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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 07-03-06Midday 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 Communicationb06/03/07[01] World renowned experts to advise President Barroso on energy and climate changeA newly established Advisory Group of world renowned experts will advise the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, on energy and climate change issues. The advisors, who act in a personal capacity, will meet as a group for the first time today. They are drawn from a range of different countries and have expertise and different perspectives on both energy policy and climate change.[02] Enregistrement de trois dénominations de produits agricolesLa Commission européenne a ajouté trois dénominations de produits agricoles et alimentaires à la liste des appellations d'origine protégées (AOP) et indications géographiques protégées (IGP). Il s'agit des produits espagnols "Aceite Monterrubio" (AOP - Huile d'olive) et "Alfajor de Medina Sidonia" (IGP - Pâtisserie) et, pour la République tchèque, de "Å tramberské uÅ¡i" (IGP – Produit de la boulangerie). Les dénominations s'ajoutent à la liste d'environ 800 produits déjà protégés en vertu de la législation sur la protection des indications géographiques, des appellations d'origine et des spécialités traditionnelles. Des renseignements sur les produits de qualité ainsi que la liste des dénominations protégées sont disponibles sur l'internet à l'adresse : <a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/foodqual/quali1_fr.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/foodqual/quali1_fr.htm[03] Competition : new report on car prices across Europe availableThe European Commission has published its latest report on car prices across Europe, covering the second semester of 2006. This Commission report is undertaken as a service for consumers to enable them to compare car prices across Europe and so to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the EU Single Market. During this period, car prices increased on average less than the general inflation rate. They even decreased in countries where cars are relatively more expensive for consumers, while price dispersion across the EU remained stable. The report and its main highlights are available at<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/car_sector/price_diffs/">http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/car_sector/price_diffs/ [04] Margot Wallström meets Turkish leaders to discuss the situation of womenOn 7-9 March, Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, will visit Ankara and Istanbul. The visit coincides with the International Women's Day.[05] UE-Egypte : adoption du plan d'action afférent à la politique européenne de voisinageLors de sa réunion d'aujourd'hui à Bruxelles, le 3ème Conseil d'association UE-Egypte a adopté le plan d'action UE-Egypte afférent à la politique européenne de voisinage (PEV), qui fixera le calendrier de la coopération entre l'UE et l'Egypte au cours des trois à cinq années à venir. Dans une décision distincte, le Conseil d'association a constitué, dans le cadre de l'accord d'association UE-Egypte, huit sous-comités et un groupe de travail chargés de suivre la mise en Å“uvre du plan d'action et de prendre la mesure des progrès accomplis. Ce plan d'action fixe les priorités en matière de coopération dans un grand nombre de secteurs, arrêtées d'un commun accord entre l'UE et l'Egypte. Celles-ci s'appuient sur le propre programme égyptien de réforme dans les domaines économique, social et politique. L'UE soutiendra la mise en Å“uvre du plan d'action à l'aide d'un programme d'aide atteignant la somme rondelette de €558 millions et annoncé la semaine dernière par la commissaire européenne Mme Ferrero-Waldner, de passage en Egypte. Ce programme d'aide devrait également contribuer à attirer des subventions à l’investissement d'un montant estimé entre €250 et €300 millions, faisant ainsi passer le total du soutien de la Commission à environ €800 millions d'euros pour la période 2007-2010, ce qui démontre bien la détermination de l'UE à apporter son appui à l'Egypte dans ses priorités et réformes nationales.[06] Commission welcomes the ratification of EU/Morocco Fisheries Partnership AgreementThe European Commission has welcomed the news of the ratification of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) by the Kingdom of Morocco. The agreement will enter into force immediately and will run for a period of four years. The EU/Morocco FPA is a mixed agreement which covers six categories of fisheries, providing fishing opportunities on pelagic species and small pelagic and demersal species, for vessels ranging in scale from artisanal to industrial. In return, the annual EU financial contribution will be €36,100,000, of which over a third (€13,500,000) is earmarked for support to the Moroccan national fisheries policy. In addition to the financial contribution from the EU, a payment of approximately €3,400,000 is expected from European ship owners in the form of licence fees. A joint committee will be established, notably to agree a multi-annual sectoral programme for fisheries and to monitor its implementation. A meeting of the Joint Committee will be held on Thursday 8 March, in Rabat. This agreement is an important part of the EU bilateral fisheries agreements. It will strengthen the relations in the fisheries sector between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco. The last fisheries Agreement with Morocco expired in 1999.[07] Joe Borg in Dublin : "The EU needs a maritime policy to retain competitive edge"European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg, warned in Dublin today that challenges from economies outside the EU demanded an integrated earlier policy response at EU level. This, he said, was necessary for Europe to retain its competitive edge. The Commissioner was speaking to delegates at a Stakeholder Conference on the European Union's Maritime Green Paper, "Towards a Future Maritime Policy for the Union". The conference marked the end of the national consultation period in Ireland. Commissioner Borg went on to welcome the recent publication of the 'Sea Change' strategy for Irish marine sector development produced by the Marine Institute and launched by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Noel Dempsey. Mr Borg said : "The European Commission welcomes the 'Sea Change' strategy's exploration of the marine sector's potential as much more than a source of fish and points towards a wide variety of more market-led and business opportunities in sustainable energy, functional food products, transport, technology and environmental well- being." He went on, "We applaud the strategy's ambition to make Ireland a world leader in renewable energy, functional foods and health products. This afternoon, the Commissioner will address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome which is being marked by a series of events across the EU.See here for link to the EU's Green Paper on Maritime Policy: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy_en.html">http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy_en.html See here for link to the celebrations planned for the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome: <a href="http://europa.eu/50/index_en.htm">http://europa.eu/50/index_en.htm [08] January 2007 compared to January 2006 : volume of retail trade down by 0.1% in euro area ; up by 1.4% in EU27In January 2007, compared to January 2006, the volume of retail trade fell by 0.1% in the euro area (EA13) and rose by 1.4% in the EU27. Compared to December 2006, the retail sales index decreased by 1.0% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU27. In January 2007, compared to January 2006, retail trade of "food, drinks and tobacco" fell by 1.6% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27. The non food sector increased by 1.3% and 3.0% respectively. Among the Member States for which data are available, total retail trade rose in Latvia (+30.5%), Estonia (+19.7%), Bulgaria (+18.2%), Lithuania (+12.3%), Poland (+10.0%), Sweden (+9.2%), Spain (+4.1%), Belgium (+3.4%), the United Kingdom (+3.0%), Finland (+2.7%), Luxembourg (+1.7%), France and Austria (both +1.3%), while falls were recorded in Germany (- 4.3%), Portugal (-1.3%) and Denmark (-0.8%). These first estimates come from Eurostat.[09] Premières estimations pour le quatrième trimestre 2006 : le PIB de la zone euro et celui de l'UE25 en hausse de 0,9% ; +3,3% et +3,4% respectivement par rapport au quatrième trimestre 2005Au cours du quatrième trimestre 2006, le PIB de la zone euro (ZE12) et celui de l'UE25 ont augmenté de 0,9% par rapport au trimestre précédent, selon les premières estimations publiées par Eurostat. Au cours du troisième trimestre 2006, les taux de croissance avaient été de +0,6% tant dans la zone euro que dans l'UE25. En comparaison avec le quatrième trimestre 2005, le PIB corrigé des variations saisonnières de la zone euro a enregistré une croissance de 3,3% et celui de l'UE25 de 3,4%, contre respectivement +2,7% et +3,0% au trimestre précédent.[10] Women Commissioners and business leaders share experiencesIn the run-up to International Women's Day, a high-level seminar on "Women in Decision Making" will take place today at the Crowne Plaza hotel Brussels. The event will bring together female Members of the Commission and top women from the world of business. Five Commissioners – Neelie Kroes, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Danuta Hübner, Viviane Reding and Meglena Kuneva – will discuss their experiences as women leaders in the EU institutions, while women decision-makers from business and economics will bring a private sector perspective to the discussion. They will be joined by VladimÃr Å pidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. In addition, a technical briefing will take place on 7 March at 11.15 in the Berlaymont press room to present three new reports : 2007 report on equality between women and men ; the gender pay gap – origins and policy responses (expert report) ; gender inequalities in the risks of poverty and social exclusion for disadvantaged groups in thirty European countries (expert report).[11] Autre matériel diffuséThe Advisory Group on Energy and Climate ChangeSpeech by Joe Borg : "Towards a Future Maritime Policy for the Union" at Irish Maritime Policy Conference (Dublin) Address by Joe Borg to the Irish Parliament's Joint Committee on European Affairs and Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Dublin, ! embargo 15h00 !) Speech by Mariann Fischer Boel : "EU-India trade and Doha Round of WTO" at
Conference organised by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry) (New Delhi)
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 |