|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 09-03-26
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] A special web portal to make cross border business easier in the EU
[02] Commissioners keen to help small businesses to grasp trade
opportunities
[03] State aid: Commission approves recapitalisation of Bank of Ireland
[04] State aid: Commission approves temporary modification of Austrian risk-
capital scheme to boost real economy
[05] Stronger international guarantees of nuclear non-proliferation:
Commission moves forward
[06] One person in six feels that crime or vandalism is a problem in their
neighbourhood
[07] La Commission se réjouit de la décision adoptée aujourd'hui par le
Parlement européen de soutenir la mise en place du Ciel unique européen
[08] Danuta Hübner in Czech Republic: Europe needs to capitalise on its
local and regional assets to boost competitiveness
[09] Spring Day for Europe 2009: school students invited to take part in
dialogue on future of Europe
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2009-03-26
Reference: MEX/09/0326
Date: 26/03/2009
EXME09 / 26.03
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
26/03/09
[01] A special web portal to make cross border business easier in the EU
The new ‘Your Europe - Business’ portal gives entrepreneurs easy access
to information on doing business in other EU Member States. It has been
established in close cooperation with Member States and is part of the
implementation of the Small Business Act.
[02] Commissioners keen to help small businesses to grasp trade
opportunities
In the current financial downturn European small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) need to be able to do business abroad and benefit from
the opportunities that trade offers to them. There are more than 23 million
SMEs, representing 99% of EU companies, but only 3% of them export outside
the EU. How can this be changed and what can the Commission do to support
SMEs wanting to do business abroad? How can existing tools be improved and
which new initiatives should be launched? More than 150 representatives of
SME organisations, the European Parliament, the Member States, and other
SME stakeholders will debate this issue today at a High Level Stakeholder
Conference organised by Vice-President Günter Verheugen and Commissioner
Catherine Ashton.
[03] State aid: Commission approves recapitalisation of Bank of Ireland
The European Commission has approved, under EC Treaty state aid rules, an
emergency recapitalisation worth €3.5 billion that the Irish authorities
intend to grant to Bank of Ireland. The Commission found the measure to be
in line with its Guidance Communications on state aid during the current
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
and <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1901&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">IP/08/1901).
The measure constitutes an adequate means to remedy a serious disturbance
in the Irish economy and is therefore compatible with Article 87.3.b. of
the EC Treaty. In particular, the measure is limited in scope, requires an
adequate remuneration and provides safeguards to minimise distortions of
competition.
[04] State aid: Commission approves temporary modification of Austrian risk-
capital scheme to boost real economy
The European Commission has approved, under EC Treaty state aid rules, an
Austrian framework measure which will temporarily modify the existing risk
capital investment scheme 'Eigenkapitalgarantien', previously approved by
the Commission on 18th October 2007 (see case number <a
href="http://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/case_details.cfm?id=3_219437">N
160/2007). The Commission found the proposed modifications to be in line
with its Temporary Framework for state aid measures to support access to
finance in the current financial and economic crisis (see <a
href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1993&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">IP/08/1993).
In particular, the measure is limited in time and meets the investment
thresholds. It is therefore compatible with Article 87(3) (b) of the EC
Treaty, that permits aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of
a Member State. The measure will be applicable until 31st December 2010.
[05] Stronger international guarantees of nuclear non-proliferation:
Commission moves forward
The European Commission adopted today a Communication on nuclear non-
proliferation , identifying possible actions to strengthen the EU's
contribution to international efforts in this domain, including the
development of an international system of guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel
under the umbrella of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The
document also presents the main instruments that the Community already has
at its disposal to reduce the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons.
[06] One person in six feels that crime or vandalism is a problem in their
neighbourhood
In the EU in 2007, 18% of the population lived in a dwelling with a leaking
roof or damp in the walls, while 2% had no indoor flushing toilet and 2% no
bath or shower. In 2007, 23% of the EU population lived in households that
perceived that they suffered from noise from neighbours or from the street,
17% felt they had problems with pollution or grime in their local area and
16% felt that crime or vandalism was a problem in the area they were
living. These indicators on living conditions come from the EU-SILC1 survey
and are published by Eurostat. Data for Bulgaria and Romania are not yet
available.
Rediffusion
[07] La Commission se réjouit de la décision adoptée aujourd'hui par le
Parlement européen de soutenir la mise en place du Ciel unique européen
Le Parlement européen a approuvé aujourd'hui le deuxième paquet
législatif relatif au Ciel unique européen (Ciel unique II). Les textes
adoptés par le Parlement sont l'aboutissement de discussions très
fructueuses avec la présidence tchèque. Le Conseil devrait très
prochainement adopter formellement le paquet législatif. Grâce à ces
mesures, les vols seront plus sûrs, plus écologiques et plus rentables,
les économies annuelles pour les compagnies aériennes étant estimées Ã
quatre milliards d'euros d’ici 2020.
[08] Danuta Hübner in Czech Republic: Europe needs to capitalise on its
local and regional assets to boost competitiveness
On 26-27 March, Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy, will
visit the Czech region of Central Moravia and address a major conference in
Prague on the future EU Cohesion Policy. The conference, which takes place
on the first day of her visit, is organised by the Czech Presidency of the
European Union and forms part of the ongoing reflection on the future
priorities and future budget of the EU.
[09] Spring Day for Europe 2009: school students invited to take part in
dialogue on future of Europe
The launch of this year's 'Spring Day for Europe' campaign to encourage
school students to take part in activities to raise awareness of European
issues took place on 25 March in Strasbourg. Commission Vice-President
Margot Wallström and Katerina Batzeli, Chairwoman of the European
Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education, met a group of students
visiting the European Parliament to mark the occasion. The event took place
on the eve of June elections for the European Parliament.
[10] Autre matériel diffusé
• Discours de la Commissaire Ferrero-Waldner 'Déclaration de la
Commission : Evaluation semestrielle du dialogue UE-Belarus', Strasbourg
• Speech by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner ' State of transatlantic
relations in the aftermath of the US elections (Millan Mon Report),
Strasbourg
• Discours de la Commissaire Ferrero-Waldner 'Déclaration de la
Commission : Turkménistan – Accord Commercial Intérimaire', Strasbourg
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
|
