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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 08-04-15
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] European Commission hosts Public Hearing on Multilingualism
[02] EU budget: smallest surplus ever
[03] EU and Montenegro sign bilateral WTO accession agreement
[04] Commissioner Piebalgs underlines the role of nuclear energy in the
transition towards a low carbon economy
[05] Customs: Commission launches website to celebrate 40 years of EU
Customs Union
[06] Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed
acquisition of BarcoVision by Itema
[07] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2008-04-15
Reference: MEX/08/0415
Date: 15/04/2008
EXME08 / 15.04
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
15/04/08
[01] European Commission hosts Public Hearing on Multilingualism
Today the European Commission is hosting a public hearing on the place and
role of languages within the EU. The event, held in the Borschette
Conference Centre, rounds up a wide-ranging public consultation on
multilingualism which was launched at the end of last year. It has proved
to be one of the most popular public surveys ever carried out on EU
policies. The Commission is seeking to adapt its policies and actions in
the area of languages in order to reflect the reality of an EU with over
450 million citizens and around 60 different mother tongues.
[02] EU budget: smallest surplus ever
In 2007, Member States' contributions to the European Union budget almost
exactly matched the agreed spending for the year so that there was the
smallest EU budget surplus ever with a 90% drop from 2000 and a steady 17%
decrease from 2006. The continued downward trend reflects the European
Commission's efforts to ensure Member States' payments to EU coffers are
limited to what is strictly necessary. The end-of-year surplus - the
difference between all EU budget revenue and spending - amounted to only
just over 1% (€1 529 million) of the total €113.846 billion agreed
spending for 2007.
[03] EU and Montenegro sign bilateral WTO accession agreement
The EU and Montenegro have today signed a bilateral agreement on
Montenegro's accession to the WTO. The agreement was signed by Montenegrin
Vice Prime Minister Gordana Djurovic and David O'Sullivan, Director General
of the Commission's Directorate General for Trade. The agreement completes
the process of bilateral negotiations between the EU and Montenegro which
were commenced in 2005. The Community is the first WTO member to conclude
its bilateral talks with the acceding country.
[04] Commissioner Piebalgs underlines the role of nuclear energy in the
transition towards a low carbon economy
Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs reiterated today the importance of
nuclear energy for the reduction of CO2 emissions in a speech at a European
Nuclear Assembly conference in Brussels. The conference was dedicated to
the development of Europe's low carbon economy and organised by Foratom.
[05] Customs: Commission launches website to celebrate 40 years of EU
Customs Union
The 1st July 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the European Customs Union.
To celebrate this significant event, the European Commission has launched a
website dedicated to this topic. The launch of the website marks the
beginning of a communication campaign to highlight the important but often
invisible role of the Customs Union in protecting citizens and facilitating
trade. The campaign brings information to the public about key customs
activities such as protection against counterfeit goods, including
dangerous fake medicines, foodstuffs and toys. It shows how customs control
the movement of chemicals which can be misused and transformed into harmful
drugs, how illegal imports of internationally protected and diseased
animals is prevented and how legitimate trade is facilitated by the EU
customs union. The website is currently available in English. French,
German, Italian, Spanish, Polish and Hungarian versions will also be
available soon. Check the site for events that will be organised all over
Europe to mark the 40th anniversary of the European Customs Union, at: <a
href="http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/40customs/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/40customs/index_en.htm
Rediffusion
[06] Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed
acquisition of BarcoVision by Itema
The European Commission has opened a detailed investigation under the EU
Merger Regulation into the proposed acquisition of BarcoVision of Belgium
by the Italian company Itema. Itema produces textile machinery while
BarcoVision manufactures sensors and other inputs for the textiles market.
The Commission's initial market investigation indicated that the proposed
merger raises serious doubts as to its compatibility with the Single Market
as there are potential competition concerns due to the vertical
relationship between the parties, in particular on the market for winders
for stocking unwoven yarn, which might increase the cost or affect the
quality of sensors purchased by other winder producers. A decision to open
an in-depth inquiry does not prejudge the final result of the
investigation. The Commission now has 90 working days, until 26 August 2008,
to take a final decision on whether the concentration would significantly
impede effective competition within the European Economic Area (EEA) or a
substantial part of it.
[07] Autre matériel diffusé
• Speech by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on 'The 7th Framework Program -
opportunities for researchers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'
• Speech by Commissioner Almunia on 'Future challenges facing the euro',
Brussels - EMBARGO 12H15 -
• Speech by Commissioner Mandelson on 'Living in China', London
• Speech by Commissioner Dimas on 'EU activities on Climate Change',
Brussels
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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