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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-07-08
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
08/07/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission agrees to buy the renovated Berlaymont - a long term
solution
[02] Mario Monti écrit au gouvernement français sur les obstacles à la
libre circulation des marchandises
[03] La Commission lance un programme pilote en faveur des pêcheurs et des
femmes de pêcheurs de la petite pêche côtière
[04] Anita Gradin to visit Romania - Seminar on control of European Union
funds
[05] Bulgaria: Commission approves emergency medical aid worth ECU 700,000
[06] European Union and United States meet to discuss Internet
[07] Christos Papoutsis: "Commission will propose further measures to
reduce late payments in Europe"
[08] Christos Papoutsis: "Culturally based tourism is recognised as
instrument to achieve the objectives of economic and social cohesion and
regional development"
[09] Mario Monti: "Single market principles offer the best framework for
electronic commerce"
[01] Commission agrees to buy the renovated Berlaymont - a long term
solution
The European Commission will in time become the owner of the totally
renovated Berlaymont building. This was agreed today between the
Commission and the Belgian State, when Mr Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner
responsible for the Budget and Administration, and Belgian Public
Administration Minister André Flahaut concluded their negotiations on the
financing arrangements governing the Commission's return to the Berlaymont.
Today's agreement clarifies financial arrangements and sharing costs and
risks between the Commission, the Belgian State and the Berlaymont S.A.
"We see the renovation of the Berlaymont as a part of improving the
Quartier Léopold. We want an economically sound renovation and a building
that is both functional and integrated into its urban environment without
forgetting the symbolic value of the Berlaymont", said Commissioner Erkki
Liikanen. "The Commission's policy on property is to become owner of a
significant part of its office space in the long run. This will generate
savings and enable us to take more responsibility for urban development."
[02] Mario Monti écrit au gouvernement français sur les obstacles à la
libre circulation des marchandises
Mario Monti a exprimé sa plus vive inquiétude face aux violences sur le
territoire français à l'égard des cargaisons de produits agro-alimentaires
en provenance d'Espagne. Dans une lettre adressée le 8 juillet à M. Pierre
Moscovici, Ministre Délégué aux Affaires européennes, le Commissaire en
charge du Marché Unique demande au gouvernement français de prendre
immédiatement toutes les mesures qui s'imposent pour rétablir la légalité
communautaire. M. Monti rappelle que le Conseil européen d'Amsterdam a
demandé à la Commission d'examiner les moyens de garantir de manière
efficace la libre circulation des marchandises, y compris la possibilité
d'imposer des sanctions. Si d'autres épisodes de ce genre continueront à
montrer une attitude insuffisamment déterminée de la part des forces de
l'ordre français, la Commission se réserve le droit d'agir par les moyens
dont elle dispose en vertu du Traité, conclut la lettre.
[03] La Commission lance un programme pilote en faveur des pêcheurs et des
femmes de pêcheurs de la petite pêche côtière
La Commission européenne a décidé de lancer un programme pilote doté d'un
budget de 4 millions d'Ecus, afin d'explorer les possibilités d'une action
ultérieure en faveur de la petite pêche côtière. L'objectif est double: il
s'agit de susciter des projets en faveur des pêcheurs eux-mêmes
(amélioration de la formation professionnelle, renforcement des structures
de représentation, échange d'expériences) et des projets en faveur des
femmes de pêcheurs qui sont bien souvent partie intégrante dans l'activité
économique de la petite pêche côtière (création d'entreprises ou
d'organisations de l'économie sociale, formation à la comptabilité, à la
commercialisation, à la gestion, échange d'expériences).
[04] Anita Gradin to visit Romania - Seminar on control of European Union
funds
Anita Gradin, Commissioner for financial control as well as for justice and
home affairs, will take part in the European Commission's seminar in
Bucharest, Romania on July 9-11 on the management and control of European
Union Funds. Commissioner Gradin will also have talks with the Romanian
government, specifically on justice and home affairs issues. She will have
briefings by police and customs officials and study border controls. The
seminar in Romania is the fifth in a series of seminars to be held in the
beneficiary countries of the Phare programme. Its main objective is to
give participants an opportunity to examine, together with representatives
from various European institutions, all issues relating to the management
and control of the Phare projects in Romania. More particularly, the aim
is to give participants a better grasp of the administrative and procedural
changes needed to realise the objectives of the Phare Programme and to
assist the Romanian administration in defining a framework of guidelines
and discipline necessary to strengthen the internal and external controls
of European Union funds.
[05] Bulgaria: Commission approves emergency medical aid worth ECU 700,000
The European Commission has approved a package of emergency medical aid
worth ECU 700,000 for Bulgaria. The aid, managed by the European Community
Humanitarian Office (ECHO), will enable European non-governmental
organisations to supply and distribute medicines and medical supplies over
the next six months. This grant will enable Deutsche Artzgemeinschaft fur
medizinische zusammenarbeit (DAZ, Germany) and Médecins sans Frontières
(Switzerland) to distribute supplies to selected centres in the districts
of Kustendil, Lovetch, Gabrovo, Turgovishte, Rousse and Haskovo over the
next six months. Previous ECHO funding for humanitarian aid in Bulgaria
came to a total of ECU 1.1 million.
[06] European Union and United States meet to discuss Internet
Officials from the US Government and the European Commission meet in
Brussels tomorrow to discuss the future of electronic commerce. The talks
will focus on intellectual property, security of transactions, electronic
payment systems, data protection, taxation and tariffs, among other issues.
The meeting will give the Commission team, chaired by Mr Hans Beseler,
Director-General for trade policy, the chance to explain its detailed
initiative on electronic commerce, launched last April. The US team will
be led by Mr Ira Magaziner, Senior Advisor to President Clinton and
architect of the US report on electronic commerce presented by President
Clinton last week. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jacques Santer agreed at
their EU-US Summit in May to treat electronic commerce as a top priority
over the next six months.
[07] Christos Papoutsis: "Commission will propose further measures to
reduce late payments in Europe"
In the last two years there has been little or no action to combat late
payment in most European countries, despite the Recommendation addressed in
1995 to the Member States by the European Commission. Therefore, "We have
decided to propose further measures to reduce late payments in Europe, such
as a Directive" announced Commissioner Christos Papoutsis in a speech at
the breakfast today with business people, organised by Chester, Ellesmere
Port and North Wales Chamber of Commerce. The Commissioner said that the
Directive would set the minimum requirements which should be incorporated
into national legislation, such as the statutory right of creditors to
interest on late payments. He underlines that "all efforts should be made
to establish a climate in Europe where payments are made on time".
[08] Christos Papoutsis: "Culturally based tourism is recognised as
instrument to achieve the objectives of economic and social cohesion and
regional development"
!!! embargo 3.30 pm !!! "A European tourism industry that is the guardian,
as well as the promotor of culture, secures its own future", said
Commissioner Christos Papoutsis, responsible for Tourism, in a speech to
the 7th International Symposium organised today in Chester, England by the
Walled Towns Friendship Circle. The Commissioner further said that "the
development of cultural tourism contributes to the strengthening of the
tourism activity all year round, and may lead to fewer environmental
problems". Mr Papoutsis underlined that "tourism and in particular
culturally based tourism are increasingly being recognised as instruments
to achieve objectives such as economic and social cohesion, economic
development and broader societal goals". But, in order to achieve these
objectives, "we must have a framework of reference for coherent policies
and measures to assist tourism at European level". The Commissioner
commended the efforts that the Walled Towns Friendship Circle is carrying
out and emphasized that "Your work enhances the fostering of a common
European identity and genuine and rewarding partnerships across borders.
Furthermore, it strengthens the cultural tourism product of Europe." !!!
embargo 3.30. pm !!!
[09] Mario Monti: "Single market principles offer the best framework for
electronic commerce"
Addressing the European Ministerial Conference on "Global Information
Networks" on 8 July in Bonn, Mario Monti estimated that by the year 2000,
250 million people will be connected to the Internet worldwide and the
value of the global electronic commerce market will reach ECU 200,000
million, thereby offering enormous opportunities in terms of job creation
and competitiveness. "But we need to complete the regulatory framework
necessary to avoid potential obstacles to the development of electronic
commerce and ensure consumer confidence, while allowing sufficient
flexibility for entrepreneurial creativity" said Mr Monti. Work is well
under way: before the end of the year the Commission will present a series
of specific regulatory initiatives already featured in the Action Plan for
the Single Market recently endorsed by the European Council in Amsterdam,
concerning namely electronic payments, contracts negotiated at a distance
for financial services, copyright and neighbouring rights, legal protection
of conditional access services and digital signatures. "However, for the
global dimension of electronic commerce, we also need agreements on
cooperation at international level on issues such as protection of privacy
and personal data and intellectual property. The solutions we have found
to many issues using the Single Market approach have much to offer to the
world trading system in terms of creating a favourable environment for
electronic commerce" 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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