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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-06-20
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] EU-US Summit: EU and US step up joint fight against counterfeiting
[02] Competition: 2005 Annual Report on Competition Policy
[03] Services financiers: la Commission accueille la première réunion du
groupe des consommateurs de services financiers
[04] Commission updates its aviation blacklist for the first time
[05] World Refugee Day: Commissioner Louis Michel highlights plight of
returnees
[06] Commission clears acquisition of Stahl by Wendel and Carlyle
[07] The e-society in 2005 - More than a third of EU25 population have no
basic computer skills - Large differences between the generations
[08] Sommet UE - États-Unis - Excédent de près de 90 milliards d’euros
du commerce extérieur de l’UE25 avec les États-Unis en 2005 - Les
États-Unis sont le premier partenaire commercial de l’UE25
[09] Rédiffusion
[10] Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into merger between
Gaz de France and Suez group
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-06-20
Reference: MEX/06/0620
Date: 20/06/2006
EXME06 / 20.6
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
20/06/06
[01] EU-US Summit: EU and US step up joint fight against counterfeiting
US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, European Commission Vice President
and Commissioner for Industry Günter Verheugen and EU Trade Commissioner
Peter Mandelson will today launch a joint EU-US action programme to tackle
global intellectual property piracy. The programme was conceived in 2005
and will be endorsed by the EU-US Summit in Vienna on June 21. The joint
strategy is an important reinforcement of the global fight against
counterfeiting and intellectual property theft. It is the first EU-US joint
enforcement programme of its kind.
[02] Competition: 2005 Annual Report on Competition Policy
An overview of the most important policy and legislative initiatives and
decisions adopted by the European Commission in application of EU
competition law in 2005 is featured in the 2005 Annual Report on
Competition Policy, issued today.
[03] Services financiers: la Commission accueille la première réunion du
groupe des consommateurs de services financiers
Le groupe des consommateurs de services financiers, récemment créé,
s’est réuni pour la première fois aujourd’hui, 20 juin 2006. Ce
groupe rassemble les représentants d’organisations de consommateurs
établies dans les États membres de l’UE ou actives l’échelon de
l’UE. Présidé conjointement par les DG Marché intérieur et services
et Santé et protection des consommateurs de la Commission européenne, il
a pour mission de favoriser l’échange d’informations entre les
représentants nationaux et européens des consommateurs et la Commission,
de communiquer des informations aux consommateurs dans tous les États
membres, de réunir des compétences spécialisées au sein du mouvement de
protection des consommateurs dans le domaine des services financiers et
d’obtenir une meilleure prise en compte du consommateur dans les
politiques en matière de services financiers.
[04] Commission updates its aviation blacklist for the first time
The European Commission today issued the first quarterly update of the list
of airlines banned in the European Union drawn up in March this year. The
new list replaces the previous one and is now available on the
Commission’s website.
[05] World Refugee Day: Commissioner Louis Michel highlights plight of
returnees
As the international community marks today World Refugee Day, Louis Michel,
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, welcomed the
fact that the number of refugees throughout the world continues to decrease
– being at its lowest point in 25 years. But he emphasized the daunting
challenge of providing support to the returnees and facilitating their
integration into local communities in their homelands.
[06] Commission clears acquisition of Stahl by Wendel and Carlyle
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Stahl Holding NV (Stahl)
of The Netherlands by Wendel Investissement (Wendel) of France and Carlyle
Europe Partners II LP, a subsidiary of the Carlyle Group (Carlyle) of the
US. Wendel is a listed investment firm that invests in companies active in
industry and services in France and abroad. Carlyle is a private global
investment firm. Stahl is a company active in the manufacture and trade of
chemical products. The operation was examined under the simplified merger
review procedure.
[07] The e-society in 2005 - More than a third of EU25 population have no
basic computer skills - Large differences between the generations
In the EU25, in 2005, 37% of people aged between 16 and 74 had no basic
computer skills. This percentage was slightly higher for women (39%) than
for men (34%). Among Member States for which data are available, the survey
showed notable differences between countries. Large differences also
existed between age groups and between different education levels. These
figures are published by Eurostat.
[08] Sommet UE - États-Unis - Excédent de près de 90 milliards d’euros
du commerce extérieur de l’UE25 avec les États-Unis en 2005 - Les
États-Unis sont le premier partenaire commercial de l’UE25
Biens et services confondus, l’UE25 et les États-Unis représentent la
plus importante relation commerciale bilatérale au monde. Le montant
important des échanges commerciaux et des investissements bilatéraux
illustre le degré élevé d’interdépendance des deux économies. À
l’occasion du sommet Union européenne - États-Unis, qui se déroulera
le mercredi 21 juin Vienne, Eurostat publie des données sur les
échanges commerciaux et les investissements entre les États-Unis et
l’UE25.
[09] Rédiffusion
[10] Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into merger between
Gaz de France and Suez group
The European Commission has decided to open a detailed investigation under
the EU Merger Regulation into the planned merger between Gaz de France
(GDF) and the Suez group of France. The Commission’s initial market
investigation has found that the proposed transaction would raise
significant competition concerns at all levels of the gas and electricity
supply chain in Belgium and at all levels of the gas chain in France, given
the horizontal overlaps and the vertical relationships between the two
companies’ activities. The decision to open an in-depth inquiry does not
prejudge the final result of the investigation. The Commission now has 90
working days (until 25 October 2006) to take a final decision on whether
the concentration would significantly impede effective competition within
the European Economic Area (EEA) or a significant part of it.
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Vice-President Franco Frattini “Internal Security in the EU-
the fight against terrorism and the role of National parliaments (!embargo
14h00!)
Speech by Viviane Reding “More joint research projects and an open
regulatory dialogue: keys for better business conditions and improved
market access between the EU and South East Asia in the ICT sector
Speech by Charlie McCreevy “Financial Services integration – the
Commission’s White Paper at the European Financial Services Round Table
Speech by Andris Piebalgs on “Enhancing Energy Cooperation with
Kazakhstan” at the lunch debate “The Strategic Alliance between EU and
Kazakhstan in the Energy Sector” in the European Parliament (!embargo
14h30!)
Competition: Commission confirms sending Statement of Objections to members
of SkyTeam global airline alliance
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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