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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 00-10-02
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 Service Presse et Communicationb
02/10/2000
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission authorises acquisition of Stadtwerke Kiel by TXU Germany
[02] Commission and Member States discuss competition policy in the motor
fuel sector
[03] Philippe Busquin souligne l'importance de la recherche dans le
partenariat euro-méditerranéen
[04] EU and US reach agreement on procedures for handling Foreign Sales
Corporation (FSC) dispute
[05] Poul Nielson salutes Commission/UN cooperation in refugee crises at
the UNHCR in Geneva
[06] Northern Caucasus (Russian Federation, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) :
Commission approves humanitarian aid worth euro 5 million
[07] EU-Korea consultations on shipbuilding founder
[08] Europe : la parole aux jeunes
[01] Commission authorises acquisition of Stadtwerke Kiel by TXU Germany
The European Commission has authorised the acquisition of 51% of the shares
in Stadtwerke Kiel AG by TXU Germany. Stadtwerke Kiel produces and
distributes electricity at voltage levels of 110 kV and less in Kiel and
its surrounding area. TXU Germany, acting as an electricity broker,
supplies only a limited amount of electricity in Germany into the high-
voltage grid (over 220 kV) and does not supply any customer in the area
covered by Stadtwerke Kiel. Given the market position of the notifying
parties, and taking account of vertical aspects, the proposed transaction
will not lead to the creation or reinforcement of a dominant position.
[02] Commission and Member States discuss competition policy in the motor
fuel sector
The European Commission and Member States competition authorities met on 29
September to discuss competition policy in the motor fuel sector. Mario
Monti, Commissioner in charge of Competition, welcomed the results of the
meeting and expressed appreciation for the active contribution by the
reppresentatives from the Member States. "The meeting has been a helpful
means to exchange experiences and information between the competition
authorities. European consumers expect the network of national and EU
competition authorities to follow current price developments closely. This
meeting shows that the competition authorithies will indeed intervene
immediately in case there is evidence that market operators, through
restricting competition, exploit the situation for their benefit."
[03] Philippe Busquin souligne l'importance de la recherche dans le
partenariat euro-méditerranéen
Pendant une rencontre informelle des ministres de la recherche des pays
euro-méditerranéens organisé par le ministre italien, M. Ortensio Zecchino
à Capri le 29 et 30 septembre, il était estimé que "la recherche et la
coopération technologique dans le cadre du processus de Barcelone doit être
promue en renforçant les instruments financiers communautaires, notamment
la coordination entre MEDA et le Programme-cadre de RDT, en vue de créer
une zone euro-méditerranéenne de la recherche". Le commissaire européen à
la Recherche Philippe Busquin était d'avis que "la stratégie de relance de
la coopération euro-méditérranéenne en matière de recherche nécessite un
renforcement du rôle du comité de suivi". Les ministres Ortensio Zecchino
(IT), Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg (FR), Mariano Gago (PT), Nikos
Christodoulakis (GR) et le Secrétaire d'Etat Ramón Marimón Sunól (ES),
ainsi que les ministres Boughazi (Algérie), Fassi-Fehri (Maroc), Zebidi
(Tunisie) et le Président du Centre National de la Recherche Eissa (Egypte)
ont participé à cette rencontre.
[04] EU and US reach agreement on procedures for handling Foreign Sales
Corporation (FSC) dispute
Following meetings last week in Brussels, the EU and US have agreed on
procedures for handling the Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC) dispute. Pascal
Lamy, European Trade Commissioner, welcomed the agreement. He said : "The
agreement reached today reflects our common desire to handle trade disputes
in a pragmatic and non-confrontational manner. Our priority is to resolve
disputes, not exacerbate them. We disagree on the replacement FSC system
which, in our view, remains incompatible with the WTO findings. We have
agreed on how to handle this - but in doing so, fully protecting the EU's
rights and interests in the WTO."
[05] Poul Nielson salutes Commission/UN cooperation in refugee crises at
the UNHCR in Geneva
Invited by Mrs Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the
European Commissioner for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Mr
Poul Nielson today participated in the 51st working session of the
Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) in Geneva. Mr Kofi Annan, UN General Secretary also attended the
meeting. On this occasion, Mr Nielson declared that "the cooperation
between the UN humanitarian agencies and the Commission mainly through the
Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) is one of the pillars of effective
intervention in refugee crises and is the best evidence of European and
international solidarity to victims".
[06] Northern Caucasus (Russian Federation, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) :
Commission approves humanitarian aid worth euro 5 million
The European Commission has approved funding for emergency humanitarian aid
to ensure ongoing support to the victims of the Chechnya conflict.
Channelled through the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO)
this aid will enable non-governmental agencies and the UN working in
Northern Caucasus to carry out projects in the region during the next six
months. The objective is to continue providing assistance to an estimated
350,000 people consisting of refugees and Internally Displaced People
(IDPs) in Ingushetia and Chechnya. Main sectors targeted : health care,
food aid, water and sanitation. ECHO's support for the Russian population
started in 1993. Previous funding made available for the Northern Caucasus
amounts to over euro 42 million, including euro 12.4 million since the
beginning of the current crisis in September 1999. The European Union being
by far the largest donor of humanitarian aid in the region.
[07] EU-Korea consultations on shipbuilding founder
On 28 and 29 July 2000, the European Commission and Korea held a second
round of consultations on shipbuilding, in Brussels. The discussions in the
framework of the 'EU/Korea Agreed Minutes', which aim at promoting fair and
competitive conditions in the world shipbuilding and at stabilising the
market, failed to reach a positive conclusion. The Commission will report
to the Council in the coming days and propose alternative ways forward,
including a possible action in the WTO under the Trade Barrier Regulation
(TBR).
[08] Europe : la parole aux jeunes
La Rencontre européenne des jeunes se tient à Paris à la Cité des Sciences
et de l'industrie du 5 au 7 octobre 2000. Elle constitue une étape
déterminante dans la définition de nouvelles orientations, qui se
concrétiseront notamment par la rédaction d'un "Livre blanc sur la
politique de la jeunesse" que la Commission européenne publiera en 2001.
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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