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EU News Flashes and Events for 96-05-23
From: News Distribution Manager <dist@hri.org>
CONTENTS
[01] Commission seeks to ease beef ban
[02] Britain begins BSE filibuster
[03] Britain worsens EU strains
[04] Financial services consultations
[05] IGC agreement "still far off"
[06] Monetary committee debates EMU
[07] Italian ERM entry after budget
[08] Prodi wants strong EU-US ties
[09] Britain delays bankruptcy rules
[10] MEPs reject waste directive
[11] Tighter pollution controls sought
[12] EP approves telecoms measures
[13] Free access to televised sports
[14] France urges big set-aside cut
[15] French join oilseeds challenge
[16] U.S. attacks high-tech tariffs
[17] EU discusses Mostar elections
[18] Solana on NATO troop deployment
[19] De Silguy against Euro guessing
[20] Sweden sees openness support
[21] EU vets insurance merger
[22] EU surveys resident foreigners
[23] Main EU events for May 23
[01] Commission seeks to ease beef ban
STRASBOURG, France - The European Commission, facing a huge crisis over
Britain's threat to disrupt EU business, called again on Wednesday for an
easing of a worldwide ban on British beef exports by saying it would present a
proposal to farm ministers on June 3 to lift restrictions on gelatine, semen
and tallow.
[02] Britain begins BSE filibuster
BRUSSELS - Britain began its policy of non-cooperation in European Union
affairs on Wednesday with a statement to fellow diplomats by one of its senior
Brussels diplomats, deputy ambassador David Bostock, warning that EU business
was going to be disrupted.
[03] Britain worsens EU strains
BRUSSELS - Britain's threat to bring Union business to a halt could make it
harder to have the worldwide ban on British beef lifted and has already added
strains to the bloc's troubled relations with London, EU diplomats said.
[04] Financial services consultations
BRUSSELS - The European Commission launched a green paper on Wednesday which
could lead to a new generation of legislation aimed at ensuring consumers get
a fair deal from the single market for financial services. But consumer
organisation BEUC criticised the Commission for not presenting legislative
proposals.
[05] IGC agreement "still far off"
BRUSSELS - The European Union was showing some convergence on inter-
governmental conference topics, but agreement on many issues was still a long
way off, an Italian presidency spokesman said at the close of a two-day
meeting on Wednesday.
[06] Monetary committee debates EMU
BRUSSELS - The European Union's monetary committee ended a regular meeting
with little progress on any of the substantive single currency issues still
outstanding, sources said.
[07] Italian ERM entry after budget
ROME - Italy will start to negotiate the re-entry of the lira to the European
Exchange Rate Mechanism once the forthcoming mini-budget has been passed and
the government's three year economic programme unveiled, Prime Minister Romano
Prodi told his parliament.
[08] Prodi wants strong EU-US ties
ROME - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi told his parliament he wanted
stronger relations between the European Union and the United States and said
all sides should work together to make NATO an international military
instrument.
[09] Britain delays bankruptcy rules
BRUSSELS - The European convention for dealing with bankruptcies is set to
suffer further delay as Britain refused to give its assent to the rules at a
meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday .
[10] MEPs reject waste directive
STRASBOURG - The European Parliament rejected outright on Wednesday the draft
directive on landfill waste tips. The MEPs' decision came after they were
unable to win assurances from the European Commission that it would back
parliament's amendments to the draft.
[11] Tighter pollution controls sought
STRASBOURG - The European Parliament approved on Wednesday a heavily amended
version of a draft directive which would bring in an integrated system for the
prevention and control of pollution from designated industries.
[12] EP approves telecoms measures
STRASBOURG - The European Parliament approved proposals on telecommunications
licensing and Open Network Provision on Wednesday, clearing the way for the
Telecoms Council to adopt common positions in June.
[13] Free access to televised sports
STRASBOURG - The European Parliament called in a resolution adopted on
Wednesday for action to ensure that the growth of pay television does not
deprive viewers of the right to watch major sports events for free.
[14] France urges big set-aside cut
PARIS - In a speech to his parliament on Wednesday, French Farm Minister
Philippe Vasseur warned of rising food demand and called for the maximum
possible cut in the amount of land European Union farmers are forced to leave
idle.
[15] French join oilseeds challenge
ANGERS, France - French oilseed producers announced on Wednesday that they
planned to support legal action by German farmers against the Blair House
oilseeds agreement, saying the transatlantic pact was unfair and must be
renegotiated.
[16] U.S. attacks high-tech tariffs
GENEVA - The United States complained to the World Trade Organisation on
Wednesday that some European Union countries appeared to be wrongly raising
import tariffs on information technology equipment, affecting trade worth
hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
[17] EU discusses Mostar elections
SARAJEVO - The European Union's administrator in Mostar, Ricardo Perez Casado,
met President Alija Izetbegovic on Wednesday to discuss troubled plans for
municipal elections in the divided southern Bosnian city. Casado described the
talks as "constructive", although he refused to elaborate.
[18] Solana on NATO troop deployment
BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana told reporters on Wednesday
that alliance troops would soon be deployed in such a way as to make it
impossible for indicted war criminals to move around Bosnia without being
apprehended.
[19] De Silguy against Euro guessing
STRASBOURG - Too much speculation about which European Union countries will
qualify in 1998 to join a single currency is dangerous because it could slow
down the economic convergence process, EU Economic Affairs Yves-Thibault de
Silguy told the European Parliament on Wednesday.
[20] Sweden sees openness support
BRUSSELS - A Swedish proposal on how to increase openness and transparency in
EU institutions has won widespread support among member states, the country's
chief negotiator at the IGC, Gunnar Lund, told a press briefing on Wednesday.
[21] EU vets insurance merger
BRUSSELS - The European Commission said on Wednesday it had started a routine
inquiry into the proposed merger of British insurers Sun Alliance Group Plc
and Royal Insurance Holdings Plc .
[22] EU surveys resident foreigners
Brussels - An Italian has more chance of bumping into a compatriot while
working away from home than any other European Union national, figures
released on Wednesday showed. The Eurostat survey said of 369 million people
living in an EU state, some 18 million were considered "foreigners".
[23] Main EU events for May 23
STRASBOURG - European Parliament plenary session begins at 0800 GMT (fourth of
five days); agenda includes vote on farm price package, debate and vote on
topical subjects.
BRUSSELS - EU civil protection ministers meet from 0800 GMT; agenda includes
attempt to adopt joint action programme on civil protection and resolution on
Community cooperation with east European countries.
ATHENS - Commission President Jacques Santer meets Greek President Costis
Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Costas Simitis and social partners as part of
tour of capitals to discuss his proposal for a confidence pact to fight
unemployment.
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From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://www.cec.lu/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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