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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-02-29

Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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-Parole 29/02/2000b


CONTENTS / CONTENU

  • [01] La Commission autorise la création d'une entreprise commune entre Granaria, Ültje et Felix Snack dans le domaine des graines salées pour l'apéritif
  • [02] Commission clears acquisition of Saab Automobile AB by General Motors Corporation
  • [03] La Commission autorise la création de l'entreprise commune Nuevas Ediciones de Bolsillo par les groupes Bertelsmann et Planeta
  • [04] Commission approves participation of Telekom Austria in Libro
  • [05] Fonds de cohésion - bilan de la période 1993-1999
  • [06] Euro-zone annual inflation up to 2.0% in January 2000 ; EU15 up to 1.8%
  • [07] Commission signs joint assessment of medium-term economic policy priorities for the Slovak Republic
  • [08] Statement by Poul Nielson on the situation in Southern Sudan
  • [09] Poul Nielson to visit flood torn Mozambique
  • [10] Frits Bolkestein outlines intentions on supplementary pensions

  • [01] La Commission autorise la création d'une entreprise commune entre Granaria, Ültje et Felix Snack dans le domaine des graines salées pour l'apéritif

    La Commission européenne a autorisé la création d'une entreprise commune par laquelle Granaria (Pays-Bas), Ültje (Allemagne) et Felix Snack (Allemagne) réuniront leurs activités dans le domaine des graines salées pour l'apéritif. La Commission considère que l'entreprise commune n'aura pas pour effet de créer ou de renforcer une position dominante.

    [02] Commission clears acquisition of Saab Automobile AB by General Motors Corporation

    The US company General Motors Corporation (GM), the leading global manufacturer of motor vehicles, has acquired all the shares of the Swedish passenger car manufacturer Saab Automobile AB (Saab), a company which until now GM has jointly owned and controlled with Investor AB, a Swedish investment company. Since the concentration involves a change from joint control of Saab by GM and Investor AB to sole control of Saab by GM, there is no new combination or additional overlap in the relevant markets, that is, the manufacture and distribution of passenger cars. Moreover, GM/Saab will continue to face significant competition in the European Economic Area in all passenger car segments from companies such as Volkswagen, Ford, Peugeot, Fiat, Renault, Daimler/Chrysler and BMW. In view of the above the Commission has decided not to oppose the operation.

    [03] La Commission autorise la création de l'entreprise commune Nuevas Ediciones de Bolsillo par les groupes Bertelsmann et Planeta

    La Commission européenne donne le feu vert à la création en Espagne de l'entreprise commune Nuevas Ediciones de Bolsillo (NEB) par les groupes Bertelsmann et Planeta. L'objet de l'entreprise commune est de regrouper l'ensemble des activités d'édition de livres de poche en Espagne des deux sociétés mères. L'opération ne concerne que le marché espagnol et n'entraînera aucune création ou renforcement d'une position dominante ; elle ne soulève donc pas de problème de concurrence.

    [04] Commission approves participation of Telekom Austria in Libro

    The European Commission has approved the acquisition of joint control of Libro AG by Telekom Austria AG and a consortium lead by Unternehmens Invest AG (UIAG) and with the participation of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG). The decision also includes the establishment of Libro's E-Commerce subsidiary "Lion.cc" and the acquisition of joint control of this firm by Libro and Telekom Austria. The approval was given with the condition that Libro withdraws its application for a licence for fixed network telephony. Thereby the concerns which were also expressed by some competitors with regard to the future development of this market have been removed.

    [05] Fonds de cohésion - bilan de la période 1993-1999

    Le Fonds de Cohésion a été créé par l'Union européenne en 1993 afin de pouvoir aider les Etats membres les plus pauvres à rétablir un budget équilibré nécessaire pour le lancement de l'euro. Depuis sa mise en place, quatre pays de la cohésion (Espagne, Grèce, Portugal et Irlande) ont bénéficié d'une aide totale de 16.7 milliards d'euros pour la période 1993- 1999. Ce concours a permis le financement de projets d'infrastructures dans le domaine des transports contribuant à la mise en œuvre des réseaux transeuropéens, ainsi que des projets dans le domaine de l'environnement permettant à ces pays d'avancer vers les objectifs prévus par la politique environnementale de l'UE. Conformément aux objectifs fixés en 1995, la Commission est parvenue pour la période 1993-1999 à un équilibre entre les concours octroyés aux projets dans le domaine de l'environnement (50,3%) et les projets d'infrastructures de transport (49,7%).

    [06] Euro-zone annual inflation up to 2.0% in January 2000 ; EU15 up to 1.8%

    (! embargo 12 am !) Euro-zone annual inflation rose from 1.7% in December 1999 to 2.0% in January 2000, Eurostat - the Statistical Office of the European Communities in Luxembourg - reports today. EU15 annual inflation rose from 1.7% in December to 1.8% in January. Compared to January 1999, the biggest relative falls were in Greece (3.5% to 1.6%) and the United Kingdom (1.6% to 0.8%); biggest relative rises were in Luxembourg (-1.4% to 3.5%) and Sweden (0.0% to 1.0%). Core inflation, i.e. all items excluding energy, was stable at 1.0% for the euro-zone in January 2000 compared to 1.0% in December 1999 and at 0.8% for EU 15 in January compared to 0.9% in December. Lowest 12-month averages up to January were in Austria and Sweden (both 0.6%) and France (0.7%). Highest were in Ireland (2.7%), Spain (2.4%), Denmark and Greece (both 2.2%). January 2000 is the first month for which the HICP calculation is based on the extended product, geographic and population coverage (Eurostat Memo No 2/2000 of 18 February 2000). Virtually 100% of household final monetary consumption spending is now covered by the HICP.

    [07] Commission signs joint assessment of medium-term economic policy priorities for the Slovak Republic

    (! embargo 3.45 pm !) Mr Ivan Mikloš, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy of the Slovak Republic, and Mr Pedro Solbes, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, signed today a "Joint Assessment of medium- term economic policy priorities of the Slovak Republic" as part of the Accession Partnership process. This document presents an agreed set of medium-term economic policies necessary to advance Slovakia's economic transformation and to prepare it for accession to the European Union. It also presents a macroeconomic scenario for the period up to 2004. Progress in the implementation of these policies will be assessed regularly within the framework of the EU Europe Agreement with Slovakia. The Joint Assessment will become the basis for an ongoing evaluation of Slovakia's economic progress and its medium-term economic policy priorities, as a precursor to the country's future participation in the process of economic policy coordination after its accession to the EU.

    [08] Statement by Poul Nielson on the situation in Southern Sudan

    The European Commission condemns the explicit threat made by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) to the safety of humanitarian agencies who do not sign the Memorandum of Understanding between NGOs and the Sudan Relief and Rehablitation Agency (SRRA) before March 1st. Such a threat is completely unacceptable and the Commission calls for this ultimatum to be lifted. The Commission considers the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance in a neutral, independent and secure framework as being of utmost importance. It considers the decision whether to sign or not to sign the Memorandum of Understanding as one to be taken by each NGO independently and, consequently, does not deem it appropriate to sanction NGOs that sign under duress. However, the forced evacuation of non-signatory NGOs under threat to their lives from SPLA areas is considered as a serious breach of international humanitarian law which jeopardises the delivery of assistance in line with internationally recognised principles. The responsibility for this situation must rest with the SPLA. Consequently, the Commission currently sees no basis for the continuation of funding for humanitarian assistance in areas where the conditions for delivery of aid according to humanitarian principles do not exist. The Commission is acutely aware of the existing humanitarian needs of the people of Southern Sudan and hopes that the SPLA is aware of the possible consequences of an expulsion of NGOs. The Commission is ready to support any initiative that will break the impasse and lead to the resumption of negotiations but reiterates the point that this can only happen without the threat of an ultimatum.

    [09] Poul Nielson to visit flood torn Mozambique

    European Commissioner for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Mr Poul Nielson, will be visiting Mozambique from 2-4 March to assess first- hand the destruction caused by the flooding. The trip will help enable the Commissioner to evaluate the needs of the affected populations. Mr Nielson will visit the worst hit regions and meet aid agencies involved in the relief effort in conjunction with the Portuguese Secretary of State for Development Cooperation, Mr Luis Amado. It is recalled that the Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) has already made euro one million available for victims of the recent flooding. ECHO is urgently examining further requests for aid, which if approved, will be funded from the date of the request.

    [10] Frits Bolkestein outlines intentions on supplementary pensions

    (! embargo 2 pm London, 3 pm Brussels !) European Commissioner for Internal Market Frits Bolkestein said today that a modern EU framework for supplementary pension funds was an immediate priority for the Commission. This framework would have four main objectives : protecting the rights of members and beneficiaries, helping supplementary pension institutions to perform as well as possible, permit cross-border affiliation and liberalise the provision of asset management and custodian services for the EU's euro 2000 billion pension fund assets. In a speech to the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Mr Bolkestein confirmed his intention to present this summer a proposal for a Directive on occupational pension fund supervision. This would establish adequate prudential standards, liberalise investment and management rules and put in place a framework for cooperation between national supervisory bodies. He noted that in countries where fund managers were free to decide on asset allocation, pension funds performed twice as well as those with restrictive rules, without undermining security. "Between 1984 and 1998 Irish pension funds had on average a real return of 12.5%. Danish pension funds, with notably stricter limits on equities, reached only 6.15%", he said.

    MIDDAY EXPRESS


    From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
    © ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996


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