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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-09-25
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission welcomes Council agreement to end exemption for liner
shipping conferences
[02] 40,000 Palestinian families to benefit from EU social allowances at
the start of Ramadan
[03] La Commission autorise l'acquisition de Pages Jaunes par KKR
[04] La Commission approuve le projet de fusion entre Abertis et Autostrade
[05] Commission approves proposed acquisition of ALL3Media by Permira
[06] Commission approves proposed acquisition of Cardinal Health by
Alliance Boots
[07] Malaysia and EU agree to start negotiations on "FLEGT"
[08] Sécurité routière : un sujet toujours d'actualité
[09] Joe Borg at international conference on Green Paper on a Maritime
Policy in Athens
[10] Conférence sur les actions innovantes dans le secteur de la pêche
[11] Vers un renforcement de la coopération économique avec les pays
partenaires méditerranéens
[12] EU imposes strict testing requirements on fishery imports from Brazil
[13] Commission and European Federation of Accountants co-host Public
Sector Accounting Conference
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-09-25
Reference: MEX/06/0925
Date: 25/09/2006
EXME06 / 25.9
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
25/09/06
[01] Commission welcomes Council agreement to end exemption for liner
shipping conferences
The European Commission has welcomed the unanimous adoption, at the
Competitiveness Council, of its proposal to repeal the exemption from the
EC Treaty's ban on restrictive business practices (Article 81) for liner
conferences on routes to and from the EU. The current block exemption,
established by Council Regulation 4056/86 allows carriers to fix prices and
regulate capacity jointly. The repeal will enter into effect in October
2008. To ensure that the new regime fosters competitive markets, the
Commission will issue guidelines on the application of the competition
rules to maritime transport before the end of the transitional period. The
Council also empowered the Commission to apply EC Treaty competition rules
to cabotage and tramp shipping, by extending the scope of the competition
implementing rules (Regulation 1/2003).
[02] 40,000 Palestinian families to benefit from EU social allowances at
the start of Ramadan
The European Commission, through the Temporary International Mechanism
(TIM), has started the payment of social allowances to 40,000 of the
neediest Palestinian families. This comes on top of allowances already paid
to health workers, those who have suffered a sudden drop in income and
pensioners. Families have been identified from those normally supported
through the social welfare scheme of the Palestinian Authority and will
receive €270 each. No regular payments have been made to the families in
the scheme since February 2006 due to ongoing financial crisis. The Middle
East Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) last week supported an extension of
the TIM for a three month period and an expansion of its scope.
[03] La Commission autorise l'acquisition de Pages Jaunes par KKR
La Commission européenne a autorisé, en vertu du règlement
Concentrations, le projet d'acquisition de l'entreprise française Pages
Jaunes Groupe SA (Pages Jaunes), filiale de France Télécom, par Kohlberg
Kravis & Roberts & Co L.P (KKR) des Etats-Unis. KKR est active dans
l'investissement de capitaux propres. Pages Jaunes est active dans la
publication d'annuaires téléphoniques, la vente d'espace publicitaire
dans ces annuaires et la vente d'espace publicitaire sur Internet. Il
ressort de l'enquête menée par la Commission que l'opération envisagée
n'entravera pas de manière significative la concurrence dans le marché
commun. Cette affaire a été traitée selon la procédure simplifiée.
[04] La Commission approuve le projet de fusion entre Abertis et Autostrade
La Commission européenne a autorisé, en vertu du règlement UE sur les
concentrations, le projet de concentration par lequel Abertis, société
espagnole exerçant ses activités dans la gestion d'autoroutes à péage,
fusionne avec Autostrade, société italienne exerçant les siennes dans le
même secteur en Italie. La Commission a considéré que l'opération
n'entraverait pas de manière significative une concurrence effective dans
l'Espace économique européen ou dans une partie substantielle de celui
ci.
[05] Commission approves proposed acquisition of ALL3Media by Permira
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of All3Media Group, the UK TV production and
distribution company, by Permira Holdings, an international private equity
firm. 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.
[06] Commission approves proposed acquisition of Cardinal Health by
Alliance Boots
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of sole control of Cardinal Health UK by Alliance
Boots plc of the UK. 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.
[07] Malaysia and EU agree to start negotiations on "FLEGT"
The Hon. Datuk Peter Chin, Minister of Plantation Industries and
Commodities of Malaysia met Commissioners Louis Michel and Stavros Dimas,
responsible for Development and Environment respectively, today in
Brussels. They agreed to embark on formal negotiations towards conclusion
of a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) on forest laws enforcement,
governance and trade (FLEGT), which will provide assurance that all trade
in timber between Malaysia and the EU is verified to be legal. The
agreement will also provide for cooperation, such as joint studies,
knowledge-sharing and capacity-building. The commitment to proceed with
formal negotiations followed a series of informal consultations between
Malaysia and the EU over the past year. Commissioner Dimas said: "This
represents a major milestone in the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action
Plan, and I commend Malaysia for its' leadership. I am confident that other
countries will soon join Malaysia in this ambitious initiative." Datuk Chin
stated that "as a major exporter of timber products, Malaysia believes that
the conclusion of a VPA with the EU will further strengthen sustainable
forest management in Malaysia." Commissioner Michel concluded by stating
that "in taking this step, the EU and Malaysia aim to demonstrate that
trade and good governance can reinforce each other as a positive force for
development and for sustainable resource management."
[08] Sécurité routière : un sujet toujours d'actualité
Jacques Barrot, vice-président de la Commission européenne en charge des
transports, a participé aujourd'hui à un colloque parlementaire sur la
sécurité routière en Europe, tenu à l'Assemblée nationale française. A
cette occasion, le vice-président a rendu hommage à l'action menée en
France dans le domaine de la sécurité routière, ainsi qu'il a donné un
aperçu de l'acquis et des perspectives de la politique de l'Union
européenne en la matière. Dans sa conclusion, M. Barrot a exhorté les
participants à ne pas relâcher leurs efforts et il a réaffirmé la
volonté de la Commission d'intensifier les siens pour atteindre l'objectif
commun de réduire de moitié le nombre de victimes de la route à l'horizon
2010.
[09] Joe Borg at international conference on Green Paper on a Maritime
Policy in Athens
Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs,
travelled to Athens yesterday to take part in the opening session of the
Mare Forum Conference being held on 25-26 September. The theme of this
Conference is the Green Paper, launched by the Commission last June, on a
future Maritime Policy for the Union. The Commissioner's visit started
yesterday evening with a working dinner hosted by Greek State Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Valinakis. Their conversation covered a range of
maritime issues, including maritime surveillance, and civil/military roles
in handling crisis situations at sea. In his Conference speech earlier
today, the Commissioner spoke of the benefits that a Maritime Policy could
bring to shipping by enhancing the competitiveness of the sector while
protecting and preserving the marine environment and putting maritime
governance on a sound footing. He encouraged representatives of the sector
to play an active role in the year-long consultation process on the Green
Paper. At the end of the morning, Commissioner Borg will meet with Manolis
Kefalogiannis, Greek Minister of Mercantile Marine. He will welcome the
active role that Greece is playing in stimulating the debate on a Maritime
Policy. Commissioner Borg will then join the members of the Board of the
Union of Greek Ship-owners to receive their initial reactions to the Green
Paper. The Commissioner's visit will close with a lunch hosted by the
President and members of the Executive Committee of the Malta International
Shipping Council, which will provide a further opportunity for exchange of
views with representatives of the industry.
For more information: <a href="http://www.mareforum.com/mare_forum_2006.htm">http://www.mareforum.com/mare_forum_2006.htm
[10] Conférence sur les actions innovantes dans le secteur de la pêche
Une conférence sur les actions innovantes dans le secteur de la pêche
s'est déroulée en Finlande, à Vaasa, les 22 et 23 septembre 2006. Cette
conférence, organisée par la Commission européenne, était axée sur le
rôle des femmes ; elle a permis aux participants d'échanger leurs
meilleures pratiques et d'examiner les résultats de projets innovants
financés par l'Instrument financier d'orientation de la pêche (IFOP). Les
conclusions d'une évaluation externe de ces projets ont été
présentées, ainsi que les possibilités en matière d'actions innovantes
dans le cadre du Fonds européen pour la pêche, qui sera opérationnel en
janvier 2007. La conférence était destinée aux gestionnaires de projets
et aux représentants des Etats membres et du Parlement européen.
[11] Vers un renforcement de la coopération économique avec les pays
partenaires méditerranéens
La 6ème conférence des ministres de l'industrie de l'Union européenne et
des pays partenaires méditerranéens s'est déroulée à Rhodes
sur le thème "Les entreprises de l'Union européenne et des pays
méditerranéens face aux défis de la mondialisation". Les ministres de
l'industrie ont débattu de la mise en œuvre de la politique européenne
de voisinage (PEV) pour favoriser l'intégration économique et maîtriser
la mondialisation. Ils ont convenu d'approfondir la coopération
économique notamment dans les quatre domaines suivants: intégration
économique, accès au marché, compétitivité et PME, innovation et
investissements. Par ailleurs, ils ont confirmé leur engagement en faveur
de l'établissement d'une zone de libre échange euro-méditerranéenne
porteuse d'avantages mutuels, d'ici 2010. C'est la première conférence
ministérielle organisée dans le cadre du partenariat euro-méditerranéen
depuis la cessation des hostilités au Liban et en Israël.
[12] EU imposes strict testing requirements on fishery imports from Brazil
A draft European Commission decision to impose safeguard measures against
Brazilian fishery products was endorsed by Member State experts in the
Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 22 September. The
measures are being taken due to serious concerns about the safety of these
products for consumers, following a Food and Veterinary Office (FVO)
inspection visit in June. The main concerns relate to the possible level of
histamine in Brazilian fishery products, hygiene in the fishery production
process and the reliability of the Brazilian approval procedure for fishery
establishments. Under this decision, susceptible fishery products exported
from Brazil to the EU will have to be tested and certified to show that
they do not exceed the limits set out in the EU's food hygiene legislation
(Regulation 853/2004 on hygiene for food of animal origin and Regulation
2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs). Member States will
step up controls on these products at the border, and will carry out
testing on non-certified consignments, at the expense of the operator
responsible for the consignment. Results of this testing will be reported
by Member State authorities through the Rapid Alert System for Food and
Feed and in quarterly reports to the Commission. In addition, the
Commission informed the Standing Committee this week that five fishery
establishments in Brazil which were identified by the FVO to be non-
compliant with EU hygiene rules will be removed from the list of
establishments authorised to export to the EU. With regard to other food
products imported from Brazil which have been subject to recent FVO checks,
the Commission is in the process of evaluating the FVO findings and the
follow-up information and guarantees provided by the Brazilian authorities.
Measures may be taken in the near future if certain deficiencies are not
rapidly and adequately addressed by the Brazilians.
[13] Commission and European Federation of Accountants co-host Public
Sector Accounting Conference
The European Commission and European Federation of Accountants (FEE) are
jointly organising on the Thursday 28 September in the seat of the European
Parliament in Brussels a one-day conference "Modernising accounting in the
Public Sector – Exchange of Experience". The conference will discuss the
public sector's progress in implementing accrual accounting. Among
prominent speakers are : Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget
Dalia Grybauskaite, president of the FEE David Devlin and Brian Gray, the
Commission's Accountant and Deputy Director General of DG Budget. A
specific press briefing for attending journalists will be organised half-
way through the conference to enable them to put questions to key delegates
from the Commission, the FEE and the International Public Sector's
Accounting Standards Board.
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Competition: repeal of block exemption for liner shipping conferences -
frequently asked questions
Speech by Neelie Kroes : "Market developments and future perspectives in
the automotive sector" at Conference organised by the European Council for
Motor Trades and Repairs (CECRA) (! embargo 15h00 !)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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