promote a set of principles for
responsible energy policies worldwide. Iran, the Middle East and the
promotion of democracy are expected to dominate the foreign policy agenda.
[02] Sustainability at the heart of new European fisheries fund
The Commission has welcomed the decision by the Council of Fisheries
Ministers meeting, today, to adopt the Regulation on the European Fisheries
Fund (EFF) that it proposed in July 2004. The EFF, which will replace the
current Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG), from 1 January
2007, has been tailor-made to secure a sustainable European fishing and
aquaculture industry. Most of the Commission’s core proposals have been
retained by Council. The result is a fund that will both support the
industry as it adapts its fleet to make it more competitive and promote
measures to protect and enhance the environment. The EFF will also help
fisheries communities most affected by the resulting changes to diversify
their economic base. Support will be reinforced for measures that will
ensure that the industry will continue to have access to the skilled labour
force it requires. The EFF will run for seven years, with a total budget of
around € 3.8 billion. Funding will be available for all sectors of the
industry – sea and inland fisheries, aquaculture businesses, producer
organisations, and the processing and marketing sectors - as well as for
fisheries areas.
[03] North Sea sandeel fishery to reopen
Today the European Commission adopted a Regulation setting the total
allowable catch (TAC) for sandeel in the North Sea and Skaggerak for2006 at
300 000 tonnes. This regulation also limits the number of days at sea for
EU vessels to the level of 2003. These measures have been taken on the
basis of scientific advice provided by the Scientific, Technical and
Economic Committee (STECF) which has estimated the number of sandeels born
last year and joining the North Sea stock (recruitment) to be no less than
324 000 million individuals. As provided for under the Council Regulation
of last December on TACs for 2006, the Commission has set a TAC
accordingly.
[04] Un Européen sur deux pense que les biotechnologies amélioreront la
qualité de la vie
52% des personnes interrogées dans le cadre de la dernière enquête
Eurobaromètre sur les biotechnologies, publiée aujourd’hui, sont
persuadées que les biotechnologies amélioreront leur qualité de vie.
L’enquête Eurobaromètre “Les Européens et les biotechnologies en
2005” montre que la plupart des Européens sont favorables aux
applications médicales des biotechnologies lorsqu’elles vont clairement
dans le sens d’une amélioration de la santé humaine. S’il en va de
même des applications industrielles, ils sont par contre dans l’ensemble
encore sceptiques en ce qui concerne les applications agricoles et
continueront de l’être, moins que les plantes et les produits nouveaux
ne soient perçus comme apportant des avantages pour les consommateurs. La
confiance dans la réglementation de l’Union européenne en matière de
biotechnologies s’est accrue, mais rien n’indique que cela a influencé
les intentions d’achats déclarées des consommateurs, notamment en ce
qui concerne les denrées alimentaires génétiquement modifiées.
D’une manière générale, l’optimisme concernant le rôle des
biotechnologies dans l’amélioration de la société a considérablement
grandi depuis 1999. Les consommateurs se prononcent également en faveur de
la recherche utilisant des cellules souches, condition qu’elle soit
strictement réglementée. Cette enquête est la dernière d’une série
d’enquêtes effectuées régulièrement depuis 1991 sur les attitudes des
citoyens européens vis- -vis des biotechnologies. Les résultats de
l’enquête seront présentés lors d’un atelier de travail le 22 juin
2006 Bruxelles.
[05] Internal Market: public hearing on future patent policy
The European Commission will hold a public hearing on future EU patent
policy on 12 July 2006. This is the second step of the public consultation
launched in January 2006 (see IP/06/38) with the aim of collecting
stakeholders' views on the patent system in Europe and seeking views on
what measures could be taken in the near future to improve this system.
[06] Commission welcomes adoption of Capital Requirements Directive
The European Commission has welcomed the signing by the Council and the
European Parliament of the Capital Requirements Directive for credit
institutions and investment firms. The Directive introduces an updated
supervisory framework in the EU which reflects the Basel II rules on
capital standards agreed at G-10 level. Member States can now focus on
transposing and implementing the Directive by the end of this year.
[07] Soutien de la Commission européenne au Fonds européen en faveur de
l’Europe du Sud-Est
Aujourd’hui, la Commission a pris une participation de 60 millions EUR
dans le Fonds européen en faveur de l’Europe du Sud-Est (FEESE). Ce
fonds d’investissement de droit luxembourgeois a été créé
pour soutenir le développement du secteur privé dans les pays des Balkans
occidentaux par l’octroi de lignes de crédit des banques et des
organismes de microfinance de la région.
[08] Transfer of passenger name records (PNR): The Commission adopts two
initiatives to comply with the Ruling of the European Court of Justice on
the transfer of PNR to the United States of America
The European Commission adopted two initiatives to put a legally sound
framework in place for the transfer of PNR data to the United States. These
initiatives are the first European answers to correct the legal basis for
the Agreement with the US that was struck down by the European Court of
Justice on 30 May 2006. The Court ruled that the Article 95 EC-Treaty was
not an appropriate legal basis for the transfer of PNR data which are
essentially aiming to ensure public security and activities by public
authorities in areas of criminal law. .
[09] Aeronautics: Tackling tomorrow’s challenges
Industry and research establishments across Europe have a track record of
joining forces in the field of aeronautics: a symbol of what Europeans can
accomplish together. Over 800 decision makers from European industry,
airlines and research meet in Vienna today at the 5th Aeronautics Days
Conference to put more emphasis on and resources into making aviation more
environmentally-friendly, safe & secure, as well as cost efficient. The 7th
Framework Programme (2007-2013) is set to provide new impetus; €4.18bn is
earmarked for transport research, including aeronautics, which will foster
the cohesion of research across Europe and internationally and help trigger
large-scale public-private initiatives. Of the hundreds of research
projects currently being co-funded, one example is SILENCE(R) (€111m
total cost, 51 partners) in which around 30 new technical solutions are
being developed and tested for the aero-engine and the airframe. Each has
the potential of reducing noise significantly during take-off or landing.
There are also promising results from the VITAL and NEWAC projects
(together €160m total costs) “Efficient and Environmentally Friendly
Aero Engine”, which look to reduce CO2 & NOx emissions For more
information: EU aeronautics research policy and funded projects <a
href="http://ec.europa.eu/research/aeronautics">http://ec.europa.eu/research/aeronautics
and the upcoming 7th EU Framework Programme for research and technological
development <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/research/future">http://ec.europa.eu/research/future
[10] April 2006 - Euro area external trade deficit 2.0 bn euro - 14.8 bn
euro deficit for EU25
The first estimate for the euro area1trade balance with the rest of the
world in April 2006 gave a 2.0 bn euro deficit against a 1.6 bn surplus in
April 2005. The March 2006 balance was +0.6 bn, compared with +4.0 bn in
March 2005. In April 2006 compared with March 2006, exports, seasonally
adjusted, rose by 1.6% and imports by 2.0%. The first estimate for April
2006 extra-EU25 trade was a 14.8 bn euro deficit, compared with -9.3 bn in
April 2005. In March 2006, the balance was -12.4 bn, compared with -6.6 bn
in March 2005. In April 2006 compared with March 2006, exports, seasonally
adjusted, fell by 0.4% and imports by 0.3%. These data are released by
Eurostat.
[11] Commission clears acquisition of parts of Corus by Aleris
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of parts of the aluminium
business of the Corus Group plc (Corus) of the UK by Aleris International,
Inc. (Aleris) of the US. Aleris is active in the recycling and processing
of aluminium into aluminium alloys, production of magnesium alloys, rolled
products and zinc products. Corus supplies steel and aluminium products.
The transaction involves the rolled aluminium products (plate, sheet and
coil) and extrusions sector of Corus’ business. The operation was
examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[12] Commission welcomes ratification of tuna-fisheries convention for the
Eastern Pacific
The European Commission has welcomed the recent decision by the EU
Agriculture and Fisheries Council of Ministers to approve the ratification
of the Antigua Convention for the strengthening of the Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). The Antigua Convention will replace the
original founding Convention of the IATTC, once it has been ratified by the
requisite number of members. The entering into force of the Antigua
Convention allows for a substantial overhaul and modernisation of IATTC,
making it a better suited tool to ensure the sustainability of the tuna
fisheries in the Eastern Pacific in accordance with current concepts of
international fisheries management. The new Convention also opens the way
for parties other than states to accede to full membership of the IATTC. At
present, the EU is a Cooperating Non-Party to the organisation. “I warmly
welcome this decision, which is yet another example of the European
Union’s global commitment to securing sustainable fisheries,” commented
Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. “I
look forward to early ratification by the parties concerned, so that the
Convention can enter into force as soon as possible.” The IATTC was
established in 1949 on the basis of a Convention between the United States
of America and the Republic of Costa Rica. It currently brings together 15
Contracting Parties, including France and Spain. The organisation is
responsible for the conservation and management of fisheries for tuna and
other species taken by tuna-fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
[13] Rédiffusion
[14] Commission consults public and experts on the welfare of laboratory
animals
The European Commission has today launched a 9-week long internet
consultation of citizens and experts to hear their views on how to increase
the welfare of animals used in experiments. The existing legislation needs
to be updated to further improve the welfare of experimental animals and to
ensure a level playing field for those carrying out animal experiments. The
Commission therefore intends to make a proposal for a revision of this
legislation and wants to take the opinions of the public into
consideration.
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Questions and answers on theEuropean Fisheries Fund (EFF)
Comparison between Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) and
European Fisheries Fund (EFF)
Speech by Neelie Kroes on “Competition law and its surroundings – links
and new trends” at the Competition Day – Opening Session in Vienna
Speech by Janez Potocnik on “Future Research priorities for aeronautics
and air transport” at the Aeronautics Days 2006 (5th edition) in Vienna
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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