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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-01-27
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to visit the European Commission on
28th January
[02] La Commission demande l'adoption de nouvelles mesures pour lutter
contre les communications commerciales non sollicitées ("spam")
[03] Enregistrement de deux dénominations de produits agricoles
[04] Company taxation : Commission proposes amendments to Interest &
Royalties Directive
[05] Franz Fischler : "EU Fisheries Control Agency in Vigo will boost
enforcement"
[06] Rail transport sector : Anna Diamantopoulou welcomes social partners'
agreement on working conditions
[07] Conférence sur les industries européennes de la céramique et du verre
créer les conditions de la durabilité (27/01)
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express 27/01/2004
TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 27/01/2004
[01] UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to visit the European Commission on
28th January
At the invitation of European Commission President Romano Prodi, the
Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, will visit the
Commission for the first time on 28th January 2004. Mr Annan will meet with
the Commission at noon. A working lunch with the College will follow. At
14h45, President Prodi and Mr Annan will hold a joint press point in the
Commission Press Room. The continued strengthening of EU-UN relations will
feature prominently on the agenda, with a discussion of the Commission's
proposals for improving the way the EU engages with the UN system. Another
key item on the agenda will be the reform of the UN itself and the Union's
contribution to the work of the high-level panel on UN reform. The
Secretary General's visit will also provide an opportunity to discuss a
range of areas of shared concern : Europe's contribution to conflict
prevention and crisis management, sustainable development, and management
of migration flows. There will also be a broader debate on foreign policy
issues, with the spotlight on the engagement of the international community
in the reconstruction of Iraq, developments in Iran, Africa, the Middle
East and Afghanistan, Cyprus and the way forward in implementing the
statute of the International Criminal Court.
[02] La Commission demande l'adoption de nouvelles mesures pour lutter
contre les communications commerciales non sollicitées ("spam")
M. Erkki Liikanen, Commissaire européen responsable des entreprises et de
la société de l'information, a présenté aujourd'hui à Bruxelles une série
de mesures destinées à contribuer à la mise en œuvre de l'interdiction du
spam dans l'UE. Ces mesures sont axées sur l'application effective des
règles par les Etats membres, des solutions techniques et une
autorégulation à mettre en œuvre par les entreprises, la sensibilisation
des consommateurs et la coopération internationale.
[03] Enregistrement de deux dénominations de produits agricoles
La Commission européenne a ajouté deux dénominations de produits agricoles
et alimentaires à la liste des indications géographiques protégées (IGP).
Il s'agit de "Fraise du Périgord" (Fruit - France) et de "Queso de Valdéon"
(Fromage - Espagne). Les deux dénominations s'ajoutent à la liste d'environ
600 produits déjà protégés en vertu de la législation sur la protection des
indications géographiques, des appellations d'origine et des spécialités
traditionnelles. Des renseignements sur les produits de qualité ainsi que
la liste des dénominations protégées sont disponibles sur l'internet à
l'adresse : http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/foodqual/quali1_fr.htm
[04] Company taxation : Commission proposes amendments to Interest &
Royalties Directive
The European Commission has made a proposal to broaden the scope of the
European Community's Directive that provides for the elimination of
withholding tax in the case of payments of interest and royalties between
associated companies of different EU Member States (2003/49/EEC). The
changes would see the Directive cover a larger range of companies including
the European Company (see IP/01/1376) and the European Cooperative Society
(see IP/03/1071). The proposal would also, at the request of the EU's
Council of Ministers, eliminate a loophole by providing that the Directive
would not apply to companies that are exempt from tax on interest and
royalties received. The proposal is in line with the Commission's strategy
for the EU's future tax policy presented in 2001 (see IP/01/737) in which
the Commission stated its view that double taxation due simply to the cross-
border nature of economic activity cannot be accepted, but that its
elimination should not create opportunities for tax avoidance and evasion
and neither should any greater coordination of Member States' tax systems
give rise to unintentional non-taxation.
[05] Franz Fischler : "EU Fisheries Control Agency in Vigo will boost
enforcement"
On a visit to Vigo in Galicia on 26 January, Franz Fischler, European
Commissioner responsible for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries,
welcomed the application of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) on
the long-term approach to fish stock management and in strengthened control
and enforcement. He also praised the Galician fishing sector for its
efforts in tackling the effects of the oil spill from the Prestige oil
tanker which sank off the Iberian Peninsula in November 2002, bringing
fishing and aquaculture activities to a halt. Today, most of these
activities have resumed. Financial support from the EU, amounting to €95
million, helped to compensate loss of earnings as well to clean and replace
damaged equipment and fishing gear. Mr Fischler welcomed the adoption by
the December Council of the cod recovery plan which ushers in the
application of long-term measures to stock management. He urged fishermen
to look at the recently proposed recovery plan for southern hake and Norway
lobster off the Iberian Peninsula as an investment in the future of their
sector. Turning to the decision by the European Council to site the EU
Inspection Agency in Spain, Mr Fischler said that this Agency would deliver
the level-playing field that fishermen have long been calling for and
encourage better compliance with CFP rules. The Commission intends to
submit a proposal for the creation of the Agency in March. During his visit
to Vigo, Mr Fischler met with representatives of the Galician fishing
sector and visited the port of Vigo.
[06] Rail transport sector : Anna Diamantopoulou welcomes social partners'
agreement on working conditions
The European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Anna
Diamantopoulou, is to witness the official signing by EU-level social
partners of an agreement on working conditions on 27 January. The agreement,
negotiated and adopted within the European social dialogue committee on
rail transport between the Community of European Railways (CER) and the
European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), sets minimum requirements for
daily rest, breaks, weekly rest period and driving time for mobile staff
crossing borders. Anna Diamantopoulou welcomed the agreement, noting the
particular role and influence of social partners, who are "best-placed to
know what is happening at grass roots level, and who play a vital role in
finding the right balance between the employers' interests in flexibility,
and workers' needs for security". She hailed the agreement as a major step
forward in the development of social dialogue in the railway sector.
[07] Conférence sur les industries européennes de la céramique et du verre
créer les conditions de la durabilité (27/01)
La toute première conférence sponsorisée par la Commission européenne sur
les industries de la céramique et du verre, qui se tient aujourd'hui à
Bruxelles, rassemble quelque 120 acteurs du secteur, membres du Parlement
européen et hauts fonctionnaires de la Commission, afin d'examiner les
facteurs clés influant sur la compétitivité durable des industries. Parmi
les sujets à l'ordre du jour figurent les effets de la mondialisation
croissante, les coûts et l'accessibilité de l'énergie et des matières
premières, le défi posé par la nécessité de respecter les exigences
environnementales au meilleur coût possible, ainsi que les stratégies
requises pour le maintien de la viabilité et de l'emploi à plus long terme.
Les discussions montrent également qu'il est important de se pencher sur la
compétitivité des industries manufacturières comme les secteurs de la
céramique et du verre. Ces industries regroupent plus de 5.000 entreprises
européennes - essentiellement des PME qui affichent une production annuelle
combinée avoisinant les 55 milliards d'€ et emploient plus de 400.000
personnes.
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Statement by President Prodi 'Holocaust Memorial Day'
Discours de Mme Reding : "Le lancement de Erasmus Mundus : enjeux et
objectifs du programme communautaire" à la Journée d'information nationale
(Paris)
Discours d'ouverture de M. Busquin : "Research and development on wind
energy" au lancement de la stratégie de R&D du Wind Energy Network
Frequently asked questions on VAT Invoicing Rules
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
© ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996
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