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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 09-02-02
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Antitrust: Commission requests Slovak Republic to bring Slovak
Competition Act into conformity with EU law
[02] Fight against tax fraud: Commission proposes measures to allow better
cooperation between tax authorities
[03] Consumers: Energy, banking and urban transport "underperforming" for
consumers
[04] Promotion of PPPs in rail infrastructure
[05] Vice-President Tajani meets President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal
[06] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2009-02-02
Reference: MEX/09/0202
Date: 02/02/2009
EXME09 / 02.02
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
02/02/09
[01] Antitrust: Commission requests Slovak Republic to bring Slovak
Competition Act into conformity with EU law
The European Commission has formally requested the Slovak Republic to amend
a provision of the Slovak Competition Act that limits the Slovak
Competition Authority's power to apply Articles 81 (prohibiting cartels and
other restrictive business practices) and 82 (prohibiting abuses of a
dominant position) of the EC Treaty to anticompetitive behaviour in the
electronic communications, energy and postal sectors. The request takes the
form of a reasoned opinion, the second step of EC Treaty infringement
procedures (Article 226). Unless the Slovak Republic brings its legislation
into conformity with EU law within two months of receipt of the reasoned
opinion, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the European Court
of Justice
[02] Fight against tax fraud: Commission proposes measures to allow better
cooperation between tax authorities
In the framework of its strategy to better combat tax evasion and fraud (<a
href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/697&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr">IP/06/697),
the European Commission today adopted two proposals for new Directives
aimed at improving mutual assistance between Member States' tax authorities
in the assessment and the recovery of taxes. One of the key elements of the
proposals is that Member States would no longer be able to invoke bank
secrecy in order to refuse cross border co-operation.
[03] Consumers: Energy, banking and urban transport "underperforming" for
consumers
Three areas of services which really matter to people – energy, banking
and transport (trains, buses and trams) – are causing the most problems
for consumers, according to a new EU Report published today by the European
Commission. The 2nd EU Annual Consumer Markets Scoreboard Report screens
more than 20 goods and services sectors (including food, clothing, footwear,
financial services, energy and telecoms) against 5 key consumer indicators
– prices, switching, satisfaction, complaints and safety. The aim is to
identify where markets have a high risk of malfunctioning for consumers.
Consumer conditions in the retail electricity market will be the target of
an in-depth market analysis by the Commission in 2009.
[04] Promotion of PPPs in rail infrastructure
Financial experts from the European Commission, the European Investment
Bank and the rail sector discussed last Friday ways to promote the
successful use of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in rail infrastructure
projects. The meeting was organised jointly with two leading European rail
associations; the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure
Companies (CER) and the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM). The
Commission's Directorate-General for Energy and Transport hosted this event
in Brussels. The meeting demonstrated that the railways are strongly
committed to promote PPPs as a tool to an efficient delivery of
infrastructure. For more information please follow this link: <a
href="http://ec.europa.eu/transport/infrastructure/doc/ppp_workshop_2009_01_30.pdf">http://ec.europa.eu/transport/infrastructure/doc/ppp_workshop_2009_01_30.pdf
[05] Vice-President Tajani meets President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal
European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani met the President of
Senegal Abdoulaye Wade, NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development)
coordinator for transport, at a breakfast meeting this morning hosted by
the World Bank and the African Development Bank on regional infrastructure
in Africa European. They have agreed on the need to exchange experience on
the functioning of trans-European networks. They looked in particular at
measures aimed at facilitating innovative funding and project
implementation. They also discussed the possibility of using a similar
system as that of TEN-T European Coordinators to help improve the
implementation of trans-African networks. Vice-President Tajani is in Addis
Ababa where he will deliver a speech on transport this afternoon at the
12th ordinary session of the Head of State and Government Assembly of the
African Union.
[06] Autre matériel diffusé
• Memo on Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner statement on the liberation of
Farc hostages – in Spanish only -
• Memo on The Consumer Markets Scoreboard and the MarketWatch Process.
Questions & Answers
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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