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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-02-04Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission clears Blackstone Group's purchase of TRW Automotive BusinessThe European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation to the proposed acquisition of the automotive business of TRW Inc by US private merchant bank The Blackstone Group L.P. from Northrop Grumman Corporation by way of purchase of assets. (The deal, which was notified on 20 December 2002, was examined under the simplified procedure)[02] Philippe Busquin welcomes US return to ITER projectEuropean Commissioner for Research, Philippe Busquin, has welcomed the announcement of US President George Bush and US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham that the US will join the negotiations for the construction and operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER partners include the European Union, Japan, Russia, Canada and now the United States. A total of €750 million, representing the biggest share of the EU's €1,250 billion Euratom Framework Programme (2003-2006) budget, will fund nuclear fusion research. The programme should create conditions to launch the construction of the ITER facility within the next few years. Total costs for ITER construction and operation should amount to €10 billion over 30 years.[03] November 2002 compared to November 2001 : volume of retail trade down by 0.4% in euro-zone ; EU15 up by 1.0%In November 2002, compared to November 2001, the volume of retail trade decreased by 0.4% in the euro-zone and increased by 1.0% in the EU15, Eurostat estimates today. Compared to October 2002, sales fell by 0.5% in the euro-zone and by 0.4% in the EU15.[04] Estimation rapide - janvier 2003 : l'inflation de la zone euro estimée à 2,1%Selon une estimation rapide publiée aujourd'hui par Eurostat, le taux d'inflation annuel de la zone euro s'établirait à 2,1% en janvier 2003. En décembre 2002, le taux était de 2,3%.eLearning : la Commission lance un portail Internet d'information et d'échanges A l'occasion du "Learntec 2003" de Karlsruhe, salon international consacré au eLearning inauguré aujourd'hui en présence de la Commissaire européenne à l'Education et à la Culture, Viviane Reding, la Commission lance un site Internet consacré au eLearning : http://www.elearningeuropa.info. Ce portail présentera des informations sur les initiatives communautaires dans ce domaine, comme le programme eLearning (2004-2006) en cours d'adoption (Cf. IP/02/1932 du 19/12/2002), mais aussi des liens avec les initiatives nationales, publiques et privées, dans ce domaine, et des contributions d'experts sur des thèmes aussi divers que le "eLiteracy" ou encore la situation des pays candidats à l'UE. [05] Crisis in Ethiopia : Commission increases emergency aid to €102 millionIn response to the humanitarian crisis affecting the Horn of Africa, the European Commission has allocated another €5 million for emergency food aid operations in Ethiopia. The delivery will be carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This additional allocation has been mobilised to enable ICRC to purchase and distribute 15,750 tonnes of essential food commodities which will benefit more than 250,000 vulnerable people in regions affected by drought.[06] EU research project unveils the surface effects of earthquakesResearch at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has revealed the effects of a major earthquake in remote regions of the Indian subcontinent, thus providing vital reference material to analyse other earthquakes in the future. The results of this study will be published today. Using data provided by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on board the NASA Terra satellite platform, JRC, US, French and German scientists analysed the earthquake that struck the Gujarat province of India, close to the Pakistan border, on 26 January 2001. The study shows that large areas around the epicentre were affected, including regions that could not be visited by survey teams.[07] Frits Bolkestein calls for a consensus to boost the Internal Market as it enters its second decadeEuropean Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein today told the European Policy Centre in Brussels that there was currently a "window of opportunity for the Internal Market to take a major leap forward". The Commission's Internal Market Strategy, scheduled for April, would provide the springboard. It would concentrate on developing a much stronger Internal Market in services, improving the implementation and enforcement of Internal Market law, completing the Financial Services Action Plan, raising the level of cross-border public procurement and on getting agreements on the proposed Takeovers Directive and on the Community Patent. Europe needed a similar consensus behind the strategy to that which developed behind the Single European Act in the 1980s. "Our political leaders need to put their money where their mouth is …and actually get down to taking the tough decisions needed", said Mr Bolkestein. He identified enlargement and coping with an ageing population as crucial challenges. The way to meet them, he said, was to implement the Lisbon agenda for making Europe the world's most competitive economy. Mr Bolkestein emphasised that the Internal Market had in its first decade already transformed Europe, creating at least 2.5 million more jobs, and nearly €900 billion in additional prosperity, an average of nearly €6,000 per family (see http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/10years/index_en.htm). Businesses had been "shaken up" and made to "end cosy relationships and run for their money" with huge benefits for consumers. "We now know that the Internal Market recipe works, but we must bite the bullet and make the necessary reforms", the Commissioner concluded.[08] Autre matériel diffuséDiscours de M. Prodi à l'occasion du 50ème anniversaire du Traité CECA (Marcinelle, ! embargo 18h30 !)Discours d'investiture de M. Lamy au titre de Docteur Honoris Causa à l'Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (03/02) Speech by Viviane Reding : "Education policy in a globalized world" a the concluding session of the International LEARNTEC Education Forum (03/02, Ettlingen) Speech by Viviane Reding : "Is e-learning going mainstream ?" at the opening of the Learntec Forum (Karlsruhe) Discours de M. Busquin : "La recherche européenne pour une gestion durable des déchets radioactifs" lors de sa visite des installations de recherche sur le stockage des déchets radioactifs (Mol) Discours de Mme de Palacio : "La gestion des déchets nucléaires au sein de l'Union européenne" lors de sa visite des installations de recherche sur le stockage des déchets radioactifs (Mol) From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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