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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 97-10-16
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
16/10/97
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[I] Résultats de la Commission du 15 octobre 1997 - Outcome of Commission
meeting of 15 October 97
[01] Commission takes Portugal to Court on aid for "Empresa para a
Agroalimentacão e Cereais S.A. (EPAC)"
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[02] Commission approves 1998 animal disease eradication programme
[03] Ritt Bjerregaard underlines the need for progress on CO² emissions
from passenger cars
[04] La Commission autorise la concentration entre le groupe Crédit Suisse
et Winterthur
[05] Vers une nouvelle initiative communautaire de développement rural: 800
leaders s'expriment
[06] Commission asks WTO to rule on Chilean liquor tax regime
[07] EU-Japan industrialists round table
[08] Firm commitment on EU membership for Romania and Bulgaria
[09] Inauguration d'une plaque commémorative à la mémoire d'Albert
Borschette
[10] Mario Monti: "Effective market surveillance essential for Single
Market"
[11] Padraig Flynn explains the need for employment targets
[I] Résultats de la Commission du 15 octobre 1997 - Outcome of Commission
meeting of 15 October 97
(voir aussi - see also Midday Express of 15.10)
[01] Commission takes Portugal to Court on aid for "Empresa para a
Agroalimentacão e Cereais S.A. (EPAC)"
The European Commission decided to take the Portuguese Government to the
European Court of Justice because of its non-compliance with a Commission
decision of July 7th which obliged the abolition of state aid to the public
company EPAC, S.A. On 9 July 1997, the Commission adopted a final negative
decision on the aids taken by the Portuguese government in favour of public
owned cereal trading company EPAC. These measures concerned a state
guarantee for a total amount of 30,000 million escudos, as well as special
financing conditions in the framework of a debt consolidation loan of 48,
700 million escudos. This final negative decision required suppression of
the said guarantee as well as recovery of the amounts unduly granted. On
29 September 1997, the Portuguese authorities have supplied evidence that
the requirements of the decision have not been complied with.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[02] Commission approves 1998 animal disease eradication programme
The European Commission has adopted the animal disease eradication
programmes presented by the Member States for 1998. The European Union
budget will contribute ECU 48.5 million, funded under a special decision
relating to expenditure in the veterinary field, towards the eradication of
13 major diseases in Member States and neighbouring countries. The
diseases targeted by the programme are those which have implications for
both human and animal health or cause serious losses in livestock farming
and constitute barriers to trade in the internal market or international
trade in animals and animal products.
[03] Ritt Bjerregaard underlines the need for progress on CO² emissions
from passenger cars
In view of the meeting today of the Council of Environment Ministers of the
European Union (EU) in Luxembourg, Environment Commissioner Ritt
Bjerregaard has written to the Environment Ministers of the Member States
to inform them about the progress of the Commission's discussions with the
European Automobile Manufacturers Association on an environmental agreement
on CO² emissions from passenger cars. An agreement whereby the automobile
industry would commit itself to significantly lowering the average CO²
emissions of new cars is one of the elements of the EU strategy to reduce
CO² emissions from passenger cars. The objective of the strategy is to
achieve an average CO² emission value of 120 g/km by 2005 for all new
passenger cars sold in the EU. Expressing her disappointment with the
progress made so far, Mrs Bjerregaard said: "The auto industry has made a
proposal for an agreement which is far away from what the Commission and
the Council have in mind in terms of the fuel-efficiency objective. If an
agreement fails and we should decide to move towards limit values - as the
European Parliament has already suggested - the target-sharing will no
longer be decided by the industry itself but for the industry in the EU's
legislative process".
[04] La Commission autorise la concentration entre le groupe Crédit Suisse
et Winterthur
La Commission européenne a autorisé le projet de fusion totale entre les
entreprises suisses Crédit Suisse Group et Winterthur Schweizerische
Versicherungs-Gesellschaft. Les deux entreprises sont actives dans le
secteur bancaire et financier ainsi que dans le secteur des assurances. La
fusion donne naissance au premier groupe financier suisse, qui détiendra
des positions de tête dans l'activité commerciale à destination des clients
individuels et dans l'assurance non vie. Le groupe sera également le
deuxième offreur d'assurance vie. La nouvelle entité comptera parmi les
cinq plus grands groupes financiers européens et sera le troisième offreur
mondial en matière de gestion d'actifs financiers. Selon les constatations
de la Commission, la concentration ne produit néanmoins des additions
notables de parts de marché dans aucun des marchés de produits concernés
dans les secteurs de la banque et de l'assurance, à l'intérieur de l'Union
européenne.
[05] Vers une nouvelle initiative communautaire de développement rural: 800
leaders s'expriment
Suite à la publication de l'Agenda 2000, Franz Fischler, Commissaire
européen à l'Agriculture et au Développement rural, réunit à Bruxelles les
9, 10 et 11 novembre prochain quelque 800 "développeurs ruraux" locaux
ainsi que 200 responsables politiques et administratifs des quinze pays de
l'Union européenne (UE), des pays d'Europe centrale et orientale candidats
à l'adhésion et de Chypre. Objectif: à partir des enseignements de LEADER
(Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Economie Rurale), préparer une
nouvelle initiative communautaire en faveur du développement rural pour la
période 2000-2006. Plus de 800 régions de l'UE participent au programme
LEADER qui porte sur un montant de plus de 4.000 millions d'Ecus. "Puisque
le développement rural continuera à être l'une des trois seules initiatives
communautaires dans le futur, a déclaré M. Fischler, nous devons profiter
de l'expérience des bénéficiaires directs de ces programmes pour nous aider
à façonner les actions futures dans ce domaine."
[06] Commission asks WTO to rule on Chilean liquor tax regime
The European Commission will today request the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) to rule whether Chilean taxation of alcoholic beverages violates
world trading rules. The request will be formally tabled at the meeting of
the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body. At issue is the wide gap between the
tax rates imposed on imported spirits and on local produce. Whisky faces
70% tax, vodka and the majority of other imported spirits face 30% tax,
while the local Pisco spirit faces only 25%. Sir Leon Brittan, Vice-
President of the European Commission, said: "The Commission is determined
to use the WTO to open markets in countries that unfairly discriminate
against European exports. The European Union has won the dispute with
Japan and has started proceedings against Korea. The same reasons to
pursue the same route exist for Chile. We must continue to use the Dispute
Settlement Procedure of the WTO to remove unfair barriers to our exports".
[07] EU-Japan industrialists round table
The fourth meeting of the European Union (EU) and Japanese industrialists
Round Table will take place in Brussels on 16-17 October 1997. Its purpose
is to develop a permanent dialogue on industrial policy issues of common
interest between some of the most prominent industry leaders of Japan and
the EU, in order to discuss jointly how to address competitiveness
challenges faced by industry, to make recommendations to public authorities
on (de)regulation measures and industrial policy actions likely to improve
the competitiveness of both sides' industries and to identify fields where
EU-Japan industrial cooperation should be developed. The EU-Japan
Industrialists Round Table was first held in February 1995. The Round Table
consists of approximately thirty top European and Japanese executives from
various industries (i.e., automobile, electronics, chemistry, machinery
etc.). The meetings are co-chaired by Viscount Etienne Davignon, Chairman
of Société Générale de Belgique, and former Vice President of the European
Commission, and Dr. Tadahiro Sekimoto, Chairman of NEC Corporation and Vice
Chairman of Keidanren.
[08] Firm commitment on EU membership for Romania and Bulgaria
European Commissioner Hans van den Broek, responsible for External
Relations with Central and Eastern countries, will use a two day visit to
Bulgaria (16/10/97) and Romania (17/10/97) to reconfirm the European
Union's (EU) commitment to the future membership of these two countries.
"The Commission's work will not be done until both Romania and Bulgaria are
full members of the EU. We welcome the pace of economic reforms in both
countries and hope the preparations for membership will be accelerated. We
will continue to support these efforts". In Bulgaria, Mr van den Broek
will sign a special Phare programme of social assistance of ECU 20 million.
This doubles the amount given to date, which targets the neediest in
Bulgarian society such as orphans and pensioners. In Romania, he will
participate in a European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party conference,
speaking on "the road to enlargement".
[09] Inauguration d'une plaque commémorative à la mémoire d'Albert
Borschette
A l'occasion de la présidence du Conseil des Ministres, le gouvernement
luxembourgeois commémore la mémoire d'Albert Borschette, ancien
Représentant permanent du Luxembourg auprès des Communautés européennes et
ancien membre de la Commission européenne, qui a donné son nom au Centre de
conférences Albert Borschette (CCAB). Une plaque commémorative sera
dévoilée aujourd'hui au CCAB en présence du Président de la Commission,
Jacques Santer et du Représentant permanent du Luxembourg auprès de l'Union
européenne, Jean-Jacques Kasel. Albert Borschette était né le 14 juin 1920
à Diekirch (Luxembourg). Il était devenu Représentant permanent du Grand-
Duché auprès de la Commission en 1958. De 1970 à 1976, il avait été membre
de la Commission, notamment reponsable de la concurrence.
[10] Mario Monti: "Effective market surveillance essential for Single
Market"
"Market surveillance is vitally important to the Single Market because
markets depend on confidence in order to work properly", Single Market
Commissioner Mario Monti told the "European Conference on Market
Surveillance" conference in Stockholm on 16 October. "Legislative measures
alone are not enough. Surveillance of how the measures are working 'on the
ground' is needed to ensure a level playing field and the confidence of
companies and citizens. Member States need to resolve problems quickly,
without always necessarily involving the European Commission. As from now,
businesses and citizens can take a complaint straight to the contact points
in their own Member State and demand that their problem be sorted out. In
most cases, this should produce a prompt remedy. 13 Member States have
designated contact points for business and 12 have done so for citizens.
The contact points will be publicised across the European Union through the
Citizens First programme, and from next year by the permanent Dialogues
with Business and the Citizen."
[11] Padraig Flynn explains the need for employment targets
Speaking today at a conference in Bruges, Employment and Social Affairs
Commissioner, Padraig Flynn, said "The European Union must move
progressively from an employment rate of about 60% of the working age
population to a level that puts us on a par with our major trading partners
in the world, a rate of 70% and more. This is an ambitious but realisable
goal." He went on to say that, "Member States are coming to realise that
in order to tackle long-term and youth unemployment in their economies,
they must proceed with radical reform of all their employment policies.
Instead of passively accepting unemployment as a sort of inevitable fate,
governments must actively seek to get people into jobs in a new and much
more vigorous policy framework. With incentives come targets. We have to
find some way of measuring this move from passive to active policies if it
is to be credible."
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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