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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 09-03-18Midday 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[I] Résultats de la Commission du 18 mars 2009 – Outcome of Commission meeting of 18 March 2009
MIDDAY EXPRESSNews from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefingNouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb18/03/09[I] Résultats de la Commission du 18 mars 2009 – Outcome of Commission meeting of 18 March 2009[01] CAP simplification: Commission well on the way to meeting target to reduce admin burden in agriculture by 25 percent by 2012Thanks to considerable progress already made in simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy and other measures still to be carried out, the Commission is confident that it will meet its objective of reducing the administrative burden arising from the CAP by 25 percent by 2012. This view is supported by the recently adopted opinion on agriculture of the Stoiber group. A new report highlights a number of measures taken over the past three and a half years which reduce red tape for farmers, companies involved in the food business and administrations, and promise to reduce annual costs by hundreds of millions of euros, which will render European farming more competitive.[02] Antitrust: Commission opens German gas market to competition by accepting commitments from RWE to divest transmission networkThe European Commission has adopted a decision that renders legally binding commitments offered by RWE to address concerns raised in the course of an investigation under EC antitrust rules (see <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/06/205&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">MEMO/06/205). The Commission had concerns that RWE may have abused the dominant position on its gas transmission network to restrict its competitors' access to the network, thereby violating Article 82 of the EC Treaty. The Commission's suspicion related to a possible refusal to supply gas transmission services to other companies and to behaviour aiming at lowering the margins of RWE's downstream competitors in gas supply ("margin squeeze"). In reaction to the Commission's concerns, RWE offered to divest its entire Western German high- pressure gas transmission network. In the light of RWE's commitments, the Commission has now closed its investigation.Other news [03] Commission adopts two regulations to progressively remove from the market non-efficient light bulbsThe Commission adopted today two ecodesign regulations to improve the energy efficiency of household lamps and of office, street and industrial lighting products. The two regulations lay down energy efficiency requirements which will save close to 80 TWh by 2020 (roughly the electricity consumption of Belgium, or of 23 million European households, or the equivalent of the yearly output of 20 power stations of 500 megawatts) and will lead to a reduction of about 32 million tons of CO2 emission per year. Inefficient incandescent light bulbs will be progressively replaced by improved alternatives starting in 2009 and finishing at the end of 2012. As a result of these regulations, 11 billion euros are expected to be saved and re-injected every year into the European economy.[04] European inventor 2009: Solutions to global challenges nominatedBreakthrough inventions such as the commercial use of solar energy, powerful long-life batteries for hybrid cars, a successful malaria drug, and the "fastskin" swimsuit inspired by shark skin are among the nominations for the Inventor of the Year 2009 award. The European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commission today announced the twelve nominees for this year's European Inventor of the Year awards. Their inventions aim at addressing many of today's toughest challenges in the areas of energy, environment and health. The winners in the four categories of industry, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)/research, non European countries and lifetime achievement will be announced in Prague on 28 April 2009.[05] EU starts discussions on European AgenciesLast week in Strasbourg, the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the European Union for the first time started formal discussions on the role and place of European agencies in the EU.[06] Ashton calls on EU, US to stand up for free trade in global downturnEU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton has today delivered a speech at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, DC, in which she calls on the EU and US to stand up for open trade in the economic downturn. She argues that a commitment to open markets is as important in the current economic crisis as determining the right fiscal stimulus and financial regulation, as trade creates growth and jobs. Commissioner Ashton concludes that the EU and US must show leadership both in the multilateral trade arena as well as in tackling bilateral trade issues, in order to help lift the global economy out of recession. – EMBARGO 17h30 CET -[07] Commission clears acquisition of Plukon by GildeThe European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Plukon Royale B.V. (Plukon) of The Netherlands by Gilde Buy Out Fund III (Gilde), also of The Netherlands. Gilde is active in private equity investments. Plukon is engaged in the slaughtering of poultry and processing of poultry meat. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.[08] Commissioner Borg meets with Mr Sun Zhihui, head of China's State Oceanic AdministrationToday, Joe Borg, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will be meeting with Mr Sun Zhihui, Head of the State Ocean Administration (SOA) of the Peoples' Republic of China. This is a follow-up meeting to Commissioner Borg's visit to China in November 2007. The meeting with the Chinese delegation will address current and future enhanced cooperation between the European Union and China in maritime affairs and fisheries, both at bilateral level and within international bodies. The two Parties will also discuss the extension of the High Level Dialogue between the EU and China to maritime affairs. Commissioner Borg will present the EU's new initiatives in the context of its Integrated Maritime Policy. Discussions will cover areas ranging from spatial planning and maritime surveillance to the latest major international governance issues such as combating Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing and the strengthening of international cooperation within Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, in particular within the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. SOA is the government agency in China responsible for the supervision and management of sea-area use and marine environmental protection, for safeguarding China's marine sovereignty and rights and for promoting research in marine science and technology.[09] Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou visits BulgariaEuropean Commissioner for Health, Androulla Vassiliou will be in Bulgaria tomorrow, where she will meet with the Bulgarian Minister of Health Dr. Evgeni Zhelev to discuss a range of health issues including the recent EC initiatives in organ donation and transplantation, patients' rights in cross-border health care, patient safety and the EU strategy on rare diseases. The Commissioner will also launch the Bulgarian language version of the EU Health portal (www.health.europa.eu) and meet young people and youth organisations to explore their involvement in health initiatives. The second half of the visit will focus on food safety and animal health issues where Commissioner Vassiliou will meet the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Valery Tsetanov. Topics for discussion include future approaches on Classical Swine Fever and import controls of products of animal and plant origin. Finally, Commissioner Vassiliou, together with Meglena Kuneva, European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs will participate in a public event on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.Rediffusion [10] Vice-President Antonio Tajani launches an investigation into lost luggage figuresThe lost luggage phenomenon when travelling by air has been brought to the attention of the European Commission. Some recent figures published by the UK Air Transport Council (AUC) confirm the concerns expressed by Vice- President Tajani's, in charge of Transport. Vice-President Tajani decided today to take immediate measures on passenger rights starting with an investigation on the scale of the phenomenon. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Transport and Energy will ask today for information from the Airports International Council, and the Association of European Airlines and other parties concerned. The Commission will also contact AUC that was the first to reveal this information. "Safeguarding passenger rights is an essential component of European transport policy. The European Commission wants to be close to its citizens, providing them with solutions to the problems they encounter. It is for this reason that I have decided to act immediately so as to shed some light on these alarming figures which, if they were to be confirmed, would call for a strong political intervention," said Vice-President Tajani. The European Commission is evaluating the effective application of Regulation 889/2002 on luggage loss and damage. At the end of this investigation the Commission will then assess whether any improvements to the Regulation are required.[11] Autre matériel diffusé• Memo on Frequently asked questions on the draft regulation phasing out incandescent bulbs• Memo on Global Partners: EU-US Trade and Investment – EMBARGO 17h30 CET - • Speech by Commissioner Almunia 'Staying the course: implementing policies for recovery', Brussels • Speech by Commissioner Dimas 'US and EU leadership for Copenhagen', Washington • Discours du Président Barroso 'La Relance par la Confiance, la Coordination et le Consensus', Comité économique et social européen, Bruxelles • Intervention of Vice-President Antonio Tajani at the European Parliament's Transport Committee, Brussels – in Italian only • Speaking points of Commissioner Fischer Boel on CAP simplification, Brussels • Speech by Commissiner Ashton 'The Transatlantic Challenge: Promoting open trade', Washington - EMBARGO 17h30 CET - A disposition au secrétariat de Jonathan Todd (BERL 03/315): Notification préalable d'une opération de concentration : Mapfre / Salvador Caetano / JVs
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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