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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 01-01-23
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
Midday Express 23/01/2001
[01] Banking supervision : Commission to launch second consultation on new
EU capital rules
The European Commission has announced that it will launch very shortly a
second round of consultations designed to help shape the final proposals
for a new EU capital adequacy framework, in preparation since 1998. The
Commission's work complements efforts by the Committee on Banking
Supervision of the Bank of International Settlements (known as the Basel
Committee) to introduce a similar framework for banks at the international
level. The revision of existing EU legislation on bank capital, planned for
the autumn, must ensure that European banks and investment firms are able
to respond quickly to market change, operate flexibly and safeguard
consistency and proper supervision for customers and consumers. The new
rules must also pay due regard to the financing needs of small businesses.
The Commission and the Basel Committee have cooperated closely and this has
been helpful to both organisations in developing thinking. Eight EU Member
States (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden
and United Kingdom) are members of the Basel Committee ; the Basel Accord
will also serve as a benchmark for the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund. For Europe to compete globally, EU legislation must reflect
the Basel process, but, because it will include investment firms, will be
wider in scope and will differ in some detailed points to take account of
the particular nature of the EU banking and investment environment.
[02] Dutch fishermen allowed to land and auction catches in foreign ports
following Commission action
At the initiative of the European Commission, eight quota management groups
of Dutch fishermen have changed their internal rules with regard to the
management of fishing quotas to bring them in line with competition rules.
The internal rules initially limited the number of landings of catches in
non-Dutch harbours. They also prescribed that the fishermen sell all
catches to be auctioned through Dutch fish auctions only.
[03] Structural funds - Commission approves euro 970 million support for
the region of North Rhein-Westphalia
The European Commission has approved the regional development plan of the
German Land of North Rhein-Westphalia for the period 2000-2006. This
"single programming document" provides to euro 970 million in financial
support from the European Union. It concerns areas undergoing economic and
social reconversion, and as such eligible under "Objective 2" of the
Structural Funds. The European funding will attract a further euro 1 ,000
million in investment from the public sector and euro 1,600 million from
the private sector, creating total resources of euro 3,600 million. These
funds will pay for training, support for businesses and investment in
infrastructure. The programme aims to create, protect and improve 138,000
jobs, of which 108,000 are expected to be new jobs many of the new jobs
will be in innovative sectors of the economy.
[04] Structural funds - Commission approves euro 734 million support for
the region of Niedersachsen
The European Commission has approved the regional development plan of the
German Land of Niedersachsen for the period 2000-2006. This "single
programming document" amounts to euro 734 million in financial support from
the European Union. It concerns areas undergoing economic and social
reconversion, and as such eligible to "Objective 2" of the Structural
Funds. The European funding will attract a further euro 708 million in
investment from the public sector and euro 51 million from the private
sector, for a total spending of euro 1,500 million. The programme aims to
create around 15,000 new jobs, to safeguard 25,000 existing ones, to create
1,000 new training places, to reintegrate 2,500 unemployed via training
measures into the labour market and train 5,500 employees to upgrade their
skills. The focus is on business development.
[05] Structural funds - Commission approves euro 98 million support for the
region of Baden-Wurttemberg
The European Commission has approved the regional development plan of the
German Land of Baden-Wurttemberg for the period 2000-2006. This "single
programming document" amounts to euro 98 million in financial support from
the European Union. It concerns areas undergoing economic and social
reconversion and as such eligible to "Objective 2" of the Structural Funds.
The European funding will attract a further euro 158 million in investment
from the public sector and euro 904 million from the private sector, for a
total spending of euro 1,160 million. This regional development programme
aims to create around 5,200 new jobs in SMEs mainly in rural areas thus
offering employment outside the agricultural sector.
[06] Structural funds - Commission approves euro 171 million support for
the region of Saarland
The European Commission has approved the regional development plan of the
German Land of Saarland for the period 2000-2006. This "single programming
document" amounts to euro 171 million in financial support from the
European Union. It concerns areas undergoing economic and social
reconversion and as such eligible to "Objective 2" of the Structural Funds.
The European funding will attract a further euro 208 million in investment
from the public sector and euro 603 million from the private sector, for a
total spending of euro 982 million. The programme aims to create around 3,
620 new jobs and to safeguard 2,500 existing ones, focusing especially on
the Service sector and the support of urban areas in difficulty.
[07] Structural Funds - Commission approves euro 170 million support for
the region of Rhineland-Palatinate
The European Commission has approved the regional development plan of the
German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate for the period 2000-2006. This "single
programming document" amounts to euro 170 million in financial support from
the European Union. It concerns areas undergoing economic and social
reconversion and as such eligible to "Objective 2" of the Structural Funds.
The focus is put on the area of Westpfalz, which is particularly hard-hit
by industrial decline and conversion. The European funding will lead to
attract a further euro 1,060 million in investment from the private sector
and euro 173 million from the public sector, for a total spending of euro 1,
400 million. The programme aims to create around 5,700 new jobs, to
safeguard 750 existing ones and to offer training to 2,100 employees, in
particular in the new Information and communication technologies.
[08] Structural Funds - Commission approves euro 113 million support for
the region of Bremen
The European Commission has approved the regional development plan of the
German Land of Bremen for the period 2000-2006. This "single programming
document" amounts to euro 113 million in financial support from the
European Union. It concerns areas undergoing economic and social
reconversion and as such eligible to "Objective 2" of the Structural Funds.
The European funding will attract a further euro 113 million in investment
from the public sector and euro 129 million from the private sector, for a
total spending of euro 355 million. This regional development programme
aims to create around 600 new jobs and to safeguard 2,200 existing ones,
focusing especially on the Service sector and the support of urban areas in
difficulty.
[09] Franz Fischler : "Not wait until accession to promote sustainable
agriculture in the candidate countries"
"We can not wait until accession to get down to the business of rural
development and sustainable agriculture", according to Franz Fischler,
European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries.
"The better the candidate countries prepare to build a working rural
development policy and a sustainable agricultural sector, they more they
will profit from the instruments and financial resources of our
agricultural policy once the join." Speaking at the High level Conference
on EU enlargement and the relation between agriculture and nature
management today in Den Haag, Mr Fischler underlined that rural development
requires good administrative structures, sound financial mechanisms, good
project ideas and last but not least committed people in local communities
and administrations. All that does not come over night - preparation is a
step by step process and work to build these structures should begin now.
The Commissioner pointed to the advantage of candidate countries joining a
Common Agricultural Policy that has been reformed to address public
demands. "As a result of Agenda 2000, we have moved to integrate
environmental concerns into the CAP with a view to promoting sustainable
agriculture. Agri-environmental measures now constitute roughly half of
rural development expenditure in the EU. This is a positive sign of the
times and it gives the candidate countries a clear perspective", he said.
[10] Commission expresses concern over new climate change report
European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström expresses major concern
over the results of the third Assessment Report, which was released by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Shanghai earlier this week.
She concluded : "The study demonstrates that climate change is happening
faster than we originally thought and that the world cannot continue to
follow the 'business-as-usual' increasing trends in emissions. A vast
amount of new technologies in the fields of energy efficiency, renewables,
alternative fuels and engines are already available. We have to use them
and therefore we need commitments by the private sector and market based
incentives to facilitate that process. The EU is determined to take the
lead in doing that and urges all governments to take similar action. At the
same time, the international negotiations in climate change, which could
not be concluded in the Hague last November, must now come to a successful
end in the coming months."
[11] Fusion approuvée selon la procédure simplifiée
Babckock Borsig AG (D) / MG Technologies AG (D) / SAPMarkets GmbH (D) /
Deutsche Bank AG / VA Technologie AG (A)
[12] Autre matériel diffusé
Note sur la visite de M. Patten en Inde (25-29/01)
MIDDAY EXPRESS
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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