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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 07-02-22Midday 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
MIDDAY EXPRESSNews from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefingNouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb22/02/07[01] Aides d’Etat : La Commission autorise une aide de €26,5 millions de l’Agence française de l’innovation industrielle en faveur du programme de R&D NeoValLa Commission européenne a décidé de ne pas soulever d’objection en vertu des règles CE sur les aides d’Etat l’égard du soutien financier accordé par la France au programme de recherche- développement (R&D) NeoVal. Il s'agit de la première décision de la Commission, l'égard d'un cas d'aide individuelle, prise l'issue de l'examen approfondi prévu par le nouvel encadrement R&D&I (voir IP/06/1600). Le programme d'aide associe Siemens Transportation Systems SAS, une filiale de Siemens AG, et LOHR Industrie, une entreprise française spécialisée dans la conception et la réalisation de systèmes de transport de biens et de personnes. Il vise le développement d'une nouvelle génération de métro qui intègre huit fonctions innovantes, en particulier des fonctions d'optimisation énergétique et d'alimentation embarquée. L'aide s'élève €26,5 millions.[02] State aid: Commission launches in-depth investigation of some aspects of the UK's funding of Royal MailThe European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation under the EC Treaty’s rules on state aid into a series of funding measures taken by the United Kingdom in favour of Royal Mail, the UK's principal supplier of postal services. The investigation follows complaints from Royal Mail's competitors in the newly liberalised UK postal market. The Commission will be examining the terms of each of the funding measures to determine whether they constitute state subsidies, or whether they meet 'market investor' conditions. The opening of an in-depth investigation gives interested parties the possibility to comment on the proposed measures but it does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. Furthermore, the measures subject to this investigation do not concern the subsidies given to maintain the network of post offices..[03] State aid: Commission endorses proposed public funding for North Yorkshire broadband network NYNETThe European Commission has approved under EC Treaty state aid rules a UK initiative to create an advanced broadband network in North Yorkshire. The Commission concluded that the aid was unlikely to cause undue distortion of competition within the EU and was therefore compatible with European state aid rules.[04] State aid: Commission declares operating aid to Nuova Mineraria Silius in Sardinia illegal and orders recoveryThe European Commission has concluded that a €98.36 million aid the Region of Sardinia granted to support the mining company Nuova Mineraria Silius (NMS) is not compatible with EC Treaty state aid rules, and must be recovered. The Commission found that, each year since 1997, the Region of Sardinia has transferred public funds in order to cover the recurrent losses of NMS, keeping in business a company that otherwise would have gone into bankruptcy. Since no restructuring has taken place, the measures must be regarded as illegal operating aid.[05] European Research Council will benefit European scientific excellenceThe European Research Council, the first pan-European funding organisation to support frontier research across all fields of science and scholarship is now a reality. The formal act of establishment has been adopted by the European Commission and the first call for proposals, focused on researchers early on in their careers, has been launched, offering nearly €300m of direct grants in 2007. By inviting the most original minds to push the boundaries of current knowledge, the ERC can open the way for new discoveries that can help Europe answer its pressing social, environmental and economic challenges. With a total budget of €7.5 billion over the next 7 years, the ERC will support the best research in Europe. A conference to be held in Berlin on 27 and 28 February will mark the official inauguration of the ERC.[06] eTwinning: les partenariats « virtuels » conclus entre écoles européennes arrivent maturitéLa proportion d’écoles européennes qui participent au programme eTwinning de la Commission européenne a plus que doublé en 2006, passant de 4% plus de 8%, deux ans peine après son lancement. L’initiative eTwinning encourage la conclusion de partenariats « virtuels » internationaux entre écoles sur Internet et d’un bout l’autre du continent les écoles peuvent y participer gratuitement. Devant ces bons résultats, Ján Figel', le commissaire responsable de l’éducation, de la formation, de la culture et de la jeunesse, a décidé de décerner des prix six partenariats eTwinning remarquables lors d’une cérémonie de remise des prix qui se tiendra le 23 février Bruxelles..[07] The innovation gap with the US keeps narrowingFor the fourth consecutive year, the innovation gap between the US and the EU has decreased. The Nordic countries and Switzerland continue to be the innovation leaders worldwide, while many of the new Member States are steadily catching up with the EU average. These are some of the main findings of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2006, published today. The report presents a comparative analysis of the innovation performance of European countries, the US and Japan.[08] Commissioner Kyprianou visits PortugalEuropean Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou begins an official visit to Portugal today which continues tomorrow. This afternoon, the Commissioner will meet Health Minister António Correia de Campos and they are expected to touch on the priority health themes of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU, such as health and migration and innovation in pharmaceuticals. The Commissioner is also expected to inform the Minister about the Commission's work on smoke-free environments and health services. On Friday, Commissioner Kyprianou will meet the President of the Republic, Prof. Anibal Cavaco Silva to inform him of the Commission's initiatives in the health and food safety field which are likely to be discussed during the Portuguese Presidency. Also on Friday the Commissioner will meet Jaime Silva, Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries to discuss issues including the EU's forthcoming Animal Health Strategy and the revision of feed legislation before visiting the site of a Portuguese agricultural company.[09] Joe Borg attends conference in Poland on maritime employmentThis afternoon, Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, will deliver the keynote speech at the international conference: “From Education to Employment: How to Create a Successful Image of Seafaring in Europe”, in Sopot, Poland. Organised by the Polish Ministry of Maritime Economy, in co-operation with Gdynia Maritime University, the conference is debating issues raised by the Commission's Green Paper on a future European maritime policy. This three-day event is part of the year- long campaign around the Green Paper which was launched last June. The aim of the consultation is to identify how best to coordinate the myriad activities which depend upon, and affect, Europe's seas and coastal areas. Mr Borg's speech will focus on the need for cooperation between institutions and sectors in order to generate high-quality employment in the maritime sector. The Commissioner will also speak about the role which marine spatial planning can play in optimising the development of Europe's coastal regions, a domain in which the Baltic Sea region is a pioneer. Before going to the conference, Commissioner Borg and Mr Rafal Wiechecki, Polish Minister for Maritime Economy, will make a tour of Sopot harbour. Mr Borg will then attend an informal lunch hosted by the Minister at which they will discuss issues raised in the Green Paper which are of particular interest to Poland.(For more information: see Speech/07/96 - !embargo 15h00!) [10] December 2006 compared to November 2006 - Industrial new orders up by 2.8% in euro area - EU25 up by 2.7%The euro area (EA12) industrial new orders index increased by 2.8% in December 2006 compared to November 2006. The index grew by 1.1% in November but fell by 0.3% in October. EU251 new orders gained 2.7% in December 2006, after increases of 0.8% in November3 and 0.4% in October. Excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment4 industrial new orders rose by 0.6% in the euro area and remained stable in the EU25 in December 2006. In December 2006 compared to December 2005, industrial new orders increased by 1.6% in the euro area and by 2.5% in the EU25. Total industry excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment grew by 4.6% in the euro area and by 3.9% in the EU25.The average industrial new orders index for 2006, compared to 2005, increased by 9.1% in the euro area and by 8.8% in the EU25. These estimates are released by Eurostat. [11] Quatrième enquête communautaire sur l'innovation - Plus de 40% des entreprises de l'UE27 ont des activités d'innovation - La coopération avec les clients et les fournisseurs est plus fréquente qu'avec les universités et les instituts de recherche publicsEntre 2002 et 2004, 42% des entreprises de l'industrie et des services de l'UE27 ont mené des activités d'innovation sous une forme ou une autre. Parmi les États membres de l'UE27, les plus fortes proportions d’entreprises ayant eu des activités innovantes durant cette période ont été enregistrées en Allemagne (65% des entreprises), suivie de l’Autriche (53%), du Danemark, de l’Irlande et du Luxembourg (52% chacun), de la Belgique (51%) et de la Suède (50%). Les proportions les plus faibles ont été observées en Bulgarie (16%), en Lettonie (18%), en Roumanie (20%), ainsi qu'en Hongrie et Malte (21% chacun). Ces informations, extraites de la quatrième enquête communautaire sur l'innovation réalisée dans les États membres de l'UE27, la Norvège et l'Islande, sont publiées par Eurostat, l'Office statistique des Communautés européennes, l'occasion du lancement par la Commission européenne, du Tableau de bord européen de l'Innovation 2006. Conçu en 2000 suite l'adoption de la stratégie de Lisbonne, le Tableau de bord évalue et compare la performance des États membres en matière d'innovation. Le Tableau de bord 2006 se fonde principalement sur des données d'Eurostat, provenant notamment de la quatrième enquête communautaire sur l'innovation.Rédiffusion [12] Competition: Commission fines members of lifts and escalators cartels over €990 millionThe European Commission has fined the Otis, KONE, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp groups €992 million for operating cartels for the installation and maintenance of lifts and escalators in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in clear violation of EC Treaty rules that outlaw restrictive business practices (Article 81). The decision names 17 subsidiaries of the above groups, together with Mitsubishi Elevator Europe B.V. which participated in the Dutch cartel. Lifts and escalators play a major role in modern urban life - Otis alone estimates that the equivalent of the entire world's population travel on their lifts, escalators and moving walkways every 9 days. Between at least 1995 and 2004, these companies rigged bids for procurement contracts, fixed prices and allocated projects to each other, shared markets and exchanged commercially important and confidential information. The effects of this cartel may continue for twenty to fifty years as maintenance is often done by the companies that installed the equipment in the first place; by cartelising the installation, the companies distorted the markets for years to come. KONE subsidiaries received full immunity from fines under the Commission’s leniency programme in respect of the cartels in Belgium and Luxembourg, as they were first to provide information about these cartels. Similarly, Otis Netherlands received full immunity in respect of the Netherlands cartel. The fines imposed on the ThyssenKrupp companies were increased by 50%, as it is a repeat offender. These are the largest ever fines imposed by the Commission for cartel violations..[13] A vision for the single market of the 21st centuryThe European Commission has today presented its vision for the single market of the 21st century. In an interim report to the Spring European Council, the Commission reviews the achievements of the last twenty years and sets out the way ahead to deliver further benefits for citizens and business, and contribute to a more competitive and sustainable Europe. It will be concluded by a final report with proposals for action this autumn.[14] La Commission présente les priorités politiques pour 2008La Commission a présenté aujourd'hui sa stratégie politique annuelle qui définit ses priorités politiques pour 2008. Ce document est présenté chaque année vers le mois de mars et marque le début du cycle politique de la Commission. Il expose les objectifs politiques de la Commission, savoir dans les quatre domaines stratégiques clés de la Commission Barroso : prospérité, solidarité, sécurité et liberté ainsi que renforcement du rôle de l'UE dans le monde. Il met aussi en avant des actions clés dans des dossiers transversaux, tels que l'emploi, l'énergie et le changement climatique, ainsi que la gestion des migrations..[15] Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Gallaher by Japan TobaccoThe European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Gallaher Group Plc., the UK tobacco manufacturer, by Japan Tobacco Inc.. After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.[16] Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Quest by GivaudanThe European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition by Swiss based Givaudan S.A of the flavouring and fragrance business of Imperial Chemical Industries ("ICI") trading under the name Quest International of the Netherlands. After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.[17] Mergers: Commission clears proposed acquisition of six ConocoPhillips subsidiaries by LukoilThe European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of six subsidiaries of ConocoPhillips, an integrated energy company based in the US, by the Russian oil and gas company Lukoil. 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.[18] Autre matériel diffuséSpeech by President Barroso on Helping Europe to lead the knowledge revolution at the Opening of Netherlands House for Education and Research[19] (!embargo 15h00!) Speech by Joe Borg on the Role of the future EU maritime policy in shaping new standards of maritime education and employmentSpeech by Joaquín Almunia on "Putting Europe's Money to Work: Financial Integration, Financial Development and Growth in the European Union at the Joint IMF-Bruegel ConferenceSpeech by Charlie McCreevy on "Private Equity – Batting for Europe at the Mergermarket/Deal Drivers Ireland M&A Conference in Dublin Speech by Stavros Dimas "What Jobs in a low carbon economy?" at the European Trade Union Confederation Memo on European Innovation scoreboard 2006: Summary of the situation in the 27 Member States Memo on Competition: Commission action against cartels – Questions and
Answers
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/ Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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