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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-10-12Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>CONTENTS / CONTENU[I] Résultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission meeting
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
MIDDAY EXPRESSNews from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefingNouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb12/10/06[I] Résultats de la Commission de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission meeting[01] Commission adopts contributions to Lahti informal Summit on innovation and energy policyThe European Commission has adopted two separate contributions to the Lahti informal Summit on innovation and energy policy. These two short papers, prepared under the authority of President Barroso, respond to a request from the Finnish Presidency for contributions to assist in the framing of the debate in Lahti. President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso said, "Innovation and energy security are European challenges which require European solutions. The informal Summit in Lahti will define the direction and next steps in the development of European innovation policy and the Commission's proposals for the external aspects of an energy policy for Europe. Both papers underline the strengthened role that Europe can play when it has a set of common objectives and speaks with a single voice."[02] Cinq mesures pour désamorcer la bombe à retardement démographiqueLe vieillissement de la population européenne pose un problème sans précédent à l’ensemble de la société, mais c’est un problème à la résolution duquel il faut s’atteler sans attendre. Telle est la conclusion d’une nouvelle communication de la Commission, intitulée « L'avenir démographique de l'Europe, transformer un défi en opportunité », selon laquelle les États membres sont capables de faire face à l’amenuisement de la main-d’œuvre et, précisément, au vieillissement de la population. Les clés du succès sont, en l’occurrence, l’encouragement au renouvellement démographique, la création d’emplois et l’allongement de la vie professionnelle, l’accroissement de la productivité, l’intégration des immigrés et la viabilité des finances publiques.[03] Ageing costs : cut deficits and reform pensions now to leave a sustainable legacy for our children tomorrowAchieving balanced budgets in the medium-term would enable the EU Member States to face up to the daunting pension costs of an ageing population with much more confidence. If we achieve this goal, the EU average debt-to- GDP ratio would increase from today's 63% to about 80% by 2050 instead of almost 200% on current policies, according to a Communication to the Council and Parliament on the Long-Term Sustainability of Public Finances in the EU. It shows that Member States with high budgetary imbalances and significant projected increases in age-related expenditure are more at risk than others. But coping with the budgetary impact of ageing is a key policy challenge for the EU as whole. The answer lies in reducing public debts, raising employment rates and improving productivity while pursuing reform of pension, health care and long-term care systems.[04] Commission committed to supporting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and IrelandThe European Commission adopted today a proposal to continue European Union support for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) at €15 million per year for the four year period 2007-2010. The total €60 million proposed for the IFI is in addition to the €200 million which will be allocated through European regional policy to the programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE programme), which operates in Northern Ireland and in the Border Region of Ireland.[05] La Commission ouvre une enquête sur le projet de réforme du financement des retraites des fonctionnaires de La Poste françaiseLa Commission européenne a décidé d'ouvrir en vertu des règles du traité CE sur les aides d'Etat une enquête approfondie portant sur le projet notifié de réforme du financement des retraites des fonctionnaires de l'Etat employés par La Poste française. La Commission va examiner en particulier si l'allègement des charges de La Poste mis en place par la réforme ne lui confère pas un avantage par rapport à ses concurrents. L'ouverture d'une enquête approfondie donne aux tiers intéressés la possibilité de présenter leurs observations sur les mesures envisagées. Elle ne préjuge pas de l'issue de l'investigation.[06] Commission concludes BT and Kingston have received no aid through UK property taxThe European Commission has concluded that the way in which UK property tax on telecommunications infrastructure is applied to BT and Kingston Communications in England and Wales does not constitute an aid under EC Treaty state aid rules. The Commission has therefore closed its formal investigation under EC Treaty state aid rules. In particular, the Commission's investigation concluded that the so-called "business rates" tax is levied on telecommunications infrastructure belonging to BT and Kingston in a way that does not give them a lower tax burden than that of their competitors and so does not result in state aid in favour of BT and Kingston.[07] Commission endorses support of up to €45 million for Bavarian ethylene pipelineThe European Commission has approved under EC Treaty state aid rules (Article 87) a direct subsidy that the German Land of Bavaria intends to grant to EPS (Ethylene Pipeline Süd GmbH & Co. KG), a consortium of German petrochemical companies, for the construction of an ethylene pipeline. The planned aid amounts to 29.9% of the total eligible costs of the investment, up to a maximum aid level of €44.85 million. The Commission considers that this project is an important step towards the realisation of a pan- European ethylene pipeline network, but does not unduly distort competition.[08] Commission takes action against Member States breaking the tobacco sponsorship banThe European Commission has decided to pursue infringement procedures against those Member States that violate the EU tobacco advertising ban. It decided to refer Italy to the European Court of Justice for failure to correctly transpose the sponsorship ban for cross-border events. In addition, it decided to send "reasoned opinions" to the Czech Republic and Spain, and an "additional reasoned opinion" to Hungary for failing to correctly transpose the sponsorship ban into national law. These countries already received a "letter of formal notice" in April 2006. They now have two months to comply ; otherwise the Commission may resort to the European Court of Justice.[09] Commission starts infringement proceedings against the UK for failure to act on food safety violationsThe European Commission decided to initiate infringement proceedings against the UK government, due to its lack of response to identified food safety problems in a UK dairy establishment. The Commission considers that the national authorities' failure to take appropriate measures in response to unlawful and unhygienic practices in Bowland Dairy (see IP/06/1337) constitutes an infringement of EU legislation. In the Commission's opinion, the UK government did not fulfill its obligation to effectively enforce EU rules and mitigate risks to consumer safety, despite being fully aware of the serious problems that the EU's Food and Veterinary Office found in this dairy. The Commission is particularly concerned about the acceptance shown by the UK authorities towards the placing on the market of milk which tested positive for antibiotics and which was not shown to be within the required EU maximum residue levels.[10] La Commission demande aux États membres de fournir des informations importantes pour la lutte contre le changement climatiqueLa Commission européenne a décidé d'engager ou de poursuivre des procédures d'infraction à l'encontre d'un certain nombre d'Etats membres qui n'ont pas fourni les informations importantes requises dans le cadre des efforts déployés par l'UE pour combattre le changement climatique. La Commission assigne le Luxembourg devant la Cour de justice européenne pour ne pas avoir fourni d'informations suffisantes sur les politiques et mesures mises en Å“uvre pour réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et sur ses estimations des émissions à venir. Des avertissements vont être adressés à sept Etats membres pour ne pas avoir communiqué d'importantes informations techniques concernant leurs objectifs d'émission, et un premier avertissement sera adressé à huit Etats membres pour ne pas avoir communiqué leurs plans nationaux d'allocation de quotas dans le cadre du système communautaire d'échange de quotas d'émission.[11] EU telecoms rules : nine new infringement cases opened, while eight cases go into the second roundIn a new round of proceedings against possible infringements of EU telecoms rules, the European Commission has opened nine new infringement cases against Member States. The Commission is also sending a reasoned opinion, thereby opening the second stage of infringement proceedings, to eight Member States. The majority of cases in this new round concern a failure to complete market reviews to assess the status of competition on national telecom markets or the lack of caller location information to emergency authorities. The Commission also closed nine cases today, following satisfactory implementation of EU legislation in the Member States concerned.[12] La Commission demande à la France de modifier sa législation établissant une procédure d'autorisation pour les investissements étrangers dans certains secteurs d'activitéLa Commission européenne a décidé de demander formellement à la France de modifier le décret 2005-1739 du 30 décembre 2005, qui instaure une procédure d'autorisation pour les investissements étrangers dans certains secteurs d’activité susceptibles d'intéresser l'ordre public, la sécurité publique ou la défense nationale. La Commission craint que certaines des dispositions de ce décret ne dissuadent les investissements provenant d'autres Etats membres, en violation des règles du traité CE relatives à la libre circulation des capitaux (article 56) et au droit d'établissement (article 43). La demande de la Commission est adressée sous la forme d'un avis motivé, deuxième étape de la procédure d'infraction prévue à l'article 226 du traité CE. La première étape de cette procédure est une lettre de mise en demeure, qui a été envoyée en avril 2006 (voir IP/06/438). En l'absence de réponse satisfaisante de la France dans les deux mois suivant la réception de l'avis motivé, la Commission peut éventuellement décider de porter l'affaire devant la Cour européenne de justice.[13] Internal Market : Commission acts to ensure 16 Member States implement EU lawsThe European Commission has decided to pursue infringement procedures against 16 Member States for failure to implement in national law one or more of six different Internal Market Directives. The Commission will refer Italy to the European Court of Justice over a Directive on institutions providing occupational pensions. The Commission has decided to formally ask 12 Member States – Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden – to implement the Directive on enforcement of intellectual and industrial property. The Commission has also decided to formally ask eight Member States – Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden – to implement one or more Directives on public procurement. These requests take the form of "reasoned opinions", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. Finally the Commission has decided, under Article 228 of the EC Treaty, to send a letter of formal notice asking France for full information on its execution of a European Court judgement concerning implementation of a Directive on professional qualifications.[14] La Commission clôt une procédure contre l'Italie concernant la loi relative aux investissements dans des sociétés du secteur de l'énergieLa Commission européenne a décidé de clore la procédure d'infraction engagée contre l'Italie au vu des mesures prises pour se conformer à l'arrêt de la Cour de justice européenne du 2 juin 2005 concernant la loi sur les investissements dans des sociétés du secteur énergétique. Dans son arrêt, la Cour a estimé que la suspension automatique des droits de vote liés à des participations supérieures à 2% du capital de sociétés italiennes des secteurs de l'électricité et du gaz, lorsque ces participations étaient acquises par des entreprises publiques non cotées en bourse et jouissant sur leur marché national d'une position dominante, enfreignait les règles du traité CE sur la libre circulation des capitaux (article 56). Cette décision fait suite aux mesures prises par l'Italie le 1er août 2006 afin de se conformer à l'arrêt de la Cour.[15] Freedom to provide services and freedom of establishment : infringement procedures against Belgium, Germany, Greece and SpainThe European Commission has taken action to put an end to obstacles to the freedom of establishment and to the free movement of services in Belgium, Germany, Greece and Spain. The Commission will formally request Belgium to amend its rules requiring training companies wishing to operate in the French-speaking Walloon region to have their main business base in that region, which the Commission considers to be incompatible with EC Treaty rules on the freedom to provide services. The Commission will also formally request Germany to amend the parts of its law on chimney sweeps that the Commission considers to be incompatible with EC Treaty rules on the freedom of establishment (Article 43) and the freedom to provide services. Meanwhile the Commission will formally request Greece to modify its rules concerning the operation of certification bodies within the national "Get Certified" programme. The Commission considers that the requirement for an accreditation body to perform on-the-spot checks in Greece of the businesses that its associated certification body has certified is incompatible with EC Treaty rules on the free movement of services (Article 49). These formal requests take the form of "reasoned opinions", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. Finally the Commission has decided, under Article 228 of the EC Treaty, to send a letter of formal notice asking Spain for full information on its execution of a European Court judgement concerning private security services.[16] Libre circulation des services : la Commission enquête sur des entraves à la fourniture de services de jeux d'argent en Autriche, en France et en ItalieLa Commission européenne a décidé d'envoyer des demandes officielles d'informations à l'Autriche, à la France et à l'Italie concernant des dispositions de leur législation nationale restreignant la fourniture de certains services de jeux d'argent. En avril 2006, la Commission a décidé d'envoyer des demandes d'informations similaires au Danemark, à la Finlande, à l'Allemagne, à la Hongrie, à l'Italie, aux Pays-Bas et à la Suède (IP/06/436). Dans ces derniers cas, la Commission souhaite vérifier une nouvelle fois si les mesures en question sont compatibles avec l'article 49 du traité CE qui garantit la libre circulation des services. La décision de la Commission ne porte que sur la compatibilité des mesures nationales en question avec la législation communautaire en vigueur. Elle ne concerne pas l'existence des monopoles en tant que tels, ni les loteries nationales. Elle n'a également aucune implication concernant la libéralisation du marché des services de jeux d'argent en général, ni le droit des Etats membres de tenter de protéger l'intérêt général, pour autant que cela se fasse d’une manière compatible avec le droit communautaire, autrement dit, que les mesures soient nécessaires, adéquates et non discriminatoires. Les lettres de mise en demeure constituent la première étape de la procédure d'infraction au titre de l'article 226 du traité CE. Les Etats membres concernés ont deux mois pour y répondre. La Commission espère que les réponses reçues permettront de trouver une solution rapide et satisfaisante au problème. La Commission publie par ailleurs les résultats d'une étude de grande ampleur effectuée pour son compte par l'Institut suisse de droit comparé. Cette étude dresse pour la première fois un tableau du régime juridique applicable aux jeux d'argent et de hasard dans les Etats membres de l'UE. L'étude tente également de donner des indications sur le développement économique de ce secteur.[17] Public procurement : Commission requests Spain to modify Valencia town planning lawThe European Commission has sent Spain a further formal request to modify the law on land-and-town planning that applies to the Valencia Community – the Ley UrbanÃstica Valenciana ("LUV"). This request takes the form of an additional "reasoned opinion", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.[18] Public procurement : infringement proceedings against Germany and SlovakiaThe European Commission has taken action against Germany and Slovakia to correct breaches of EU public procurement law. The Commission will send formal requests to Germany concerning a contract for the construction of four trade fair halls and additional premises concluded between the city of Cologne and a private investment company, and concerning the award of security control services at the airport Frankfurt/Main. The Commission will also send a formal request to Slovakia concerning the use of the selection criterion of previous experience as one the award criteria in a tender for construction of a Motorway D 3. These requests take the form of "reasoned opinions", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.[19] Public procurement : Commission closes infringement cases against Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark and United KingdomThe European Commission has decided to close a range of infringement cases on public procurement, having come to a satisfactory agreement with the Member States concerned without the need to refer the case to the European Court of Justice or to enforce a previous judgement of the Court. The cases that have now been resolved were, respectively, against the United Kingdom concerning the design and construction of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood ; against the Czech Republic concerning the tender procedure for an electronic toll system for motorways ; against Austria concerning waste disposal services in the city of Mödling ; and against Denmark concerning its implementation of the Remedies Directive in accordance with the "Alcatel" judgement of the Court of Justice.[20] Qualifications professionnelles : la Commission veille à ce que le droit de l'UE soit dûment mis en Å“uvre en France et au LuxembourgLa Commission européenne a engagé une action en justice contre la France et le Luxembourg afin de faire cesser des infractions au droit de l'UE en matière de qualifications professionnelles. La Commission a décidé d'introduire un recours devant la Cour de justice européenne contre la France en ce qui concerne les modalités de port du titre professionel de dentiste. La Commission a également transmis une demande officielle au Luxembourg pour qu'il modifie sa législation limitant les activités que peuvent exercer les sages-femmes. Cette demande prend la forme d'un "avis motivé", deuxième étape de la procédure d'infraction fixée à l'article 226 du traité CE. En l'absence de réponse satisfaisante dans les deux mois, la Commission peut saisir la Cour européenne de justice.[21] Insurance and pensions : Commission acts to ensure correct implementation of EU law in Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy and PolandThe European Commission has taken action against six Member States to correct breaches of EU law on insurance and occupational pensions. The Commission will refer Italy to the European Court of Justice over Italian legislation requiring all insurers that are licensed to provide third party motor liability insurance in Italy to offer insurance for all categories of insured in all regions of Italy. The Commission will also refer Finland to the Court over Finnish legislation relating to transfer stickers and transfer insurance. The Commission will send a formal request to Germany to modify its rules on pre-contractual duties of insurers towards policyholders and the right of withdrawal from a life assurance contract. This request takes the form of a "reasoned opinion", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. Finally the Commission has decided to send the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland formal requests to submit their observations on their transposition of a Directive on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision. The Commission's request takes the form of a letter of formal notice, the first stage of the infringement procedure under Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If, after reviewing the observations, the Commission considers that transposition of the Directive is incomplete, then the Commission may decide to send the Member States concerned a reasoned opinion requesting them formally to modify their legislation.[22] Direct taxation : Commission requests Poland to end discriminatory taxation of foreign lotteriesThe European Commission has sent Poland a formal request to end discriminatory taxation of foreign lotteries. Winnings from lotteries in other Member States are subject in Poland to a higher taxation than winnings in Polish lotteries. The Commission considers that this discrimination is contrary to the EC Treaty. The request is in the form of a "reasoned opinion" under Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If Poland does not reply satisfactorily within two months the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.[23] Achieving pan-European introduction of the digital tachographThe European Commission has issued formal notifications to Greece and Cyprus urging implementation of measures for the use of digital tachograph in road transport operations. On 1st May 2006, the digital tachograph became mandatory for all new heavy goods vehicles and buses in the European Union.[24] Sécurité du transport aérien : la Commission européenne envoie un avis motivé au LuxembourgLa Commission européenne a envoyé un avis motivé – la dernière étape avant de saisir la Cour de justice – au Luxembourg pour non- respect de la législation européenne en matière de sécurité aérienne. Cette législation a pour objectif de garantir des normes de base communes pour les mesures en matière de sécurité aérienne dans les aéroports communautaires afin de prévenir les actes d'intervention illicite contre l'aviation civile.[25] Second railway package : Commission sends Reasoned Opinions to 13 Member StatesThe European Commission has decided to pursue infringement proceedings against the 13 EU countries that have failed to notify the Commission of the transposition of two key directives of the second railway package into domestic legislation. These two directives aim at ensuring high levels of safety and interoperability for rail business across Europe. The Commission is determined to ensure a level playing field for rail across the single market.[26] Performance énergétique des bâtiments : la Commission adresse des avis motivés à neuf Etats membresLa Commission européenne a envoyé aujourd'hui des avis motivés – dernière étape avant le dépôt d'une plainte officielle devant la Cour de justice – à la Belgique, à la République tchèque, à l’Espagne, au Luxembourg, aux Pays-Bas, à l’Autriche, à la Slovaquie, à la Finlande et au Royaume-Uni, pour défaut de notification de mesures nationales de mise en Å“uvre suffisantes par rapport aux exigences de la directive de 2002 sur la performance énergétique des bâtiments. Le but de la directive est de réduire la consommation énergétique des bâtiments en obligeant les Etats membres à établir des normes minimales de performance énergétique applicables aux bâtiments neufs et aux bâtiments existants de grande taille. Il s'agit donc d’un volet important de la législation de l'UE destinée à améliorer l'efficacité énergétique globale.[27] Control of radioactive sources : Commission acts against Denmark, France, Portugal and SwedenThe European Commission has decided to send reasoned opinions to four Member States which have not yet notified transposition measures necessary for complying with the Directive on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources. The sending of reasoned opinions to Denmark, France, Portugal and Sweden is the second stage of an infringement proceeding. If these Member States do not notify all the domestic law transposition measures within the established time limit, the Commission will have to refer the matter to the Court of Justice.[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles[28] José Manuel Barroso to attend 7th EU-India Summit (13/10, Helsinki)The EU and India will hold their 7th Summit meeting on 13 October in Helsinki. The Summit, hosted by the Finnish Prime Minister, Mr Matti Vanhanen, on behalf of the Finnish Presidency, will be attended by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. Mr Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, will also be present. The Summit agenda will cover EU-India relations including implementation of the Joint Action Plan adopted at the last Summit (Delhi, September 2005) and it will endorse the recommendations of the EU-India High Level Trade Group on ways to further enhance bilateral trade and investment. Issues of global concern scheduled for discussion include effective multilateralism, climate change and energy, counter terrorism, and non-proliferation. Regional issues will also be discussed, including Iran, Burma/Myanmar,and Sri Lanka.[29] La Commission approuve une enveloppe de €193 millions pour lutter contre les maladies animales en 2007La Commission européenne a approuvé une enveloppe de €193 millions pour financer des programmes d'éradication, de contrôle et de surveillance des maladies animales en 2007. Les 155 programmes qui ont été retenus en vue d'un financement par l'UE s'attaqueront à des maladies animales qui ont des incidences à la fois sur la santé humaine et sur la santé animale. L'ampleur de la participation communautaire à ces programmes traduit l'importance considérable accordée aux mesures d'éradication de ces maladies, dans un souci de protection de la santé animale et de la santé publique.[30] Ouverture d'une distillation de crise pour le vin en EspagneLa Commission européenne a adopté un règlement visant à ouvrir une distillation de crise pour le vin en Espagne. Une quantité maximale de 185.000 hectolitres de certains vins de qualité pourra être offerte à la distillation. Le prix fixé pour le vin à distiller est de €3,00 par % vol et par hl. L'alcool brut résultant de cette distillation ne peut être utilisé qu'à des fins industrielles ou en tant que biocarburant afin de ne pas perturber le marché de l'alcool de bouche. Les 185.000 hectolitres adoptés aujourd'hui, s'ajoutent aux 6,6 millions d'hl que la Commission a déjà ouvert cette année en France, Italie, Espagne, Grèce et Portugal. Des excédents considérables ont été relevés sur différents marchés vitivinicoles de l'Union qui ont entraîné une baisse des prix et une hausse préoccupante des stocks. L'actuelle organisation commune du marché (OCM) du vin prévoit la possibilité de la distillation de crise en cas de perturbations exceptionnelles du marché dues à d'importants excédents. Mariann Fischer Boel, membre de la Commission chargée de l'agriculture et du développement rural, a déclaré: "Une fois de plus nous devons éliminer des excédents de vin de qualité et les distiller. Voilà exactement pourquoi il faut procéder urgemment à une réforme en profondeur de notre marché vitivinicole."[31] Commission clears acquisition of Securlog by Goldman Sachs and MatlinPattersonThe European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of SecurLog GmbH of Germany by The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (Goldman Sachs) and MatlinPatterson LLC, both of the US. Goldman Sachs is active in global investment banking and securities. MatlinPatterson is an investment fund specialising in companies in financial difficulties and directing their reorganisation. SecurLog provides cash services and secure courier services. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.[32] Sécurité maritime : la Commission passe en revue les sociétés de classificationLa Commission européenne a adopté aujourd'hui un rapport sur l'évaluation de la qualité du travail des sociétés de classification, organismes responsables de certifier la sécurité des navires. C'est à la suite de l'adoption des paquets législatifs "ERIKA I" et "ERIKA II" que la Commission a été chargée de cette tâche d'évaluation qu'elle mène depuis avec l'assistance de l'Agence européenne pour la sécurité maritime. Le rapport adopté aujourd'hui montre les progrès accomplis suite à deux ans de travail intensif.[33] Joe Borg visits BulgariaEuropean Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg leaves Romania this afternoon to begin a two-day visit to Bulgaria. This visit will take place just weeks after the European Commission announced its decision on the accession of Bulgaria, along with Romania, to the European Union on 1 January 2007. The Commissioner will begin his visit in the Black Sea port of Varna, where he will meet with stakeholders and witness the many advances in integrating the latest fisheries management tools. He will then move on to Sofia on Friday, for meetings with the President of Bulgaria and senior ministers.[34] Dinner invitation to the official book launch "Europeans on the move - Portraits of 31 mobile workers"'Europeans on the move – Portraits of 31 mobile workers' is a new book published by DG EMPL as part of the European Year of Workers' Mobility. The book - which collects 31 personal stories of individuals who work in another European country - will be officially launched by Commissioner Å pidla at an exhibition on Thursday evening, 12 October. The book aims to share the experiences – both good and bad – of fellow Europeans of all ages and from all walks of life in an open and informal way. The individual profiles – based on interviews carried out in several European cities – are illustrated with a portrait of each mobile worker and a series of photos shot in their workplace. Some of the interviewees featured in the book will also be at the launch. Journalists are cordially invited to attend this informal event at 7.30pm at Restaurant Notos, 154 rue de Livourne, 1000 Brussels. A walking dinner will be served. If you wish to attend, please register (indicating your name and the media you represent) at info@destree.be - fax : 02/5024443. Alternatively, call Jimmy Jamar on 02/2952082.[35] Autre matériel diffuséMeeting the challenge of ageing in good time: some successful policy responsesNew round of infringement proceedings in electronic communications : what are the issues? Evaluation des sociétés de classification - foire aux questions Speech by Mariann Fischer Boel : "European Model of Agriculture" at National Parliaments Conference (Helsinki) Speech by Danuta Hübner : "Connecting regions for growth and jobs" at Open Days 2006 - ICT Seminar: Is your region connected to the information society? (11/10) Speech by Stavros Dimas : "Seveso: the lessons from the last 30 years" at the European Parliament (11/10) Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner on North Korea at European Parliament
Plenary (11/10)
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