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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-12-22
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] European measures for safer fireworks
[02] The EU's Seventh Framework programme gets underway
[03] Internal Market: call for evidence on the review of commodity and
exotic derivatives business
[04] Commission takes 5 countries to Court of Justice for failure on EU
rules to re-use public information – a resource worth up to €48 billion
[05] EU initiative strengthens drive to sustainable fishing in Western and
Central Pacific
[06] Commission proposes adoption of bilateral fisheries agreement with
Russia for the Baltic Sea
[07] EU and Mozambique initial new Fisheries Partnership Agreement
[08] Commission clears acquisition of Sitel by Onex
[09] Commission clears acquisition of Nordkalk by Ahlström Capital and
Rettig Capital
[10] Harmonised rules for dangerous goods transport
[11] Stopping rogue traders: EU consumer protection cooperation network
starts work
[12] Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Münchsmünster
Cracker and associated assets by Basell
[13] Mergers: Commission clears proposed acquisition of Corus by Tata Steel
[14] October 2006 compared to September 2006 - Industrial new orders down
by 0.6% in euro area - EU25 up by 0.2%
Midday Express of 2006-12-22
Reference: MEX/06/1222
Date: 22/12/2006
EXME06 / 22.12
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
22/12/06
[01] European measures for safer fireworks
As fireworks will soon again light up the skies to celebrate the new year,
important steps have been taken to create better safety and more
competitive markets as of 2010 for so called pyrotechnic articles. The
European Parliament and the Member States have recently agreed upon
proposals from the European Commission for a clear set of common rules to
enhance safer usage and a true single market for pyrotechnic articles
throughout the EU. Fireworks can be a major risk for consumers and injuries
can result from the misuse of fireworks, but there is also concern about
the quality and safety of some products. Rules governing the sales of
pyrotechnic articles vary across Member States. This makes it more
difficult to address safety concerns and hampers the activities of
manufacturers. The Member States are expected to finally adopt the new
Directive on pyrotechnic articles soon.
[02] The EU's Seventh Framework programme gets underway
42 calls for proposal are launched today, getting the EU's Seventh Research
Framework Programme for 2007-2013 underway. The calls represent more than
€4b of research funding and are in areas such as health, environment, IT
and energy, as well as support to developing regional aspects of research
and international co-operation. Proposals are being sought for the human
resource aspects of the programme, encouraging researchers to move within
Europe and outside to carry out their research and enhancing the career of
researcher within Europe. Researchers who gained their PhD within the last
10 years will be able to apply for funding from the European Research
Council, a new funding scheme created in the Seventh Framework Programme to
enhance Europe's frontier research. All the calls for proposal can be found
at: <a href="http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/">http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/
[03] Internal Market: call for evidence on the review of commodity and
exotic derivatives business
The European Commission has launched a call for evidence on a review of the
regulatory framework concerning commodity and exotic derivatives business.
MiFID and the recast CAD require a review the regulation of the commodity
derivatives business The call for evidence relates to a report that the
Council of Ministers and the European Parliament have asked the Commission
to make by the end of April 2008. All interested stakeholders, including
industry and individuals, are encouraged to reply. The closing date is 30
April 2007.
[04] Commission takes 5 countries to Court of Justice for failure on EU
rules to re-use public information – a resource worth up to €48 billion
The European Commission is taking five Member States to the European Court
of Justice for a failing to put into practice the Directive on the re-use
of public sector information (PSI). The re-use of PSI has enormous economic
potential as it represents a raw material for new added value services and
products worth from €10-48 billion in the EU alone.
[05] EU initiative strengthens drive to sustainable fishing in Western and
Central Pacific
The annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
(WCPFC) concluded last week in Apia, Samoa, with agreements on a range of
important new conservation and control measures, several of them based on
proposals by the European Union. In particular, the WCPFC adopted a range
of monitoring and control measures which will make a substantial
contribution to conserving fish stocks in the region. Key among these was
an EU proposal to combat Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing.
WCPFC will in future formally blacklist IUU vessels, which is crucial for
tracking down and eliminating IUU activities. As a result, all Regional
Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) managing tuna and tuna like
species now have such measures in place, thus closing a gap in the global
management of tuna resources.
[06] Commission proposes adoption of bilateral fisheries agreement with
Russia for the Baltic Sea
Today the European Commission tabled a proposal for a Council Regulation
adopting the new bilateral agreement between the European Union and the
Russian Federation on co-operation in fisheries and the conservation of the
living marine resources in the Baltic Sea. This new agreement, which covers
an initial period of six years, sets out provisions on joint management
measures for Baltic Sea fisheries. A new framework became necessary as,
following the 2004 EU enlargement, the membership of the International
Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission was reduced to two Contracting Parties: the
EU and Russia. The new agreement was initialled in August this year and
will enter into force upon signature by the Parties.
[07] EU and Mozambique initial new Fisheries Partnership Agreement
The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, and Mozambique
yesterday initialled a Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) for a period
of 5 years, which will become effective on 1 January 2007. This Fisheries
Agreement will replace the current Agreement, which has been in force since
2004. The Protocol attached to this FPA provides fishing opportunities on
tuna and related species in Mozambique waters. In return, the annual EU
financial contribution will be € 900 000, fully earmarked for support to
the implementation of the Mozambican fisheries policy. In addition to the
financial contribution from the Union a payment of more than € 300 000 is
expected from ship owners in the form of licence fees..
[08] Commission clears acquisition of Sitel by Onex
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Sitel Corporation (Sitel)
of the US by Onex Corporation (Onex) of Canada, through its subsidiary
ClientLogic Corporation (ClientLogic) of Canada. Onex is active in the
acquisition, administration and divestment of undertakings in a wide range
of markets. ClientLogic and Sitel both provides business process
outsourcing (BPO) services, such as call centres, in the customer care
services industry. The operation was examined under the simplified merger
review procedure.
[09] Commission clears acquisition of Nordkalk by Ahlström Capital and
Rettig Capital
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Nordkalk Oyj (Nordkalk)
of Finland by Ahlström Capital Oy (Ahlström Capital) and Rettig Capital
Oy (Rettig Capital), both of Finland. Ahlström Capital and Rettig Capital
are investment fund companies. Nordkalk manufactures limestone-based
products. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review
procedure.
[10] Harmonised rules for dangerous goods transport
The European Commission has proposed to harmonise the rules for the
transport of dangerous goods by making them as user-friendly as possible.
The new proposal integrates the existing rules into one piece of EU law,
which covers all three land transport modes: road, rail and inland
waterway. It contributes thereby to the Commission's strategic objective of
legislative simplification. Simpler rules also mean safer transport.
[11] Stopping rogue traders: EU consumer protection cooperation network
starts work
A new EU network for co-ordinated action against cross-border scams and
rogue traders comes into operation on 29 December 2006. With the EU
Internal Market growing in scope and size, and the development of new
technologies, there has been a rise in dishonest traders exploiting new
opportunities across Europe. Recent examples of cross-border scams include
misleading and threatening clairvoyance services, deceptive prize draws,
unsolicited first aid kits with demands for payment, direct marketing of
slimming products to children and misleading marketing by ‘holidays
clubs’. To stop such practices and to protect consumers from being conned
or cheated, the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation was adopted in
2004. This foresaw the creation of an EU-wide network of enforcement
authorities, which would remove barriers to information exchange and
empower national officials to work more closely with their counterparts in
other Member States. This network, which now starts formal operations, aims
to ensure more rapid and coordinated action against cross-border criminal
practices and scams. It is a step forward in protecting the interests of
consumers across the EU-27 and stopping the abuse of the freedoms of the
Internal Market. Further information: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/prot_rules/admin_coop/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/prot_rules/admin_coop/index_en.htm.
[12] Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Münchsmünster
Cracker and associated assets by Basell
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of Münchsmünster Cracker and associated assets
located in Germany by Basell of Germany, owned by the Access Industries
group of the US. The Commission concluded that the operation would not
significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area
(EEA) or any substantial part of it.
[13] Mergers: Commission clears proposed acquisition of Corus by Tata Steel
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition by the Indian steel producer Tata Steel of Corus Group
plc, a manufacturer of carbon steel and aluminium products based in Europe.
The Commission’s investigation has found that the proposed transaction
would not impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA)
or any substantial part of it, as the parties activities only overlap to a
limited extent..
[14] October 2006 compared to September 2006 - Industrial new orders down
by 0.6% in euro area - EU25 up by 0.2%
The euro area industrial new orders index dropped by 0.6% in October 2006
compared to September 2006. The index fell by 1.4% in September and rose by
3.8% in August. EU25 new orders gained 0.2% in October 2006, after a
decrease of 1.0% in September and an increase of 2.7% in August. Excluding
ships, railway and aerospace equipment industrial new orders rose by 1.0%
in the euro area and by 0.7% in the EU25 in October 2006. In October 2006
compared to October 2005, industrial new orders increased by 12.5% in both
zones. Total industry excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment grew
by 12.6% in the euro area and by 11.2% in the EU25. These estimates are
released by Eurostat.
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From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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