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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-10-07

Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>

MIDDAY EXPRESS

News from the Spokesman's midday briefing

Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi du Porte-Paroleb

07/10/97


CONTENTS / CONTENU

  • [01] Jacques Santer : "L'Europe doit imprimer sa marque à la mondialisation"
  • [02] Business and consumer surveys: the economic climate in Europe remains favourable
  • [03] L'inflation annuelle de l'UE s'élève à 1.8% en août 1997
  • [04] Emploi et tourisme: orientations pour l'action (Luxembourg, 4 et 5 novembre 1997)
  • [05] Commission hosts seminar to mark fifth anniversary of ECHO
  • [06] Christos Papoutsis: "I am determined to tackle the problem of late payments in Europe, for the benefit of all businesses and of the European economy"
  • [07] Mario Monti: "Patents are essential for the promotion of innovation, and we launched many initiatives to best co-ordinate this policy at European level"

  • [01] Jacques Santer : "L'Europe doit imprimer sa marque à la mondialisation"

    Dans un discours prononcé aujourd'hui devant le "Forum de Administradores de Empresas" à Lisbonne, le Président de la Commission européenne, Jacques Santer, a déclaré que "l'Europe doit se moderniser pour tirer parti de la mondialisation". Pour cela, a-t-il dit, l'Europe a des atouts qu'il faut jouer à fond: finalisation du marché intérieur, introduction de la monnaie unique, renforcement de l'action communautaire dans l'innovation technologique et la formation, création d'entreprises de pointe. Mais l'Europe ne doit pas seulement s'adapter à la mondialisation. "Elle doit lui imprimer sa marque". "Nous devons faire entendre notre voix sur au moins trois thèmes", a dit Jacques Santer: le multilatéralisme - "Nous n'utilisons pas encore assez les potentialités de l'OMC" -, la solidarité - "Solidarité à l'intérieur de nos sociétés, entre pays membres de l'Union européenne et avec l'extérieur" - et l'équilibre - "L'UE n'a pas choisi la stratégie du big bang. De plus, la culture ou l'agriculture appellent une libéralisation différenciée".

    [02] Business and consumer surveys: the economic climate in Europe remains favourable

    At the end of the summer the economic sentiment indicator stabilised on a high level. The industrial confidence indicator also remained unchanged on last month at a level above the average over the last 10 years. Economic sentiment was mainly maintained by strong exports, and marginally better results for consumer confidence, reflected in stable confidence in the retail sector. Confidence in the construction sector declined slightly (mainly as a result of erratic movement in the Spanish figure).

    [03] L'inflation annuelle de l'UE s'élève à 1.8% en août 1997

    L'inflation annuelle de l'Union européenne est passée à 1.8% en août, après avoir atteint 1.7% en juillet, selon les données publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat, l'Office statistique des Communautés européennes à Luxembourg. En août 1996, elle avait atteint 2.2%. Le taux de l'inflation de l'EEE s'était établi également à 1.8% en août. Une hausse d'inflation a été constatée dans les Etats membres, à l'exception du Royaume-Uni, de l'Irlande, de l'Italie et de la Belgique. En France et en Finlande, le taux a augmenté de 1.1% à 1.6%, en Autriche de 0.9% à 1.3%, en Suède de 1.8% à 2.2%, aux Pays-Bas de 2.1% à 2.5% et en Grèce de 5.2% à 5.6%. L'Irlande (0.6%) a enregistré le taux le plus bas, ayant encore atteint 1.5% au mois précédent. L'Autriche arrive en seconde position avec un taux de 1.3%, cependant nettement en hausse par rapport au mois de juillet. La Grèce a gardé le taux le plus élevé avec 5.6% devant les Pays-Bas (2.5%) et le Danemark (2.4%). L'inflation est restée stable aux Etats-Unis (2.2%) mais est tombée à 2.1% au Japon.

    [04] Emploi et tourisme: orientations pour l'action (Luxembourg, 4 et 5 novembre 1997)

    La Commission européenne et la Présidence luxembourgeoise du Conseil organisent les 4 et 5 novembre 1997 à Luxembourg la Conférence "Emploi et Tourisme : Orientations pour l'Action" dont le but est d'établir, en termes concrets, les conditions pour la création et la consolidation d'emplois dans le tourisme, de dégager des conclusions pour l'action dans le secteur du tourisme et d'apporter une contribution substantielle au Sommet sur l'Emploi qui se tiendra à Luxembourg les 20 et 21 novembre 1997.

    [05] Commission hosts seminar to mark fifth anniversary of ECHO

    'Humanitarian aid -- what next?', this is the title of a seminar Emma Bonino, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, is hosting on Wednesday, October 8 in Brussels to mark the fifth anniversary of the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). She will introduce a team of panelists, starting with keynote addresses from former Commission President Jacques Delors and Bernard Kouchner, founder of Médecins sans Frontières, now Secretary of State for Health in France. Other speakers will include Sergio Vieira de Mello, Deputy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Jose Maria Mendiluce, European Member of Parliament, who formerly worked for the UNHCR, Catherine Bertini, World Food Programme executive director, as well as ECHO's current and previous directors, Alberto Navarro and Santiago Gomez-Reino. The event is the first in a series entitled 'Humanitarian Echoes', designed to stimulate debate among major players in the field of humanitarian affairs. Follow-up events will take place in other European capitals over the coming months. This event is open to accredited media representatives. Venue: Centre Borschette, 38 Rue Froissart, 1040 Brussels. Time: 4 pm.

    [06] Christos Papoutsis: "I am determined to tackle the problem of late payments in Europe, for the benefit of all businesses and of the European economy"

    Commissioner Christos Papoutsis, responsible for Enterprise policy, speaking during the public hearing on late payments in Europe, organised by the European Commission today in Brussels, announced that a relevant Directive tackling this problem will be proposed by the end of this year. As he said, "it is important to have a package of measures to tackle the problem" and that "legislative measures, if they are to work, must be accompanied by practical measures" such as education and training on the drawing up of clear contracts, transparency in contracts, clear payment terms, factoring and credit insurance. Mr Papoutsis insisted on the need "to have a strong statutory right to interest on late payments" and said that the level of the rate of interest should be such so that it will be "more expensive to borrow money by paying late that to borrow from banks at commercial rates". The Commissioner said also that in the future proposals "it is clear that we cannot ignore the very serious problem of late payments by the public sector".

    [07] Mario Monti: "Patents are essential for the promotion of innovation, and we launched many initiatives to best co-ordinate this policy at European level"

    Addressing the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich for its 20th Anniversary ceremony, Single Market Commissioner Mario Monti today outlined European Commission initiatives to improve and modernise the patent system in Europe. Reactions to the Green Paper published by the Commission last June already show a broad consensus supporting the use of patents to protect computer software, but there is not yet a clear position from industry on whether a Community instrument would be necessary to establish a Community Patent. "The European Patent Office will have a major role to play since it will be the operator of any such system" stressed Mr Monti. "We need a solution to the translation requirements, because it is unacceptable that the costs of patents in Europe are overburdened by translation costs. I have written to the Member States' Industry Ministers to draw their attention to this problem". "There is interaction and even synergy between the EPO and the Commission: we need to coordinate our action to encourage the innovation so vital to Europe's competitiveness", concluded Mr Monti.

    MIDDAY EXPRESS


    From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
    © ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996


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