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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 02-09-30
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Distribution automobile : publication d'une brochure explicative sur
les nouvelles règles de concurrence
[02] Commission clears joint venture between Agere, Infineon and Motorola
[03] Commission clears joint control of SLEC (Formula One) by three
financial institutions
[04] Commission clears joint purchase of German explosives firm DynITEC by
Rheinmetall and Diehl
[05] Insurance : major step to integrated EU financial market as Insurance
Mediation Directive approved
[06] Public procurement : Council agreement is a step towards making
utilities procurement more transparent
[07] Estimation rapide - septembre 2002 : l'inflation de la zone euro
estimée à 2,2%
[08] Second notification of deficit and debt data for 2001 - Euro-zone
government deficit at 1.4% of GDP and public debt at 69.2% of GDP
[09] Commission adapts steel safeguard safety net
[10] Korea rejects EU call to put an end to unfair shipbuilding practices
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 30/09/2002
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 30/09/2002
[01] Distribution automobile : publication d'une brochure explicative sur
les nouvelles règles de concurrence
La Direction générale de la concurrence de la Commission européenne publie
aujourd'hui une brochure explicative sur les nouvelles règles de la
concurrence applicables à la distribution automobile et au service après
vente qui entrent en vigueur le 1er octobre 2002. Cette brochure est
destinée à informer le grand public sur les nouveaux droits et obligations
du nouveau régime plus strict qui devrait créer plus de concurrence pour la
vente de voitures et leur réparation, au bénéfice des consommateurs. Comme
l'annonce le Commissaire à la Concurrence Mario Monti dans la préface de la
brochure : "Cette brochure explicative a pour but d'informer clairement
toutes les parties intéressées sur le contenu du règlement. L'information
substantielle est d'autant plus primordiale au vu des modifications
profondes introduites par le règlement. Les parties intéressées regroupent
différentes catégories ayant chacune des besoins spécifiques
d'information."
[02] Commission clears joint venture between Agere, Infineon and Motorola
The European Commission has cleared a proposed joint venture - StarCore LLC
- between Agere, Infineon and Motorola, which will be contributed the
present activities of the three parents within the field of DSP Cores
developing and licensing.
[03] Commission clears joint control of SLEC (Formula One) by three
financial institutions
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of control of the SLEC Holdings Ltd company, which
controls a number of Formula One companies, by German bank Bayerische
Landesbank and US investment banks J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Lehmann
Commercial Paper Inc. The banks are taking over control from German media
group Kirch. (The operation, notified on 02 September, was examined under
the simplified merger review procedure)
[04] Commission clears joint purchase of German explosives firm DynITEC by
Rheinmetall and Diehl
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the acquisition of joint control of the German undertaking DynITEC GmbH,
active in military explosive and initiating devices, by German undertakings
Rheinmetall AG and Diehl Stiftung & Co. (The operation, notified on 30
August 2002, was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)
[05] Insurance : major step to integrated EU financial market as Insurance
Mediation Directive approved
The European Commission has welcomed the approval by the EU's Council of
Ministers of the Insurance Mediation Directive, which will improve choice
and reinforce protection for customers while helping insurance
intermediaries such as insurance brokers, banks and car dealers - to market
their services across borders. The Directive requires that all
intermediaries be registered in their home Member State. To obtain that
registration, they will need to meet strict requirements. Once they have
done so, they will be free to sell their services anywhere in the EU. Once
it comes into force in late 2004 the Directive, which is based on a
September 2000 proposal from the Commission (see IP/00/1048), will replace
a 1977 Directive and become the only binding EU law covering individuals or
companies selling insurance products on behalf of others. This is a
priority measure under the EU's Financial Services Action Plan, which
ultimately aims to establish a truly integrated European market for
financial services in which customers can have confidence. The Directive
will be considered formally adopted as soon as it has been signed by the
Presidents of the Parliament and Council.
[06] Public procurement : Council agreement is a step towards making
utilities procurement more transparent
The European Commission has welcomed the Council's adoption of a political
agreement on the proposed Directive to simplify and modernise existing
legislation on public procurement in the water, energy and transport
sectors (the so-called "Utilities Directive"). The proposed Utilities
Directive is part of a legislative package to bring EU public procurement
rules up to date (see IP/00/461) with a changing economic environment. Once
definitively adopted, the new rules will improve transparency in the award
process, enhance clarity in the criteria determining the award of the
contract and the selection of tenderers and facilitate electronic
tendering. The Council already came to a political agreement last May on
the other part of the legislative package, covering rules for the
procurement of works, supplies and services in sectors other than water,
energy and transport (see MEMO/02/99). The Council is due to adopt formal
Common Positions on both proposals in the coming weeks, after which the
proposals will return to the Parliament for their second reading.
[07] Estimation rapide - septembre 2002 : l'inflation de la zone euro
estimée à 2,2%
Selon une estimation rapide publiée aujourd'hui par Eurostat le taux
d'inflation annuel de la zone euro s'établirait à 2,2% en septembre 2002,
en hausse par rapport à août 2002 où le taux était de 2,1%.
[08] Second notification of deficit and debt data for 2001 - Euro-zone
government deficit at 1.4% of GDP and public debt at 69.2% of GDP
For the second time in 2002, the EU Member States have notified to the
European Commission their data on government deficit and debt for 2001.
They have been verified by Eurostat and are consistent with the Eurostat
decisions on treatment of UMTS licences and securitisation operations
undertaken by general government. This press release also includes data on
government expenditure and revenue.
[09] Commission adapts steel safeguard safety net
On 27 September the European Commission adjusted the safeguard measures
adopted in March 2002 to guard against a flood of steel imports resulting
from the US protectionist measures. In a clear sign of the EU's respect for
the multilateral rules, the measures have been strictly limited to seven
out of the original twenty one products, for which the WTO requirements
were fulfilled further to an in-depth six-month investigation. The EU
measures will continue to allow traditional trade flows into the EU and
will not affect developing countries. Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said :
"This balanced approach keeps our market open to normal trade flows ; we
have thus acted in the best interests of the EU and international trade. We
urge other countries, which have taken or are considering taking safeguard
action to take a similarly restrained approach. The Council has already
decided that countermeasures of €2.3 billion will be immediately applied
unless the US withdraws their measures within five days of the WTO ruling,
which is of course what we want to see if they are condemned by the WTO, as
we expect. In that case, the measures adopted will be immediately
withdrawn."
[10] Korea rejects EU call to put an end to unfair shipbuilding practices
Between 24 and 27 September the European Union and Korea held intensive
high level negotiations to find a mutually agreed solution to the long-
standing Korean unfair shipbuilding practices. The EU delegation was headed
by Mr M.P. Carl, Trade Director General of the European Commission and the
Korean delegation by Mr Kim Chil-du, Korean Vice-Minister for Trade,
Industry and Energy. Despite the numerous effort made by the EU delegation
to reach a mutually acceptable compromise solution, the Korean delegation
rejected on 27 September all the proposals put forward by the EU until then,
insisting on the lack of support of the Korean industry for such an
agreement. The Commission will now report to the EU Council of Minister on
30 September 2002.
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Statement by Poul Nielson to the Development Committee of the World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund (28/09, Washington)
Discours de Mme Reding : "Les médias dans une société démocratique: quel
équilibre entre la liberté d'expression et la protection des droits humains
?" à l'ouverture de la conférence sur la liberté des médias (Luxembourg)
Speech by Franz Fischler : "Die Berglandwirtschaft im Europäischen
Agrarmodell" at the 1st Europäischer Bergbauernkongress (St Johann im
Pongau)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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