|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 07-01-12
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] La Commission entame un programme de simplification dans le domaine
des cosmétiques
[02] Slovenia's euro changeover successfully completed
[03] Euro coin counterfeiting in 2006
[04] Commission clears acquisition of ACE by ASF and GCE
[05] Company taxation : Commission extends the EU Joint Transfer Pricing
Forum for two more years
[06] Commission unveils new 'Help' campaign TV adverts targeting dangers of
passive smoking for children
[07] New rules for captive bird imports to protect animal health in the EU
and improve the welfare of imported birds
[08] Commission launches new information source on research systems and
policies in the EU
[09] Ouverture d'un bureau régional JASPERS à Varsovie
[10] Commission backs launch of agriculture trade talks with Egypt
[11] The EU agrees on a joint action to tackle disruptions in oil supplies
from Russia
[12] Energy Commissioner Piebalgs and German Minister of Economics and
Technology Glos address a letter to Russian and Belarusian authorities
[13] EU/US Open Sky talks
[14] Research & Development in the EU - preliminary results : in relation
to GDP, EU27 R&D expenditure stable at 1.84% in 2005 ; in real terms, EU27
R&D expenditure grew by 1.5% per year between 2001 and 2005
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2007-01-12
Reference: MEX/07/0112
Date: 12/01/2007
EXME07 / 12.1
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
12/01/07
[01] La Commission entame un programme de simplification dans le domaine
des cosmétiques
La Commission européenne a lancé aujourd'hui une consultation des parties
prenantes dans le domaine des cosmétiques afin de parvenir à un cadre
réglementaire simplifié et moderne, qui évite les coûts inutiles. Ce
nouveau cadre devrait remplacer l'actuelle directive communautaire
Cosmétiques de 1976, qui est devenue un "patchwork" de presque 50
modifications sans terminologie cohérente. De plus, de nombreuses
dispositions apparaissent dans le mauvais contexte et la réglementation
des substances individuelles utilisées dans les cosmétiques s'est
révélée très complexe, grande consommatrice de ressources et difficile
à gérer. L'industrie, qui est le leader mondial dans ce domaine, doit
ainsi faire face à des coûts plus importants que nécessaires pour se
conformer aux règles établies. La consultation se terminera en mars de
cette année et doit déboucher sur un nouveau cadre au plus tard en 2010.
Les dispositions en vigueur relatives à l'interdiction et l'abandon des
essais sur les animaux des produits cosmétiques d'ici à 2009/2013 ne
feront pas partie de cet exercice.
[02] Slovenia's euro changeover successfully completed
As the second business week in January draws to a close, virtually all cash
payments in Slovenia are now being made in euros. Consumers and shops have
coped well with payments in euros despite the increased activity since the
beginning of the winter sales on 8 January, and everything is back to
normal. The tolar becomes history this weekend as the dual circulation
period ends on 14Â January and the euro becomes the sole legal tender in
Slovenia.
[03] Euro coin counterfeiting in 2006
In 2006 the number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation was
around 164,000. The number increased considerably from 2005 but is
insignificant compared to the total number of 69 billion genuine euro coins
in circulation. The competent authorities intensified and better
coordinated their efforts in fighting counterfeiting while, at the same
time, law enforcement continued successful action.
[04] Commission clears acquisition of ACE by ASF and GCE
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of A.C.E. (ACE) of France by
Accor Services France (ASF) and Groupe Caisse d'épargne (GCE), both of
France. ASF is active in the design and provision of services to
undertakings and communities in France, in particular through the emission
of tickets for services. GCE provides banking and financial services. ACE
is a newly created joint venture which will be active in the emission and
marketing of Cheques for Universal Employment Services (CESU). The
operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[05] Company taxation : Commission extends the EU Joint Transfer Pricing
Forum for two more years
The European Commission has decided to extend the EU Joint Transfer Pricing
Forum's (JTPF) mandate for a further two years starting on 1st March 2007.
The Forum, which is of a consultative nature, aims at reducing the high
compliance costs and eliminating the double taxation that often arises in
the case of cross-border intra-group transactions within the EU. The
Commission calls for applications for 15 experts coming from the business
sector to participate in the Forum and for one independent Chairman.
Applications have to be submitted to the Commission by 31 January 2007. The
Forum will meet at least twice a year. For more information see our
website:
<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/company_tax/transfer_pricing/forum/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/company_tax/transfer_pricing/forum/index_en.htm
[06] Commission unveils new 'Help' campaign TV adverts targeting dangers of
passive smoking for children
As part of its campaign 'Help – for a life without tobacco', the European
Commission today presented a new anti-smoking advert which will air from
15Â January on 80 television channels in 22 languages across all 27 EU
Member States. The new advertising campaign focuses on the negative health
effects of passive smoking. The clip depicts a young adolescent
experiencing breathing difficulties in her daily activities, and shows her
watching her parents smoking in the living room. European Health
Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: "Every year, passive smoking kills 19,
000 Europeans who don't smoke. This latest advertising campaign aims to
remind smokers that their habit harms their children's health as well as
their own." The television campaign ties in with an e-mail and web based
campaign where smokers can get help and advice to stick to their new year's
resolution to quit smoking. The Commission's €72 million Help campaign
has now been running for nearly two years. In that time, market research
shows that over 150 million Europeans have seen the adverts, including 55%
of young people, and the approval rating among the target group of under
25s is 83%. The Commission intends to publish a Green Paper on Smoke-Free
Environments in early 2007 to launch a broad consultation process on the
best way forward to tackle passive smoking in Europe.
The advert can be viewed on the web site
<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/Tobacco/help_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/Tobacco/help_en.htm
[07] New rules for captive bird imports to protect animal health in the EU
and improve the welfare of imported birds
A draft Regulation laying down strict conditions for the import of live
captive birds, such as parrots and macaws, was backed unanimously by the
Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 11 January. The
new rules are necessary to protect animal health in the EU, and follow the
recommendations laid down in the Opinion on the import of such birds,
issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in October last year.
The Regulation will also improve the animal welfare of imported birds.
Under this Regulation, only specific countries or regions which have
already been approved to export live commercial poultry will be allowed to
export captive birds to the EU. These approved countries have demonstrated
high standards of animal health and the ability to cope with international
animal health concerns. Stringent conditions will have to be met both
before and after the birds are imported into the EU, and Member States will
be required to provide more detailed information on such imports. Birds
caught in the wild will not be allowed to be imported into the EU. The new
rules will not apply to certain types of birds, including commercial
poultry and pet birds accompanying their owners, as these are already
covered by separate EU legislation.
[08] Commission launches new information source on research systems and
policies in the EU
The European Commission is today launching ERAWATCH, a new online
information platform on research systems and policies within the European
Union. ERAWATCH supports the ongoing construction of the European Research
Area (ERA) by providing policy makers and policy analysts working in the
field of science and research with condensed and updated information and
analysis on the development of research systems and policies in all Member
States of the European Union plus selected other countries. It contains
information on recent policy documents, research programmes, funding
agencies, research performance as well as major indicators such as
expenditure, publications and patents.
[09] Ouverture d'un bureau régional JASPERS à Varsovie
La commissaire européenne à la politique régionale, Mme Danuta Hübner,
le président de la Banque européenne d’investissement, M. Philippe
Maystadt, et le secrétaire général de la Banque européenne pour la
reconstruction et le développement, M. Horst Reichenbach, ont inauguré
aujourd'hui le bureau régional JASPERS de Varsovie. JASPERS (Assistance
commune dans le soutien aux projets en faveur des régions d'Europe) est un
nouveau partenariat qui réunit la Commission, la BEI et la BERD et qui a
pour objet d'aider les Etats membres d'Europe centrale et orientale Ã
mettre au point des projets de haute qualité susceptibles de bénéficier
du soutien des Fonds structurels et du Fonds de cohésion.
[10] Commission backs launch of agriculture trade talks with Egypt
Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural
Development, has written to Mohamed Rachid, Egyptian Minister of Trade and
Industry, to propose the start of talks on liberalisation of agricultural
trade between Egypt and the European Union. The negotiations would form
part of the process set out in the Rabat Roadmap, which aims at wide-
ranging liberalisation of trade in agriculture, processed agricultural and
fishery products between the EU and the countries of the southern
Mediterranean which are covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Commissioner Fischer Boel offered to send a team of experts to Cairo on 8
February for a first round of negotiations. In 2005, the Rabat Roadmap was
established to achieve greater liberalisation of agricultural trade. The
ambition is a Free Trade Area by 2010.
[11] The EU agrees on a joint action to tackle disruptions in oil supplies
from Russia
The European Commission and EU Presidency are taking joint action to press
Russia and Belarus to resolve completely the disputes concerning the
Druzhba pipeline. At the same time, the EU convenes its Oil Supply Group to
coordinate the response of its Members States to the disruption of oil
supplies. "We welcome the information that oil flows have resumed as signs
of progress but continue calling on both sides to reach an immediate and
complete resolution of all outstanding issues and guarantee reliability of
future deliveries through the pipeline", declared Commissioner Piebalgs,
the German Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of Economics and
Technology, Joachim Wuermeling and the IEA's Executive Director, Claude
Mandil at a common press conference following the meeting on 11 January.
[12] Energy Commissioner Piebalgs and German Minister of Economics and
Technology Glos address a letter to Russian and Belarusian authorities
The European Commission and the EU Presidency are calling on Russian and
Byelorussian authorities to create conditions that oil supply disruption
would not repeat and contracts are served in due manner. A letter has been
sent to German Gref, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the
Russian Federation, and to Andrei Kobyakov, Deputy Prime Minister of the
Republic of Belarus, on 11Â January.
[13] EU/US Open Sky talks
Representatives of the United States and representatives of the European
Union and its Member States met in Brussels on 10-11 January 2007 to
discuss steps forward on the negotiated text of the first stage
comprehensive EU-U.S. Air Transport Agreement that would replace the
existing bilateral agreements and govern aviation relations between the
U.S. and the EU. The talks were held in a friendly and constructive
atmosphere. The U.S. delegation explained the December 2006 withdrawal of
the Department of Transportation's rulemaking proposal concerning actual
control of U.S. air carriers. The EU delegation expressed its deep regret
and disappointment that the DOT's rulemaking process had not reached a
successful conclusion. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the goal
of concluding an EU-U.S. agreement that would open access to markets and
maximise benefits for consumers, airlines, labour, and communities on both
sides of the Atlantic. To that effect, and on the basis of the text
negotiated in Washington in November 2005, the two delegations agreed to
identify areas where improvements might be made. It was agreed that a
further round of consultations would take place in Washington in the week
of 5 February 2007 in order to examine and discuss proposals.
[14] Research & Development in the EU - preliminary results : in relation
to GDP, EU27 R&D expenditure stable at 1.84% in 2005 ; in real terms, EU27
R&D expenditure grew by 1.5% per year between 2001 and 2005
In 2005 the EU27 spent just over €200 billion on Research & Development
(R&D). R&D intensity (i.e. expenditure as a percentage of GDP) in the EU27
stood at 1.84%, the same as in 2004. R&D intensity remained significantly
lower in the EU27 than in other major economies. In 2004, R&D expenditure
was 2.68% of GDP in the United States, 3.18% in Japan, while it has reached
1.34% in China in 2005. R&D expenditure in the EU27 rose by 1.5% in real
terms on average per year between 2001 and 2005, compared to 1.7% in the
United States and 2.0% in Japan between 2001 and 2004. In 2004 the business
sector financed 55% of total EU27 R&D expenditure, while the corresponding
share was 64% in the United States, 75% in Japan and 66% in China. This
information comes from Eurostat.
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner : "The Middle East in the EU's External
Relations" at the 'Madrid: Fifteen Years Later' Conference (11/01, Madrid)
Speech by Stavros Dimas : "Climate change: why a global response needs
European leadership" at launch event of Commission/All Party Parliamentary
Group on Climate Change cooperation for 2007 (11/01, London)
Calendrier du 15 au 19 janvier 2007
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
|