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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-01-10
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Yémen : la Commission octroie 2,53 millions d'€ pour l'aide
humanitaire aux populations les plus vulnérables
[02] Commission welcomes signing of the Sudan peace agreement
[03] Commission clears acquisition of DSD Germany by KKR
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Cetelem Germany by Dresdner and
Cetelem France
[05] Commission kicks off new €36 million programme for financing small
businesses, in particular in new Member States
[06] Société de l'information pour tous : la Commission ouvre une
consultation pour rendre les produits et services TIC plus accessibles
[07] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-01-10
Reference: MEX/05/0110
Date: 10/01/2005
EXME05 / 10.1
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Général Presse etb
Communication
10/01/05
[01] Yémen : la Commission octroie 2,53 millions d'€ pour l'aide
humanitaire aux populations les plus vulnérables
La Commission européenne vient de décider l'octroi de 2,53 millions d'€
pour l'aide humanitaire au Yémen, l'un des pays les plus pauvres du monde.
L'assistance permettra de venir en aide aux groupes les plus marginalisés
de la population yéménite, notamment ceux qui vivent dans des bidonvilles
à la périphérie des villes et les enfants des rues, ainsi qu'aux
réfugiés en provenance de la Corne de l'Afrique. L'aide sera dirigée via
ECHO, le service d'Aide humanitaire de la Commission, et les projets mis en
œuvre par des agences spécialisées des Nations-unies et des
organisations non gouvernementales.
[02] Commission welcomes signing of the Sudan peace agreement
The European Commission warmly welcomed the signature on Sunday 9th January
2005, in Nairobi, of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the
Government of Sudan and the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army, thereby
ending a two-decade civil war, the longest-running on the African
continent. The Commission was represented by the Director General for
Development, Stefano Manservisi. Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development,
who visited the country in the first week of his mandate, stated : "I would
like to congratulate the two Parties for having achieved the Naivasha
negotiations, which should pave the way for the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of all parts of the Sudan, thereby tackling and alleviating
the immense suffering of the Sudanese people". The Commission sees this
agreement as a quantum leap for the region, and trusts that it will also
contribute to an enhanced regional stability. The North-South war has now
ended. The peace should now be won swiftly and efficiently, with all the
necessary political willingness and with an inclusive approach. This will
require a continued sense of compromise by both Parties within the spirit
and the letter of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The Commission hopes
that this process will also positively impact on the Darfur conflict and
will help prevent other tensions. Mr Michel assured the signatories : "The
Commission stands ready to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
implementation both with financial and technical support, and through
political facilitation". The resumption of the EC/Sudan Development
Cooperation and the release of European Funds will contribute to the peace
dividends the people of the Sudan have been waiting for.
[03] Commission clears acquisition of DSD Germany by KKR
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Der Grüne Punkt Duales
System Deutschland (DSD Germany) by Deutsche Umwelt Investment AG (DUI
Germany), owned by US company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P (KKR). KKR
is involved in private equity investments and currently controls about 20Â
groups of companies worldwide, three of which are established in Germany.
DUI is an acquisition vehicle for KKR. DSD operates a system for the
collection and recovery of packaging waste in Germany, using local waste
management companies. Shareholders of DSD are about 500 manufacturers and
retailers which have an obligation to take back packaging. They conclude an
agreement with DSD which entitles them to use the trademark 'Der Grüne
Punkt' ("The Green Dot") on their packaging and guarantees that DSD will
ensure the collection and recycling of their packaging in accordance with
the manufacturers' and retailers' legal obligations. The operation was
examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Cetelem Germany by Dresdner and
Cetelem France
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Cetelem GmbH Germany by
Dresdner Bank and Cetelem SA France. Dresdner is a German bank and a
subsidiary of the German based insurance company Allianz. It is active in
almost all areas of the banking business, primarily in Europe. Cetelem SA
is a French company and a subsidiary of the multinational banking group BNP
Paribas. It is active mainly in providing credit to individuals in various
countries in the EU. In Germany, Cetelem SA is active through its 70%
subsidiary Cetelem GmbH with the other 30% currently owned by minority
shareholder Dresdner. The operation was examined under the simplified
merger review procedure.
[05] Commission kicks off new €36 million programme for financing small
businesses, in particular in new Member States
Today the European Commission adopted a programme to assist local banks and
other credit institutions, particularly in the ten new EU Member States.
This programme strives to alleviate the difficulties of financing business,
especially for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Orchestrated by
the Commission, this "preparatory action on support for SMEs in the new
financial environment" will be channelled through international financial
institutions : the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),
the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Investment Fund (EIF) and
the Council of Europe Bank together with the KfW (Kreditanstalt für
Wiederaufbau). The initial €6 million of annual funding of technical
assistance and capacity-building in EU countries with low levels of bank
lending will be multiplied by a further €30 million of the participating
financial institutions' own funds.
[06] Société de l'information pour tous : la Commission ouvre une
consultation pour rendre les produits et services TIC plus accessibles
La Commission européenne a ouvert aujourd'hui une consultation publique
sur la manière de faire profiter le plus grand nombre possible de citoyens,
y compris les personnes âgées et les handicapés, des bienfaits des
technologies de l'information et de la communication. Cette consultation
est le premier effort de la Commission pour aplanir les défis techniques
et les difficultés que rencontrent notamment les personnes handicapées
lorsqu'elles tentent d'utiliser des produits électroniques tels que
ordinateurs, téléphones portables ou l'Internet.
[07] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by Stavros Dimas : "The Civil Protection Intervention in South Asia"
at General Affairs & External Relations Council (07/01)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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