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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 08-12-12Midday 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 Communicationb12/12/08[01] La Commission européenne se réjouit de l'entrée de la Suisse dans l'espace SchengenA compter d'aujourd'hui, les contrôles aux frontières terrestres entre la Suisse et les 24 pays qui font déjà partie de l'espace Schengen seront levés. Contextuellement, la Suisse adhère aussi au système de Dublin, établissant les critères pour l'attribution à un Etat membre la responsabilité de l’examen d’une demande d’asile.[02] Environment: Greater protection for Europe's wildlifeEurope's rich patchwork of protected flora and fauna grew further today with a major extension of Natura 2000, the EU's network of protected natural areas. The additions include 769 new sites and a total area of 95, 522 km2. Most of the sites are in the newer Member States. Romania and Bulgaria have now added areas to the network for the first time, including areas along the Black Sea that are home to numerous varieties of rare and threatened plants and animals. Natura 2000 now includes around 25,000 sites, covering almost 20% of the EU’s landmass, making it the largest interconnected network of protected areas in the world. It is the EU's key weapon in the fight against biodiversity loss.[03] Danuta Hübner in Poland to launch €28 billion infrastructure and environment programmeDanuta Hübner, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will be in Warsaw on Monday 15 December to launch the infrastructure and environment operational programme for Poland, financed by the European Union Cohesion Policy. The programme, which is the biggest ever of its kind, amounts to an investment of nearly €28 billion. Such a concentration of resources is expected to have a considerable impact not only on Poland but also on Europe as a whole.[04] Un départ sain pour nos enfants: conférence de la Commission sur le programme «Fruits à l'école»La Commission européenne organise les 15 et 16 décembre 2008 une conférence consacrée au programme européen de distribution de fruits à l'école. Retransmise en direct sur Internet, celle-ci est ouverte à tous. Pendant ces deux journées, des représentants de la Commission et près de 300 acteurs concernés débattront des fondements et des objectifs des programmes existants et se pencheront sur les nombreuses questions liées aux programmes de distribution de fruits aux écoliers actuellement en cours. S'ajouteront à ces débats quatre ateliers thématiques mettant respectivement l'accent sur la chaîne d'approvisionnement, l'articulation avec d'autres politiques, la communication avec les parents et les enseignants, et les techniques d'évaluation.[05] Eighth report on practical preparations for the euro: final countdown for SlovakiaWith less than three weeks to go before the introduction of the euro in Slovakia, preparations are well advanced and the changeover should be a smooth affair. On the 1st of January, Slovakia will be the 16th member of the euro area and its population of nearly 5.4 million will bring to 323 million the number of people in the European Union who share the common currency.[06] Promotion of EU agricultural products outside the EUThe European Commission has approved measures to provide information on, and to promote agricultural products in third countries. Member States submitted 30 programmes to the Commission to be examined. The 11 programmes that have been accepted are from Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Spain and Ireland. They are targeted at Russia, Ukraine, China, Japan and North America. The products covered are wine, fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products and PDO and organic products. The EU contribution is € 17.8 million (50% of the total budget of the programmes).[07] Accounting: European Commission grants equivalence in relation to third country GAAPsEuropean Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has warmly welcomed the adoption by the Commission of the measures granting equivalence to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) of certain third countries as from January of next year. It follows the positive opinions given by the Council, Parliament and Member States in the European Securities Committee last month.[08] What has the EU done for you in 2008?The European Commission launched its annual multimedia yearbook presenting some of the European Union's most important achievements of 2008. The yearbook provides a collection of success stories where EU action has led to tangible results for citizens, with topics ranging from toy safety to mitigating the effects of the financial crisis.[09] State aid: Commission approves Slovenian support scheme for credit institutionsThe European Commission has approved under EC Treaty state aid rules a Slovenian support scheme to stabilise financial markets by providing guarantees to eligible credit institutions to ensure their access to financing. The Commission found the measure to be in line with its Guidance Communication on state aid to overcome the financial crisis (see <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1495&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">IP/08/1495). In particular, the scheme is non-discriminatory, limited in time and scope, provides for behavioural constraints to avoid abuses and is subject to a market-oriented remuneration from the beneficiaries. The Commission therefore concluded that the scheme was an adequate means to remedy a serious disturbance of the Slovenian economy and as such in line with Article 87.3.b of the EC Treaty.[10] Euro area labour costs rose by 4.0%Total hourly labour costs in the euro area (EA15) rose by 4.0% in nominal terms in the year up to the third quarter of 2008, compared with 2.8% for the previous quarter. In the EU27, the annual rise was 4.1% up to the third quarter of 2008, compared with 3.6% for the previous quarter. The two main components of labour costs are wages & salaries and non-wage costs. In the euro area, wages & salaries grew by 3.8% in the year up to the third quarter of 2008, and non-wage costs by 4.4%, compared with 2.7% and 2.8% respectively for the second quarter of 2008. In the EU27, wages & salaries rose by 4.0% and the non-wage component by 4.2%. For the previous quarter the corresponding rates were 3.6% and 3.2%. The breakdown by economic activity shows that in the euro area hourly labour costs rose at an annual rate of 3.8% in industry, 4.3% in construction and 4.0% in services up to the third quarter of 2008. In the EU27, labour costs grew by 4.2% in industry, 3.8% in construction and 4.0% in services. These figures come from Eurostat.[11] Industrial production down by 1.2% in both euro area and EU27In October 2008 compared with September 2008, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 1.2% in both the euro area2 (EA15) and the EU27. In September production decreased by 1.8% and 1.3% respectively. In October 2008 compared with October 2007, industrial production declined by 5.3% in the euro area and by 5.0% in the EU27. These estimates are released by Eurostat.Rediffusion [12] Le Geeref, fonds européen de soutien aux énergies propres, décide d’un premier investissement de 22 millions € en faveur de projets en Afrique et en AsieLe Fonds mondial pour la promotion de l’efficacité énergétique et des énergies renouvelables (Geeref), mis en place par la Commission européenne pour aider les pays en développement et les économies en transition à accéder à l'énergie propre, a décidé d’une première série d'investissements pour un montant total de 22 millions €. Réalisés dans le cadre de la lutte contre le changement climatique, ces investissements financeront, en Afrique subsaharienne et australe ainsi qu’en Asie, des projets à petite échelle dans le domaine des énergies renouvelables. Cette annonce a été faite aujourd'hui par M. Stavros Dimas, membre de la Commission européenne chargé de l'environnement, à l'occasion d'une présentation du Geeref, dans le cadre de la conférence des Nations unies sur le changement climatique à Poznań, en Pologne.[13] Member States unanimously back Private Storage Aid scheme to help Irish pork marketThe Member States of the European Union today voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to introduce a specific private storage aid scheme for pigmeat produced in Ireland. The European Commission made the proposal because of the exceptional circumstances and the difficulties that the pigmeat market in Ireland is experiencing. This EU-funded storage scheme, backed at today's Management Committee, will involve only meat coming from pigs reared in Ireland on farms not affected by contaminated feed. Under the aid scheme, a maximum of 30,000 tonnes of pigmeat can be stored for a period of up to 6 months. The level of aid varies according to the cut of meat. . The scheme is expected to enter into force in the coming days.[14] Le Commissaire Louis Michel assiste la médiation au Nord KivuLe Commissaire européen au développement et à l'aide humanitaire, Louis Michel, va rencontrer le leader du 'Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple' (CNDP) Laurent Nkunda dans la journée, sur demande de l'ancien Président nigérien Olusegun Obasanjo, actuellement Envoyé Spécial du Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies pour la région des Grands Lacs.[15] Autre matériel diffusé• Memo sur l'élargissement de l'espace Schengen en dates et en chiffres• Memo on How EU-funded research contributes to a cleaner and greener environment • Discours du Président Barroso 'Un prix pour une véritable envie d'Europe', Bruxelles • Calendrier hebdomadaire du 8 au 14 décembre • Top News from the European Commission A disposition au secrétariat de Jonathan Todd (BERL 03/315): Notification préalable d'une opération de concentration : Kyocera Mita / Triumph-Adler Mauser Holding International/Reyde/JV
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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