|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 09-02-11
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] 112: Commission says EU single emergency number must get multilingual
[02] State aid: Commission approves Swedish scheme to recapitalise banks
[03] State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Dutch tax
exemption for natural gas used for production of ceramic products
[04] State aid: Commission finds aid to BT partially unlawful and orders
recovery
[05] State aid: Commission endorses €39 million regional investment aid
to ersol Thin Film GmbH for production of thin-film solar modules in Erfurt,
Germany
[06] Commission clears Dutch regulator OPTA's proposal to enhance
competition in the broadcasting markets
[07] State aid: Commission endorses €56 million aid to Sunfilm for
production of thin-film solar modules in Saxony, Germany
[08] Huit aéroports polonais bénéficieront d'aides d'état
[09] Austrian Airlines: The Commission opens the formal investigation
procedure regarding its sale to Lufthansa and plans of Austrian Government
for its restructuring
[10] La Commission autorise l'aide de la région flamande en faveur de la
construction d'un terminal intermodal à Anvers
[11] European Commissioner Louis Michel welcomes Zimbabwe power-sharing
government
[12] Commission supports clean and sustainable transport in Europe's cities
[13] Decent work can be part of the solution to the economic crisis
[14] Joe Borg visits Lower Normandy
[15] Including Aviation into the ETS: Commission announces list of aircraft
operators and their responsible Member States
[16] Five finalists announced for the European Union prize for contemporary
architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2009
[17] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2009-02-11
Reference: MEX/09/0211
Date: 11/02/2009
EXME09 / 11.02
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
11/02/09
[01] 112: Commission says EU single emergency number must get multilingual
Since December 2008, EU citizens can contact emergency services from
anywhere in the European Union by dialing 112, the EU-wide emergency number,
free of charge from both fixed and mobile phones. But, only one in four
Europeans knows that this life-saving number exists in other Member States
and almost three in ten 112 callers in other countries have encountered
language problems. Today the Commission, along with the European Parliament
and the Council, declared February 11 "European 112 Day" to spread the word
about 112 and push national authorities to make the EU's single emergency
number more multilingual.
[02] State aid: Commission approves Swedish scheme to recapitalise banks
The European Commission has approved, under EC Treaty state aid rules, a
Swedish aid scheme intended to bolster the financing of the real economy by
providing capital to banks. The scheme is in line with the Commission’s
guidance on support measures for banks during the financial crisis (see
IP/08/1495 and IP/08/1901). In particular, the measures are limited in time
and require a significant proportion of private investment alongside with
the state intervention. The Commission therefore concluded that the scheme
is an adequate means to remedy a serious disturbance of the Swedish economy
and as such in line with Article 87.3.b of the EC Treaty.
[03] State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Dutch tax
exemption for natural gas used for production of ceramic products
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation under EC Treaty
State aid rules into a tax exemption by the Dutch State for the delivery of
natural gas used in installations for the production of ceramic products.
As the proposed tax exemption only regards natural gas used by the Dutch
ceramic industry, the Commission is of the preliminary view that this
measure confers a selective advantage on the ceramic industry and would
therefore constitute state aid. Such operating aid can be authorised only
in exceptional circumstances, for example when it is related to
environmental protection. At this stage The Netherlands has not
demonstrated compliance with the EU Guidelines on State Aid for
Environmental Protection (see IP/08/80 and MEMO/08/31). The opening of an
in-depth investigation gives The Netherlands and interested parties the
possibility to comment on the proposed measure.
[04] State aid: Commission finds aid to BT partially unlawful and orders
recovery
The European Commission has concluded that a UK Crown guarantee covering
the pension liabilities of British Telecom plc on the EU telecommunications
markets is partially unlawful under EC Treaty state aid rules. The
Commission does not call into question the safeguards for BT's employees at
the time of privatisation, introduced by the guarantee. However, as a
consequence of the guarantee, BT is partially exempted from certain common
law financial obligations, such as the payment of a levy to the Pension
Protection Fund since 2005. Following an in-depth investigation, opened in
November 2007 (see IP/07/1802), he Commission concluded that this exemption
conferred an unfair competitive advantage to BT that constitutes state aid.
Such aid cannot be justified under EU rules because it merely dispenses BT
from charges that its competitors have to pay. The UK must therefore
recover the aid by ensuring that a full levy is paid to the Fund.
[05] State aid: Commission endorses €39 million regional investment aid
to ersol Thin Film GmbH for production of thin-film solar modules in Erfurt,
Germany
The European Commission has authorised, under EC Treaty state aid rules,
€39.72 million of regional investment aid, which the German authorities
intend to grant to ersol Thin Film GmbH for the production of thin-film
solar modules in Erfurt, Germany. The project involves investments of
€371 million and is expected to create 461 direct new jobs in the region.
The Commission found the measure to be compatible with the requirements of
the EU Regional Aid Guidelines 2007-2013 (see <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1653&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">IP/05/1653),
and in particular with its rules on large investment projects, as ersol
Thin Film would not gain significant new market shares and the investment
takes place in a fast growing market, the photovoltaic sector. Therefore
the positive impact of the investment on regional development can be
considered to outweigh the potential distortions of competition.
[06] Commission clears Dutch regulator OPTA's proposal to enhance
competition in the broadcasting markets
The European Commission, taking into account the specific situation of the
Dutch market, cleared, in a letter published today, the Dutch telecoms
regulator's proposal to impose regulatory obligations on the four largest
cable operators in the Netherlands, Ziggo, UPC, Delta and CAIW. These
obligations will allow alternative providers of radio and TV ('RTV')
signals to compete more effectively with the broadcasting offers over
cable. In addition, Ziggo and UPC will have to allow other market parties
to sell the formers' analogue radio and TV package, allowing the latter to
service consumers. At the same time, the Commission is inviting OPTA to
avoid prolonging analogue transmission services as this could lead to
inefficient investments and limit the development of innovative digital
services and infrastructures. OPTA should implement swiftly and effectively
the detailed terms and conditions of the remedies required in order to
generate a market structure which is more prone to competitive dynamics.
[07] State aid: Commission endorses €56 million aid to Sunfilm for
production of thin-film solar modules in Saxony, Germany
The European Commission has authorised, under EC Treaty state aid rules,
€56 million of regional investment aid, which the German authorities
grant to Sunfilm for the production of thin-film solar modules in Saxony,
Germany. The project involves a total investment of €393 million and is
expected to create at least 380 new jobs in the region. The Commission
found the measure to be compatible with the requirements of the Regional
Aid Guidelines 2007-2013 (see IP/05/1653) and in particular with the rules
on large investment projects, as Sunfilm would not gain significant new
market shares and the investment takes place in a fast growing market, the
photovoltaic sector. Therefore the positive impact of the investment on
regional development can be considered to outweigh the potential
distortions of competition.
[08] Huit aéroports polonais bénéficieront d'aides d'état
La Commission européenne a autorisé aujourd'hui un régime d'aides au
profit de huit aéroports polonais. Cofinancé par le Fond de cohésion Ã
hauteur de 251,5 millions d'Euros, ce programme d'aides permettra, entre
autres, la construction de nouveaux terminaux et la modernisation des
pistes d'atterrissage.
[09] Austrian Airlines: The Commission opens the formal investigation
procedure regarding its sale to Lufthansa and plans of Austrian Government
for its restructuring
The European Commission has today decided to open the formal investigation
procedure into the privatisation and restructuring of Austrian Airlines
whereby it will be taken over by Lufthansa. The Commission expresses doubts
that the price to be paid by Lufthansa reflects the market price for what
is being sold, that the Austrian State has acted as private investor and
whether the restructuring plan as notified is in accordance with the
Community framework for rescue and restructuring of firms in difficulty.
[10] La Commission autorise l'aide de la région flamande en faveur de la
construction d'un terminal intermodal à Anvers
La Commission européenne a approuvé aujourd’hui une aide d'Etat
destinée à financer partiellement la construction d'un terminal intermodal
pour conteneurs continentaux dans l'enceinte du port d'Anvers.
[11] European Commissioner Louis Michel welcomes Zimbabwe power-sharing
government
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel,
has welcomed today's inauguration of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
leader Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe as part of the power-
sharing agreement entered into with President Mugabe.
[12] Commission supports clean and sustainable transport in Europe's cities
The European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy and Transport
presented more details today on a number of significant actions aimed at
improving the sustainability of transport in our towns and cities at a
Conference on Urban Mobility, held in Brussels in association with the
European Sustainable Energy Week. More than 300 participants from 50
countries, including representatives from public authorities, industry,
academia and civil society attended this Conference on Urban Mobility to
consider how best to provide high quality urban transport for citizens and
businesses in the years to come. Aimed at improving mobility in European
cities, these actions include the preparation of a new Civitas programme as
well as the launching of studies on so-called 'green zones' and the
integration of different transport modes in urban areas. Another action is
the creation of an internet site to help public authorities in their
purchases of clean and energy efficient vehicles. Vice-Presented Antonio
Tajani had presented these proposals at a Civitas Conference on 21 January
2008 in Toulouse (See <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/09/17&format=HTML&aged=0&language=FR&guiLanguage=en">SPEECH/09/17).
For more information visit - <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/index_en.htm
and http://www.civitas.eu
[13] Decent work can be part of the solution to the economic crisis
VladimÃr `pidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, will today address the
International Labour Organisation's 8th Regional Meeting of Ministers from
Europe and Central Asia in Lisbon, Portugal. Delegates will examine the
employment and social consequences of the economic crisis and the
Commissioner will set out his ideas on limiting the impact of the crisis on
the most vulnerable: decent work can be part of the solution.
[14] Joe Borg visits Lower Normandy
European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg will
visit the French region of Lower Normandy (Basse-Normandie) tomorrow and
Friday. He will meet the President of the region, Mr Laurent Beauvais, the
Prefect, Mr Christian Leyrit, members of the research community and
fishermen. On Thursday , afternoon, the Commissioner will participate in a
debate at the University of Caen on maritime research, where he will
outline the innovative EU strategy for maritime research. He will also
visit the University's Biotechnology Marine Laboratory. The visit will be
followed by a joint press conference with President Beauvais (at the
University). Later in the afternoon, Commissioner Borg will meet with the
Bureau of the Atlantic Arc Commission of the Conference of Peripheral
Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR). He will update Bureau members on new
developments in relation to the integrated maritime policy, and the need to
reform the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). On Friday morning, the
Commissioner will visit the port of Barfleur, followed by a tour of
Europe's largest mollusc hatchery at Gateville. The upcoming CFP reform and
topics of interest to the sector will be discussed with fishermen and
regional leaders in Cherbourg. Mr Borg will explain his vision for a policy
that is based on a simpler and more effective system, gives greater
ownership to stakeholders, strengthens the role of regional stakeholders
and reinforces the external dimension of the policy. A press conference
will be held following the meeting (Cherbourg City Hall).
[15] Including Aviation into the ETS: Commission announces list of aircraft
operators and their responsible Member States
Today the Commission published a list of aircraft operators to be included
in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme as of 1 January 2012. The list is part
of the implementation of the legislation to include aircraft operators in
the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Aviation activities of aircraft
operators that operate flights arriving at and departing from Community
aerodromes will be included in the scheme for greenhouse gas emission
allowance trading within the Community. Each aircraft operator is covered
by a single Member State, which will be responsible for ensuring compliance
with the requirements of the legislation. Member States are responsible for
the aircraft operators to which they issued an operating licence and for
the aircraft operators whose emissions in 2006 were mostly attributable to
that Member State. The list was drawn up together with EUROCONTROL, the
international organisation responsible for European air traffic management.
The Commission will update the list each year by 1 February to include
aircraft operators that have subsequently performed an aviation activity as
defined in the legislation. Air transport plays a major role in the EU
economy, but while the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions are falling,
aviation's share of overall EU-greenhouse gas emissions is growing faster
than any other sector and risks undermining the progress achieved through
emission cuts in other sectors. The Commission now invites feedback from
Member States and other relevant stakeholders by 31 March 2009 and will
publish a revised list if necessary.
Further information: For more details on aviation's inclusion in the EU's
Emissions Trading Scheme, please visit: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm
Rediffusion
[16] Five finalists announced for the European Union prize for contemporary
architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2009
The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe today announced
the finalists for the 2009 European Union Prize for Contemporary
Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, one of the most important and
prestigious prizes on the international architecture scene. The winner of
the Mies van der Rohe prize will be announced in May in Barcelona.
[17] Autre matériel diffusé
• Memo on 112, the single European emergency number: Frequently Asked
Questions
• Speech by Commissioner Borg: "Upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries
Policies"
• Speech by Commissioner Dimas: "The competitiveness of the car industry
and climate change"
• Speech by Commissioner Rehn: "European elections and the challenges
ahead"
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
|