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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-10-15
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Respect et promotion des valeurs communes dans l'UE : la Commission
met l'accent sur la prévention
[02] La Commission préconise la création d'une filiale à participation
majoritaire de la BEI pour la région méditerranéenne
[03] Commission calls on Council to take new steps to reinforce relations
with Mediterranean partners
[04] EU complies with WTO ruling on hormone beef and calls on USA and
Canada to lift trade sanctions
[05] Enquête sur le nouveau train de mesures d'aides en faveur d'Alstom
[06] Décision finale dans l'enquête Carsid
[07] Commission decides on public TV financing in Italy and Portugal
[08] La Commission autorise le régime de compensation des coûts subis par
les compagnies aériennes néerlandaises suite aux attentats du 11 septembre
2001 aux Etats-Unis
[09] State aid : new damage insurance scheme for arable farmers in the
Netherlands authorised
[10] La Commission approuve une aide pour le secteur des agrumes en Sicile
[11] Insurance : Commission closes infringement procedure concerning
regulation and supervision of Lloyd's
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[12] Romano Prodi statement regarding EU relations with China (14/10)
[13] New rights for air passengers : deal is done
[14] Commission sets out its policies for Europe's aerospace industry
[15] Pascal Lamy in Russia to discuss WTO accession
Midday Express 15/10/2003
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 15/10/2003[I] Résultats de la Commission
de ce jour - Outcome of today's Commission meeting
[01] Respect et promotion des valeurs communes dans l'UE : la Commission
met l'accent sur la prévention
L'article 7 du traité sur l'Union européenne, amendé par le traité de Nice
qui est entré en vigueur le 1er février 2003, confère à la Commission
européenne une compétence nouvelle dans le suivi du respect des valeurs
communes par les Etats membres et dans l'identification des risques
éventuels en la matière. En particulier, il fait de la Commission l'un des
acteurs pouvant, aux côtés du Parlement européen et des Etats membres,
déclencher les mécanismes de prévention ou de sanctions. Dans une
communication adoptée ce jour, la Commission met très fortement l'accent
sur la nécessité d'une prévention en la matière plutôt que sur
l'éventualité de sanctions à l'égard d'un Etat membre.
[02] La Commission préconise la création d'une filiale à participation
majoritaire de la BEI pour la région méditerranéenne
La Commission européenne a adopté une communication au Conseil dans
laquelle elle recommande de regrouper les opérations de la BEI dans le sud
de la Méditerranée au sein d'une filiale majoritaire chargée d'une mission
spécifique de promotion de l'investissement et du développement du secteur
privé dans la région. Un an après l'établissement de la facilité euro-
méditerranéenne d'investissement et de partenariat (FEMIP), et conformément
au mandat donné par le Conseil européen de Barcelone en mars 2002, la
Commission a effectué une analyse d'impact approfondie. La création d'une
filiale reprenant les activités de la FEMIP faciliterait et accélérerait la
réorientation des opérations vers le soutien au secteur privé, dans le
cadre d'une institution financière spécialement conçue dans ce but et
capable de mettre l'ensemble des produits financiers les plus modernes au
service du financement du secteur privé. L'UE, les Etats membres ainsi que
les partenaires méditerranéens prendraient une participation minoritaire
dans la nouvelle filiale, ce qui renforcerait l'appropriation des
mécanismes de la coopération financière de l'UE avec les partenaires
méditerranéens et faciliterait l'interaction avec les réformes
structurelles visant à créer un environnement plus propice aux entreprises
dans la région.
[03] Commission calls on Council to take new steps to reinforce relations
with Mediterranean partners
The European Commission has proposed the establishment of a Euro-
Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue of Cultures, a Euro-Mediterranean
Parliamentary Assembly and a fully fledged subsidiary of the European
Investment Bank (EIB) building on the existing FEMIP. In its Communication
to prepare the next meeting of Foreign Ministers from Europe and the
Mediterranean to take place on 2 and 3 December in Naples, the Commission
also proposed a series of steps to complete the free trade area and a
cooperative approach to improving respect for human rights and
democratisation.
[04] EU complies with WTO ruling on hormone beef and calls on USA and
Canada to lift trade sanctions
A new EU Directive concerning the prohibition on the use of hormones has
entered into force and as a consequence the European Commission is now
going to request the USA and Canada to lift their trade sanctions. The
Directive implements the recommendations of the WTO ruling condemning the
EU for banning the use of certain growth promoting hormones without an
scientific assessment of the risk associated with meat consumption (Comment
the original was state of the current art, but was not thopught to be
specific to the risk). Following the WTO Appellate Body decision in 1998,
the EU carried out a thorough and careful appraisal of the scientific
evidence available, on the basis of which the Council and the European
Parliament have adopted the new Directive. Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy
said : "Today's move shows that we are fully committed to abiding by our
WTO obligations. We have worked hard to get this new legislation in place
and I now call on the United States and Canada to lift their trade
sanctions against the EU". Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner
David Byrne said : "The EU has delivered a thorough risk assessment based
on current scientific knowledge, fully respecting its international
obligations. Public health and consumer protection are the core of our
approach to food safety guided by independent scientific advice".
[05] Enquête sur le nouveau train de mesures d'aides en faveur d'Alstom
Le 26 septembre, la France a communiqué un nouveau train de mesures d'aide
en faveur d'Alstom, qui modifie les aides précédentes à l'encontre
desquelles la Commission européenne avait lancé une procédure formelle
d'examen le 17 septembre 2003. Aujourd'hui, la Commission étend cette
procédure afin d'englober les mesures d'aide supplémentaires de 1,1
milliard d'€, qui n'étaient pas couvertes par la procédure ouverte le 17
septembre.
[06] Décision finale dans l'enquête Carsid
La Commission européenne a décidé que la participation financière de la
Sogepa à hauteur de 9 millions d'€ dans l'entreprise Carsid envisagée par
la Belgique constitue une aide d'Etat qui est incompatible avec le marché
commun. Cette mesure ne peut, pour cette raison, être mise à exécution.
[07] Commission decides on public TV financing in Italy and Portugal
The European Commission has informed Italy and Portugal that certain ad-hoc
measures adopted during the 1990s to support the Italian and Portuguese
broadcasters are in line with State aid requirements. This follows an in-
depth investigation of the financing systems in these two Member States.
This is because the relevant ad-hoc measures were limited to the financing
of losses that the public service broadcasters incurred in the fulfilment
of their public service mission.
[08] La Commission autorise le régime de compensation des coûts subis par
les compagnies aériennes néerlandaises suite aux attentats du 11 septembre
2001 aux Etats-Unis
La Commission européenne a décidé de ne pas s'opposer au versement, déjà
effectué par les Pays-Bas, de 26,1 millions € en faveur des compagnies
aériennes nationales suite à la fermeture de l'espace aérien du 11 au 14
septembre 2001.
[09] State aid : new damage insurance scheme for arable farmers in the
Netherlands authorised
The European Commission has authorised a state aid measure under which the
Netherlands would make a state guarantee worth maximum €50 million
available as an incentive for insurance companies to introduce insurance
against crop damage caused by excessive rain. The subsidy in the form of a
guarantee is expected to offer a structural solution for such damage so
that compensation by the State on a case by case basis in the future can be
avoided.
[10] La Commission approuve une aide pour le secteur des agrumes en Sicile
La Commission européenne a approuvé une aide de 5.164.569 € prévue par la
Sicile pour la réalisation de diverses mesures (investissements,
information, promotion) dans le secteur de la culture des agrumes, la
considérant compatible avec le marché commun. Le budget alloué par la
région sicilienne complète celui prévu par l'Etat italien pour la
réalisation du plan agrumicole national.
[11] Insurance : Commission closes infringement procedure concerning
regulation and supervision of Lloyd's
The European Commission has decided to close its formal infringement
proceedings into the regulation and supervision of the Lloyd's insurance
market in accordance with the European Insurance Directives, and in
particular the first non-life insurance Directive (73/239/EEC). The
Directive aims principally to entrust public authorities with a duty to
effectively supervise insurance undertakings. In December 2001 the
Commission launched these proceedings by sending the UK authorities a
letter of formal notice (see IP/01/1880) which identified concerns with the
regulatory and supervisory regime for Lloyd's in force at that time. The UK
authorities, however, subsequently informed the Commission of a new regime
for the regulation and supervision of Lloyd's established under the
Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2000, which had entered into
force also in December 2001. Whilst recognising the improvements achieved
through the new regime, the Commission still had some residual concerns
over compliance with certain requirements of the non-life insurance
directives. The Commission therefore sent a supplementary letter of formal
notice in January this year (see IP/03/97) to verify that the current
supervision and regulation of Lloyd's is fully in line with the
requirements of the Directives. In the light of the further clarifications
provided by the UK authorities, the Commission is satisfied that those
aspects of the regulatory and supervisory regime for Lloyd's under
examination are now compatible with the requirements of the Directive.
[II] Other news - Autres nouvelles
[12] Romano Prodi statement regarding EU relations with China (14/10)
The President of the European Commission Romano Prodi stated : "On 13
October, China has published a comprehensive Policy Paper on its relations
with the EU, on the same day as the European General Affairs External
Relations Council adopted conclusions on the EU's policy vis-à-vis China.
This document is the first of this kind to be drawn up by the Chinese
Government. I consider it a significant contribution towards further
deepening dialogue and cooperation in our bilateral relations. In this
spirit, we will now undertake a thorough examination of the Chinese
proposals, with a view to defining, together with China, the most promising
new avenues to be explored. The next EU-China Summit, which I am looking
forward to attending, is to be held on 30 October in Beijing, and will
provide a good occasion to take these matters forward."
[13] New rights for air passengers : deal is done
Loyola de Palacio, European Commission vice-president in charge of
transport and energy, welcomed the early morning agreement in the
conciliation committee on the proposal of regulation to protect the rights
of air passengers when facing denied boarding, cancellation of their flight
or a long delay. "This is a big step ahead in our effort to put the
citizens at the heart of EU policies", she said. "Too many times, air
passengers are victims of practices which deserve that they receive a fair
treatment and proper compensation : the today's agreement paves the way for
completing and strengthening the existing rights", she added. The Council
and European Parliament plenary session must definitively confirm the
conciliation agreement, and the regulation should enter into force at the
beginning of 2004. Loyola de Palacio concluded : "As we did in the past,
the European Commission will ensure that the passengers are informed of
their new rights and a proper information will be given in all airports."
[14] Commission sets out its policies for Europe's aerospace industry
The European Commission has presented a Communication on aerospace which
identifies the steps needed to improve the political and regulatory
framework affecting the competitiveness of this key industry in several
important areas. With this Communication, the Commission is responding to
the analyses and prescriptions of the STAR 21 report (Strategic aerospace
review for the 21st Century) presented by the European Advisory Group on
Aerospace in 2002.
[15] Pascal Lamy in Russia to discuss WTO accession
European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy visits Russia on 16 October to
discuss Russia's WTO accession negotiations. During his visit he will meet
Prime Minister Kasyanov, Trade Minister Gref as well as various
representatives of Russian industries. On the eve of his visit to Moscow Mr
Lamy said : "We are keen to make good progress in the WTO accession talks,
but this means hard work ahead in a number of key areas such as services
and issues related to trade in energy. We will continue to work in an open
and constructive manner with the hope that Russia will soon be able to join
the WTO."
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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