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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-07-02
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission pushes for a stronger European-based pharmaceutical
industry for the benefit of the patient
[02] Ecopoints : Commission again decides not to apply the 108% clause due
to insufficient evidence
[03] Wider Europe : Commission to strengthen cross-border cooperation with
new neighbours
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[04] L'économie de la zone euro continue à faire du sur-place
[05] Avian influenza : crisis over in the Netherlands
[06] Dispositifs médicaux : pour la Commission, le cadre réglementaire est
bon mais sa mise en œuvre pourrait être améliorée
[07] Commission clears Hearst/Telegraaf Cosmogirl! magazine JV
[08] Commission clears acquisition of Britain's Holmes Place fitness clubs
by two investment funds
[09] Mai 2003 : les prix à la production industrielle en baisse de 0,4%
dans la zone euro ; baisse de 0,3% dans l'UE15
[10] Data protection : Commission recognises that Argentina provides
adequate protection for personal data
[11] Temporary measures adopted at EU-level to mitigate risk of FMD
spreading from Libya via animal transport vehicles
[12] Council, Commission and European Parliament meet in Strasbourg on the
2004 budget procedure
[13] Troisième réunion plénière du Groupe des Sages sur le Dialogue entre
les Peuples et les Cultures
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 02/07/2003
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 02/07/2003[I] Résultats de la Commission
du 1er juillet 2003 - Outcome of Commission meeting of 1 July 2003
[01] Commission pushes for a stronger European-based pharmaceutical
industry for the benefit of the patient
The European Commission has adopted plans to boost the competitiveness of
the European-based pharmaceutical industry in line with the EU's health
objectives. The Communication adopted its responses to the 14 wide-ranging
recommendations set out in the Report of the High Level Group on Innovation
and Provision of Medicines G10 Medicines. The Recommendations looked at
areas of national and European competence. Part of the Commission's
response is to create a framework of action based on the existing
initiatives of the Pharmaceutical Review (see IP/03/785) and the Public
Health Programme to move forward the issues raised in the G10 process, such
as better access to medicines, integration of markets, competition amongst
non-reimbursed medicines, competition from generic medicines and the
relative effectiveness of medicines. In addition, the Commission proposes a
number of other actions including the launching of a benchmarking exercise
to monitor the competitiveness of the industry. This will be updated
annually and will allow, over time, the possibility to develop a good
overview of trends in competitiveness of the industry. This will be
supplemented by an exercise to develop indicators capable of benchmarking,
amongst other issues, the contribution of pharmaceutical products to public
health in Europe. The Communication also highlights a number of areas where
the G10 Group and the Commission believe that action at Member State level
could make a significant contribution. The Communication notably proposes
to launch a European reflection on promoting market integration and
alternative ways of controlling pharmaceutical expenditure.
[02] Ecopoints : Commission again decides not to apply the 108% clause due
to insufficient evidence
The European Commission has decided not to apply a cutback in ecopoints for
2003 as a result of the number of lorry trips made through Austria in 2002
as the so-called "108% clause" would require. Whilst initial statistics
from Austria seemed to indicate that the 108% threshold had been exceeded
in 2002, a closer examination cast doubt on this as no real evidence was
provided of transit. The Commission will therefore be distributing the
remaining ecopoints for 2003.
[03] Wider Europe : Commission to strengthen cross-border cooperation with
new neighbours
The European Commission has proposed significant steps to improve the EU's
interventions at its external borders after enlargement. This will
significantly boost cooperation over 10,000 km of the EU's borders with
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, the Western Balkans and in the
Mediterranean. Between 2004 and 2006, existing instruments for cross-border
cooperation such as INTERREG, PHARE-CBC, TACIS-CBC, CARDS and MEDA will be
better coordinated through the creation of "Neighbourhood programmes" to be
launched in 2004. This represents a major step towards a better
implementation of joint projects on the external borders of the EU as the
Commission foresees that €955 million could be reallocated for this
purpose. For the period after 2007, the Commission highlights a number of
options including the creation of a single New Neighbourhood Instrument in
the next financial perspectives.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[04] L'économie de la zone euro continue à faire du sur-place
Selon le dernier rapport trimestriel sur la zone euro, trois facteurs qui
pesaient sur la croissance se sont améliorés : l'incertitude liée au
conflit en Irak est désormais levée, l'inflation se réduit et les
conditions financières deviennent plus favorables. De ce fait, après une
croissance quasi nulle au début 2003, l'on s'attend encore à une reprise
modérée de l'activité au second semestre 2003, même si la croissance
cumulée pour l'ensemble de l'année pourrait s'avérer légèrement inférieure
aux prévisions initiales.
[05] Avian influenza : crisis over in the Netherlands
At the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 1 July
2003, the three Member States previously affected by avian influenza gave
an overview of their situation. Since there have been no new outbreaks in
the Netherlands for the whole month of June, the protection measures for
the Netherlands were not prolonged, as is already the case for Belgium and
the Land of North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany. This means that all
restrictions will be lifted in the Netherlands as of 11 July 2003 except in
the surveillance zones around the outbreaks. Restrictions in the
surveillance zones may only be lifted once "sentinel birds" have been
placed in the affected holdings and demonstrated that the virus is no
longer present. Since the start of the avian influenza epidemic in the
Netherlands on 28 February 2003, no exports from the Netherlands were
allowed for live poultry, hatching eggs nor for fresh, unprocessed poultry
manure and litter. There were also restrictions on the transport of live
poultry and hatching eggs within the Netherlands, with some derogations.
Some of these restrictions were eased on 13 June 2003, but restrictions
still remained in place for the five affected provinces: Flevoland,
Gelderland, Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Utrecht. The positive report by the
Dutch authorities yesterday shows that the crisis is now over and trade
activities can resume as normal throughout the country, except in the
surveillance zones, as of 11 July 2003.
[06] Dispositifs médicaux : pour la Commission, le cadre réglementaire est
bon mais sa mise en œuvre pourrait être améliorée
Dans une communication adoptée aujourd'hui, la Commission européenne estime
qu'en matière de dispositifs médicaux, le cadre réglementaire de l'UE
fonctionne bien mais que les mesures prises pour sa mise en œuvre
pourraient être améliorées. Il existerait actuellement sur le marché
européen quelque 8.000 dispositifs différents auxquels les citoyens ont
directement accès, depuis les simples bandages et lunettes jusqu'aux
systèmes d'imagerie les plus sophistiqués et aux dispositifs de chirurgie
invasive minimale en passant par les dispositifs implantables prolongeant
l'espérance de vie et les dispositifs de diagnostic. Si le cadre
réglementaire prévoit toutes les mesures de sauvegarde requises pour
garantir l'accès aux technologies et assurer des niveaux de sécurité élevés,
des améliorations sont nécessaires en matière d'évaluation de la conformité
des produits aux exigences essentielles, de transparence ou de confiance
entre les autorités réglementaires, les autres parties intéressées et le
grand public, de surveillance du marché ainsi que de coopération entre les
Etats membres et la Commission. Cette dernière recommande de mieux utiliser
les possibilités existantes, notamment le reclassement des dispositifs,
d'appliquer le principe de précaution et la clause de sauvegarde et
d'élaborer une documentation ad hoc explicitant les mesures de mise en
œuvre et clarifiant les aspects réglementaires. Représentant 26% des ventes
mondiales pour une valeur estimées de 41 milliards d'euros, le marché
européen des dispositifs médicaux occupe la seconde place dans le monde,
après les Etats-Unis et avant le Japon. La communication annonce par
ailleurs qu'une étude sera menée en collaboration avec les autorités
nationales et l'industrie afin d'améliorer la qualité et la disponibilité
des données. Cette étude cherchera à déterminer l'impact des dispositifs
médicaux sur les dépenses de santé publique et à définir les moyens
permettant d'améliorer la compétitivité. D'autres études portant sur des
questions de santé publique sont prévues dans le cadre du programme
d'action communautaire dans le domaine de la santé publique (2003-2008).
[07] Commission clears Hearst/Telegraaf Cosmogirl! magazine JV
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the creation of a joint venture between HMI International Holdings, a
subsidiary of the US-based diversified communications group Hearst
Corporation, and Dutch diversified media group De Telegraaf Tijdschriften
Groep B.V. The joint venture called TTG Hearst B.V. will publish and
distribute in the Netherlands and in Belgium the Dutch version of
Cosmogirl! magazine, a general interest monthly glossy magazine addressed
to young women between 14 and 18 years of age. (The operation, notified on
27 May 2003, was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)
[08] Commission clears acquisition of Britain's Holmes Place fitness clubs
by two investment funds
The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation
to the proposed joint acquisition of the UK fitness club operator Holmes
Place by investment funds Bridgepoint and Schroder Ventures Limited.
[09] Mai 2003 : les prix à la production industrielle en baisse de 0,4%
dans la zone euro ; baisse de 0,3% dans l'UE15
Les prix à la production industrielle dans la zone euro ont baissé de 0,4%
au mois de mai 2003 par rapport au mois précédent, selon les estimations
publiées aujourd'hui par Eurostat. Les prix dans l'UE15 ont diminué de 0,
3%. Au mois d'avril 2003 les prix avaient chuté de 0,5% dans la zone euro
et dans l'UE15. En mai 2003 et par rapport à mai 2002, les prix à la
production industrielle ont augmenté de 1,3% dans la zone euro et de 1,5%
dans l'UE15.
[10] Data protection : Commission recognises that Argentina provides
adequate protection for personal data
The European Commission has recognised that Argentina provides an adequate
level of protection of personal data. This will allow personal data to flow
freely from the EU to Argentina, without additional safeguards being needed
to meet the requirements of the EU Data Protection Directive. The
Commission's decision was taken in the light of advice from Member States'
supervisory authorities.
[11] Temporary measures adopted at EU-level to mitigate risk of FMD
spreading from Libya via animal transport vehicles
Following notification by Libya of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
(FMD), the European Commission yesterday adopted temporary measures to
prevent the possible spread of the virus into the EU via livestock
transport vehicles. FMD is one of the most contagious viral diseases of
cattle, sheep, goats and pigs and though it is not harmful to human health,
it can have devastating economic consequences. The EU does not allow
imports of live animals or animal products of species susceptible to FMD
from countries in North Africa. However, since the virus can survive in a
contaminated environment for several weeks, there is concern that vehicles
having unloaded susceptible livestock, or returning registered horses from
Libya, might potentially be contaminated by the virus. The precautionary
measures decided today therefore specify the conditions for reinforced
controls of cleansing and disinfection of animal transport vehicles on
arrival to the EU. The measures were decided in agreement with the Standing
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, representing the veterinary
services of the EU Member States. The last outbreak of FMD in Libya was
reported in 1994. The current outbreak is the first ever recorded outbreak
of this particular serotype north of the Sahara. The competent authorities
in Libya have taken measures to contain the disease, but the significant
delay between the first suspect case on 1 May 2003 and the confirmation of
the disease on 18 June 2003 means that a spread of the disease to
neighbouring countries cannot be fully excluded. These measures may
therefore be extended to cover additional countries.
[12] Council, Commission and European Parliament meet in Strasbourg on the
2004 budget procedure
Budgetary Trilogue: Commissioner Schreyer meets today with a delegation
from the European Parliament's budgets committee chaired by Mr Wynn, and
with the Council, represented by under-secretary Magri. The second regular
trilogue meeting is part of the 2004 budget procedure and prepares the
forthcoming conciliation taking place before the Council's first reading of
the 2004 draft budget at the ECOFIN meeting on 16 July. Agricultural
expenditure, international fisheries agreements and CFSP funding are major
subjects on the agenda but discussions cover also administrative
expenditure, adjustments for enlargement and the mobilisation of the
emergency aid reserve.
[13] Troisième réunion plénière du Groupe des Sages sur le Dialogue entre
les Peuples et les Cultures
Le Groupe des Sages sur le Dialogue entre les Peuples et les Cultures a
tenu sa troisième réunion plénière le lundi 30 juin et le mardi 1er juillet
2003, sous la co-présidence de Mme Assia Alaoui Bensalah et de M. Jean
Daniel, en présence de deux membres de la Commission européenne,
successivement MM. Pascal Lamy, en charge du Commerce, et Philippe Busquin,
en charge de la Recherche. Les autres membres constitutifs de ce Groupe
sont : Mmes Fatima Mernissi, Simone Susskind-Weinberger et Tullia Zevi,
ainsi que MM. Malek Chebel, Juan Diez Nicolas, Umberto Eco, Shmuel N.
Eisenstadt, Georges Joffé, Ahmed Kamal Aboulmagd, Bichara Khader, Adnan
Wafic Kassar, Pedrag Matvejevic, Rostane Medhi, Tariq Ramadan, Faruk Sen,
Faouzi Skali.
[14] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours de M. Prodi : "Con l'Italia per un'Europa forte e unita" (PE,
Strasbourg)
Speech by David Byrne : "GM Food and Feed" (01/07, EP, Strasbourg)
Speech by Margot Wallström : "Traceability and labelling of GMOs" (01/07,
EP, Strasbourg)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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