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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-12-11
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Aides d'Etat : le dernier tableau de bord révèle une augmentation de
la part des aides destinée à des objectifs horizontaux
[02] Cars that dial 112 : an action plan for getting emergency calls back
on track
[03] Promotion des produits agricoles communautaires à l'extérieur de l'UE
[04] 2006 : a boost for workers' mobility, but challenges lie ahead
[05] Winners of the 2006 European Worker's Mobility Award announced
[06] Commission approves proposed acquisition of Danka by Ricoh
[07] La Commission ouvre une enquête approfondie sur l'acquisition par
Universal des activités d'édition musicale de BMG
[08] Transitional food safety and veterinary measures agreed for Bulgaria
and Romania
[09] Proper and effective use of EU Funds in Member States - Siim Kallas,
speaking to Presidents of EU national Supreme Audit Institutions
[10] Statement on Belarus Helsinki Committee and politically motivated
detentions in Belarus
[11] Commission launches new scholarship scheme outside the EU
[12] Donors meeting on supporting the implementation of reforms in the
Republic of Moldova
[13] Russia and the EU agree to join efforts to promote energy efficiency
[14] Andris Piebalgs welcomes Energy Regulators report on the Development
of the EU Energy Markets in 2006
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-12-11
Reference: MEX/06/1211
Date: 11/12/2006
EXME06 / 11.12
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
11/12/06
[01] Aides d'Etat : le dernier tableau de bord révèle une augmentation de
la part des aides destinée à des objectifs horizontaux
D'après le dernier tableau de bord des aides d'Etat établi par la
Commission européenne, le montant total des aides d'Etat accordées en
2005 par les 25 Etats membres de l'UE est estimé à €64 milliards (0,59%
du PIB de l'UE), contre quelque €65 milliards en 2004 (0,61% du PIB). A
l'échelle de l'UE, la réponse à l'appel du Conseil européen demandant
une réduction des aides a donc été modérée. Néanmoins, les Etats
membres ont réagi positivement au deuxième objectif du Conseil, lequel
souhaitait des "aides mieux ciblées" : plus de la moitié d'entre eux
consacrent désormais plus de 90% de leurs aides d'Etat à des objectifs
horizontaux d'intérêt commun tels que l'environnement et la R&D.
L'analyse approfondie des aides au sauvetage et à la restructuration montre
que ces aides, qui sont les plus susceptibles de fausser la concurrence,
ont représenté €15,5 milliards dans les Etats membres de l'UE-15 sur la
période 2000-2005. Si certains Etats membres ont eu fréquemment recours Ã
ce type d'aides sur la période considérée, ce n'est clairement pas le
cas pour la majorité d'entre eux. Plus de 95% du montant total de ces
aides ont été accordés par les cinq plus grands Etats membres (Allemagne,
France, Italie, Royaume-Uni et Espagne).
[02] Cars that dial 112 : an action plan for getting emergency calls back
on track
An urgent set of actions to restart moves to roll-out emergency call
(eCall) technology for cars in Europe has been proposed by the European
Commission. The Commission-industry action plan agreed in 2005 to add eCall
to all new cars in Europe by 2009 has stalled, warns the Commission status
report of 23 November. While there has been significant progress at
European level, some Member States have been slow to invest in
infrastructure, and industry now refuses further action.
[03] Promotion des produits agricoles communautaires à l'extérieur de l'UE
La Commission européenne a approuvé des mesures d'information et de
promotion en faveur des produits agricoles dans les pays tiers. Les Etats
membres lui ont soumis 28 programmes pour examen. Les dix programmes qui
ont été acceptés sont ceux de Chypre, de l'Allemagne, de la Grèce, de
l'Italie, des Pays-Bas, de la Pologne et du Portugal. Ils s'adressent aux
Etats-Unis, au Canada, à l'Inde, au Japon et à la Chine et portent sur le
vin, les fruits, la viande, les produits laitiers, l'huile d'olive et les
produits biologiques. La contribution de l'UE s'élève à €9,1 millions,
soit 50% du budget total des programmes.
[04] 2006 : a boost for workers' mobility, but challenges lie ahead
The European Year of Workers' Mobility concludes today with a major event
to sum up the achievements of the past twelve months and chart the
challenges that still lie ahead. With 2,000 events across Europe, the
campaign has raised peoples' awareness of their rights to work in another
EU country and how to exercise them, reinforced tools to help them find a
job abroad, and highlighted the remaining obstacles to a genuine European
job market. The winners of the 2006 European Mobility Awards – which
recognise individuals, businesses or institutions that have contributed to
geographic or job-to-job mobility during the European Year – will also be
announced. As well as presenting the main findings of the Year, the event
will examine how to follow them up in 2007.
[05] Winners of the 2006 European Worker's Mobility Award announced
(! embargo 20h00 !) Today, under the banner of the European Year of
Workers' Mobility (EYWM), the winners of the 2006 Mobility Awards have been
announced at a prize ceremony as part of the official closing event for the
Year, in Roubaix, France. In addition to the three main categories:
"Individuals", "Companies" and "Institutions", a "Special prize of the
Jury" for the 'most promising' mobility project has also been announced.
The purpose of these awards is to reward individuals, companies, and
associations who have significantly contributed to improving workers'
mobility in 2006, showing the real benefits and challenges of working
abroad or changing job.
[06] Commission approves proposed acquisition of Danka by Ricoh
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of the European businesses of Danka of the UK, a
wholesale distributor of office automation equipment, by Ricoh of the
Netherlands. After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that
the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the
EEA or any substantial part of it.
[07] La Commission ouvre une enquête approfondie sur l'acquisition par
Universal des activités d'édition musicale de BMG
La Commission européenne a décidé d'ouvrir une enquête
approfondie, en vertu du règlement sur les concentrations, concernant le
projet d'acquisition des activités d'édition musicale du groupe allemand
Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) par Universal, une filiale américaine de
l'entreprise française Vivendi. Il ressort de l'enquête initiale de la
Commission que le projet de concentration soulèverait des doutes sérieux
quant aux effets négatifs sur la concurrence dans un marché de l'édition
musicale déjà concentré. La décision d'ouvrir une enquête approfondie
ne préjuge pas du résultat final de l'enquête. La Commission
dispose à présent d'un délai de 90 jours ouvrables (jusqu'au 27 avril
2007) pour prendre une décision finale sur la question de savoir si
l'opération envisagée entraverait ou non de manière significative une
concurrence effective dans l'Espace économique européen ou une partie
substantielle de celui-ci.
[08] Transitional food safety and veterinary measures agreed for Bulgaria
and Romania
European Commission proposals for further post-Enlargement food safety and
animal health measures for Romania and Bulgaria have been backed by the
Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. Member State
veterinary experts voted in favour of transitional arrangements for
Bulgarian meat and milk establishments, and an additional measure for third
country products imported into Romania and Bulgaria before 1 January 2007.
[09] Proper and effective use of EU Funds in Member States - Siim Kallas,
speaking to Presidents of EU national Supreme Audit Institutions
European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for
administrative affairs, audit and anti-fraud, today addressed the annual
meeting of heads of the EU's supreme audit institutions, taking place in
Warsaw. Mr Kallas said: "My main message is about the necessity to involve
all levels in Europe in controlling the funds financed by the taxpayers
across Europe. All of us here today, the Commission, Supreme Audit
Institutions, and the European Court of Auditors, have a common ultimate
aim of providing assurance to European taxpayers, within the frameworks of
our individual mandates. Given the important role of the Member States in
the management of Community funds, the role of independent Supreme Audit
Institutions ... is extremely important in underpinning a culture of strong
financial management in each Member State." Since more than 80% of the EU
budget is managed in and by the Member States, the EU must have effective
assurances that the money is being spent properly. This is why the
Commission published earlier this year its action plan to set up an
"integrated internal control framework" for EU funds (COM (2006)9), which
should open the way to a positive audit declaration from the European Court
of Auditors.
[10] Statement on Belarus Helsinki Committee and politically motivated
detentions in Belarus
European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood
Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner states: "I am very concerned by the
confiscation of property of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) by the
Belarusian authorities on charges of alleged tax evasion. Such a measure
appears to be politically motivated and affects an EC TACIS beneficiary,
who is exempt from taxation and customs duties as laid down in the
framework agreement signed between the EC and Belarus in 1994. On several
occasions we have reminded the Belarusian authorities about their
obligation to exempt the BHC and other TACIS beneficiaries from taxation. I
again urge the Belarusian authorities to stop their campaign of harassment
against the BHC which is the only remaining human rights NGO registered in
Belarus, and to withdraw without delay the charges levelled against the BHC
in order to comply with Belarus' international commitments. I am also very
concerned about the recent detention of several human rights activists who
were staging a peaceful meeting calling for the release of political
prisoner Aleksandr Kozulin, who is an extremely worrying health condition
due to his hunger strike. I call upon the Belarusian authorities to
immediately release the persons still detained after Friday's meeting, and
to drop all charges against the people involved in this meeting. I repeat
my vigorous condemnation of the sentence passed on Mr. Kozulin and ask for
his immediate release as well as of all those who are detained on political
grounds."
[11] Commission launches new scholarship scheme outside the EU
The European Commission is launching a new "Erasmus Mundus External Co-
operation Window" open to the EU's neighbours, Russia, Central Asia and
Iran, Iraq and Yemen. The first call for proposals will take place before
the end of 2006 and will allow for a total of 1300 scholarships, of which
110 will be dedicated to Iran, Iraq and Yemen. These scholarships will
facilitate the mobility of undergraduate, master, doctorate and post-
doctoral students between these countries and the EU, as well as exchanges
of academic staff for the purposes of teaching, training and research.
[12] Donors meeting on supporting the implementation of reforms in the
Republic of Moldova
The European Commission, together with the World Bank and the Moldovan
Government, will host a Donors' Consultative Group meeting in Brussels on
12 December to discuss donor responses to support Moldova in its reform
agenda. The meeting will gather senior-level officials of all key donor
organizations as well as high-level representatives of the Moldovan
government, including Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev. Discussions will focus
on progress in the implementation of Moldova's reform agenda and future
donors' programmes to support the reform process. Interested journalists
are welcome to attend the opening session of the meeting starting at 9:00
in meeting room S1 of the Charlemagne Conference Centre. There will also be
a press briefing after the meeting at 17:45 in the same room. Interested
journalists are requested to register with Susanne Grikschat at
Susanne.Grikschat@ec.europa.eu by Monday, 11 January at 16:00.
[13] Russia and the EU agree to join efforts to promote energy efficiency
At the second meeting of the Permanent Partnership Council (PPC) on Energy
in Moscow on 8 December 2006, the EU and Russia agreed to work together to
enhance energy efficiency, recognising the huge mutual challenge and
potential for energy savings that they quantify annually at around 400
million tonnes of oil equivalent each by the year 2020.
[14] Andris Piebalgs welcomes Energy Regulators report on the Development
of the EU Energy Markets in 2006
European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomed the European
Regulators assessment on the Development of the European Energy Markets,
2006, that was released on 8 December. The European Regulators Group for
Electricity and Gas (ERGEG), which was established by the European
Commission in 2003, considers insufficient unbundling as the main obstacle
to competition in electricity and gas, and calls for a minimum set of
powers for regulators and increased independence from political
interference. "ERGEG's report highlights some of the most serious problems
of the internal energy market. This contribution will be valuable for the
report on the internal market that I will present early next year",
Commissioner Piebalgs said.
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Note on the Telecom Council
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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