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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 02-03-06
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Passage à l'euro : les clés du succès
[02] La Commission veut remplacer les batteries au cadmium des véhicules
électriques par des solutions plus sûres avant la fin de 2005
[03] Olympic Airways : opening of State aid investigation procedure against
Greece
[04] Airlines left without insurance following the attacks in the USA :
Commission authorises aid measures introduced by Finland
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[05] EU responds firmly to US decision to severely restrict steel imports
from rest of world
[06] Classical swine fever in Luxembourg, Spain and Germany
[07] La Commission autorise l'acquisition par Cofathec d'une participation
de 50% dans Climespace
[08] Commission clears SAS majority stake in Spanair
[09] EU tables proposals to complete jigsaw on access to essential
medicines for developing countries with no drug production of their own
[10] Chris Patten highlights challenges and benefits of EU enlargement for
Kaliningrad
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 06/03/2002
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 06/03/2002[I] Résultats de la Commission
de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission meeting
[01] Passage à l'euro : les clés du succès
Dans une communication destinée au prochain Conseil européen de Barcelone
des 15 et 16 mars, la Commission européenne dresse un bilan détaillé sur
les opérations de passage à l'euro , la préparation des entreprises et les
réactions du public. Des informations détaillées par pays permettent de
suivre le progrès de la préalimentation jusqu'au retrait des monnaies
nationales. Partout dans la zone-euro, le passage à la monnaie unique été
un succès. D'après les derniers sondages réalisés mi-février 2002, les
craintes liées à une possible mauvaise préparation des PME ne se sont pas
matérialisées. Au 1er janvier 2002, 95% des PME tiennent leur comptabilité
en euro, 96% établissent leurs prix en euro et 97% établissent leurs
factures en euro. Il y a peu de différences entre Etats participants. Pour
les citoyens, les sondages confirment le sentiment positif général : plus
de 80% des citoyens de la zone euro estiment que la transition s'est bien
passée, et près de 70% se disent heureux que l'euro soit devenu leur
nouvelle monnaie. Les sondages indiquent aussi un accueil enthousiaste de
l'euro par les citoyens des pays "pre-ins" : 57% des Suédois affirment
qu'ils seraient très ou plutôt contents si leur pays adoptait l'euro. Le
chiffre est de 49% au Danemark et de 34% au Royaume-Uni. Résultats complets
du Flash Eurobaromètre 122 "PME et euro" : http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion
Résultats complets des Flash Eurobaromètres 121 "Euro zone" et 121 "pre-in
countries" : http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/presspacks/euro/pp_euro_en.html
[02] La Commission veut remplacer les batteries au cadmium des véhicules
électriques par des solutions plus sûres avant la fin de 2005
La Commission européenne a décidé de proposer d'interdire les batteries au
cadmium dans les véhicules électriques à partir de la fin de 2005. Le
cadmium est très nocif pour la santé humaine et l'environnement, et il
existe déjà sur le marché des solutions susceptibles de remplacer les
batteries au cadmium. La directive adoptée en 2000 concernant les véhicules
hors d'usage interdit de manière générale les métaux lourds, et indique que
le plomb, le mercure, le cadmium et le chrome hexavalent ne pourront plus
être utilisés à partir du 1er juillet 2003 si aucune dérogation n'est
accordée. Des dérogations sont prévues uniquement dans le cas
d'applications pour lesquelles il est indispensable d'utiliser des métaux
lourds. Cette proposition doit faire l'objet d'un avis de la part du comité
de réglementation avant que la Commission puisse l'adopter de manière
définitive.
[03] Olympic Airways : opening of State aid investigation procedure against
Greece
The European Commission has decided to open the State aid investigation
procedure against Greece with regard to the potential misuse of aid
authorised in previous decisions and with regard to new aid granted to the
air carrier Olympic Airways and its subsidiaries.
[04] Airlines left without insurance following the attacks in the USA :
Commission authorises aid measures introduced by Finland
Having already authorised emergency aid by the UK, Luxembourg, Portugal,
Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Germany Denmark, France, Spain, Ireland and the
Netherlands, the European Commission today authorised the aid scheme
introduced by Finland.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[05] EU responds firmly to US decision to severely restrict steel imports
from rest of world
The European Union yesterday deplored US President Bush's decision to
severely restrict the US market to steel imports from the rest of the
world. On hearing the news, European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said :
"The US decision to go down the route of protectionism is a major setback
for the world trading system. Imports are not the cause of US difficulties
and the measures announced today will not only not provide a solution but
aggravate matters. I fear this short-sighted move will end any hope of
finding an internationally agreed solution at the OECD to overcapacity
problems faced by the world steel industry, and will not rein in global
subsidies. The EU will of course launch an immediate complaint in Geneva
against this clear violation of WTO rules and we will take whatever
measures are necessary to safeguard our own market."
[06] Classical swine fever in Luxembourg, Spain and Germany
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (section Animal
Health and Welfare) yesterday discussed the situation with regard to
classical swine fever (CSF) in Luxembourg, Spain and Germany. In Luxembourg,
no new outbreaks have been reported after the three mid February and all
further tests are negative. The Committee agreed therefore not to extend
the protective measures adopted on 22 February. These measures (ban on the
export of live pigs and porcine semen, ova and embryos from Luxembourg and
prohibition of transit of live pigs through Luxembourg) will expire on 15
March. For Spain, the existing measures (ban on the export of live pigs and
porcine semen, ova and embryos from the provinces of Barcelona and Gerona
in the autonomous region of Cataluña), applicable until 31 March, will be
extended until 30 April. Furthermore, the conditions under which pigs from
holdings located in the protection and surveillance zones can be brought to
the slaughterhouse and meat from these animals can be commercialised have
been changed. For Germany, equivalent measures for the meat of animals
coming from protection and surveillance zones have been agreed.
[07] La Commission autorise l'acquisition par Cofathec d'une participation
de 50% dans Climespace
La Commission européenne a approuvé l'acquisition par la société française
de systèmes de chauffage, de ventilation et de climatisation Cofathec d'une
participation de 50% dans Climespace, une autre société française
actuellement détenue à 100% par Elyo. L'analyse de la Commission a montré
que l'opération n'aurait que peu d'effets sur la structure de la
concurrence sur le marché en cause et, notamment, sur la distribution d'eau
froide pour les systèmes de refroidissement, le principal marché sur lequel
elle aura des répercussions.
[08] Commission clears SAS majority stake in Spanair
The European Commission has authorised Scandanavian Airlines Systems (SAS)
to acquire sole control of Spain's second largest airline Spanair Holding
S.L. The Commission's review has shown that the operation does not raise
competition concerns.
[09] EU tables proposals to complete jigsaw on access to essential
medicines for developing countries with no drug production of their own
The EU yesterday tabled proposals in Geneva on ensuring access to medicines,
in developing countries with no domestic drug production. At a meeting of
the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property rights (TRIPS)
Council, the EU put forward options to address a key issue that remained
unresolved with the landmark Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health at the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial last November in Doha. Now
negotiators under the auspices of the WTO need to work out how to make sure
that countries, which cannot themselves produce essential drugs, may still
fully benefit from the TRIPS Agreement. The EU believes this can be
achieved by an amendment to the current TRIPS agreement. Commenting on the
text, European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said : "What we achieved in
Doha was very significant but we left one key issue unresolved. These
proposals put forward possible solutions to the problems faced by countries
that have no domestic drug production of their own, in making use of the
emergency provisions in WTO. This is the missing piece in the jigsaw and
the sooner we include it the better."
[10] Chris Patten highlights challenges and benefits of EU enlargement for
Kaliningrad
European External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten underlined the EU's
determination to work with Russia on the unique situation of Kaliningrad at
a meeting of Foreign Ministers to mark the tenth anniversary of the Council
of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). The Commissioner stressed that "some
people fear isolation and some fear a further burden on the region. The
reverse is true. Enlargment offers first and foremost new opportunities for
more cooperation, for better mutual understanding and more prosperity for
the people of Kaliningrad" "…the EU is actively addressing issues, such as
the transit of people between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia after EU
enlargement." "We need to explore common ground between Russia's wish to
ensure easy transit ...and our own need to ensure our security", Mr Patten
said. "We cannot override our basic rules here, including Schengen, nor
undermine the enlargement negotiations themselves." But, he added, "we are
ready to continue making a major effort to find solutions to outstanding
issues. With goodwill and a spirit of cooperation, there is a great deal we
can achieve together."
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Note sur les résultats du Conseil Ecofin aspects fiscalité et services
financiers
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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