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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 04-11-29
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Draft decision on genetically modified maize MON 863 to be referred to
Council
[02] La recherche européenne démontre que le régime alimentaire peut
améliorer l'état de santé chez les personnes âgées
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Ahold Iberia by Permira
[04] Deep sea species : Commission proposes to cut catches of very
vulnerable fish stocks
[05] EU and Norway reach agreement on fishing possibilities
[06] Commission restricts imports of Romanian horses to push for improved
health and welfare conditions
[07] Sudan : Commission earmarks a further €51 million in humanitarian
aid
[08] US Byrd Amendment : WTO authorises retaliation – US urged to conform
to WTO ruling
[09] Danuta Hübner meets EU ministers for regional policy and urban
affairs in Rotterdam
[10] Action Jean Monnet : 500 participants attendus le 30 novembre et le
1er décembre à Bruxelles pour un débat sur le rôle de l'UE dans le
monde
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2004-11-29
Reference: MEX/04/1129
Date: 29/11/2004
EXME04 / 29.11
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Press and Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Général Presse etb
Communication
29/11/04
[01] Draft decision on genetically modified maize MON 863 to be referred to
Council
Following today's vote in the Regulatory Committee on the release of
genetically modified organisms into the environment, the draft decision to
authorise the import and processing of the genetically modified maize known
as MON 863 will pass on to the Council of Ministers. The Committee, which
is set up under Directive 2001/18/EC and representing the Member States,
did not reach the qualified majority necessary to support the Commission
proposal to authorise the maize. The Commission will now, in the coming
weeks, formally transmit the proposal to the Council of Ministers for
decision. The Council can either adopt or reject the proposal with a
qualified majority. If no decision is taken after three months, the file
returns to the Commission which can then adopt it. If authorized, the Bt-
maize, which has been modified for resistance to corn rootworm, would be
clearly labelled as containing GM maize, in accordance with the labelling
and traceability legislation in force since 15 April 2004. It would be
authorized for import and processing, for example as animal feed, but not
for cultivation or human food.
[02] La recherche européenne démontre que le régime alimentaire peut
améliorer l'état de santé chez les personnes âgées
Adapter le régime alimentaire pour réduire l'occurrence de la maladie
d'Alzheimer ou de l'ostéoporose et plus généralement pour améliorer
l'état de santé chez les personnes âgées, telles sont les possibilités
mises au jour par la recherche sur la nutrition et la santé menée par
l'Union européenne. Des spécialistes des effets de la nutrition sur le
vieillissement se réunissent aujourd'hui à Bruxelles pour examiner les
derniers progrès, réfléchir à la manière dont les résultats de leurs
travaux pourraient être utilisés par les autorités sanitaires, le corps
médical et le secteur de l'alimentation et de la restauration, et pour
envisager les futures pistes de recherche dans ce domaine.
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Ahold Iberia by Permira
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Dutch company Ahold Iberia
by Permira Holdings Limited (PHL), based in Guernsey. PHL is a private
equity company which focuses on pan-European investments. Ahold Iberia
belongs to the Ahold Group. It is the holding company of Ahold
Supermercados, the seventh largest food retailer in Spain with 572 stores.
The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[04] Deep sea species : Commission proposes to cut catches of very
vulnerable fish stocks
According to scientists, catches of most deep sea stocks must urgently be
reduced. The species concerned are slow growing and as such are
particularly vulnerable to overexploitation. Furthermore, despite recent
efforts at improving data on fisheries activities, knowledge of these
species is still scant. The European Commission proposes therefore that
fishing effort and quotas be reduced for 2005 and 2006 in fisheries that
have been regulated for the past two years. It also proposes to limit
effort and catches in hitherto unregulated fisheries such as deep sea
sharks. Where applying scientific advice would involve cuts in catches of
over 50%, these would be limited to 50% ; where substantial but unspecified
cuts are advised, these would be set at 30%. The fishing effort of the
fleets concerned would be reduced and, in some fisheries, closed areas
established. Species concerned include orange roughy, black scabbardfish,
roundnose grenadier, Greenland halibut, ling, tusk and red seabream. The
Commission believes that, by leading the way, the EU will encourage other
Parties to apply similar restrictions on their fleets to protect the stocks
concerned. It will continue to promote this approach within the North-East
Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). The Commission proposal can be
accessed at the following address:
<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/news_corner/press/inf04_51_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/news_corner/press/inf04_51_en.htm
[05] EU and Norway reach agreement on fishing possibilities
The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, and Norway have
agreed on the levels of fishing possibilities for the seven joint fish
stocks in the North Sea. The two Parties will start developing a joint
management system for other joint stocks such as anglerfish, horse mackerel,
sandeel and Norway pout. They have also agreed to reduce the levels of
swaps particularly for industrial species (sandeel and Norway pout) and
pelagic species, to take account of the biological state of these stocks.
They will consult later on further transfers of sandeel, once the EU has
established the fishing possibilities for 2005 for this stock. It was not
possible to finalise the negotiations on fishing possibilities in Greenland
waters as these have not yet been established for Greenland halibut. The
two parties will return to this matter shortly. The agreed TACs and quotas
are available at :
<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/news_corner/press/inf04_50_en.htm">http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/news_corner/press/inf04_50_en.htm
[06] Commission restricts imports of Romanian horses to push for improved
health and welfare conditions
The European Commission today adopted a decision to restrict the import of
horses from Romania following repeated reports from the Food and Veterinary
Office (FVO) of shortcomings regarding both health and welfare conditions
of horses exported to the EU from Romania. Problems included insufficient
testing for diseases, incomplete certificates and a lack of proper
identification of exported animals, in violation of Directive 90/426/EEC on
animal health conditions for the movement and import from third countries
of equidae. In addition, horses intended for export to the EU from Romania
were being kept in unacceptable conditions including over-crowding and
insufficient access to food and water. Poor welfare conditions are closely
linked to health problems. The EU is specifically committed to pushing for
improved animal welfare and expects these import restrictions to act as a
spur to quickly improve the conditions for the affected horses. The import
measures do not affect the temporary admission of registered horses for
races and cultural events. In addition, horses for slaughter and for
breeding and production can continue to be imported if they meet strict
import conditions. The measures enter into force immediately. In order to
follow up the situation continuously and withdraw the measures as soon as
possible, the Hungarian authorities responsible for the Border Inspection
Posts bordering with Romania and the competent authorities of the Member
States where horses are imported should provide the Commission with
detailed information on the situation and the measures taken. In light of
the information received the measures could be reviewed by the Standing
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The new legislation on
animal transport adopted last Monday will further improve the welfare of
animals transported within the EU, particularly through innovative measures
such as the mandatory transport of horses in individual stalls.
[07] Sudan : Commission earmarks a further €51 million in humanitarian
aid
The European Commission has earmarked €51 million in humanitarian aid for
the victims of conflict in Sudan. This amount includes at least €31
million for the people affected by the crisis in the Darfur region. This
aid package will help provide the victims with food and nutritional support,
shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency health care and
protection for vulnerable civilians. The aid will be channelled by ECHO,
the European Commission's humanitarian aid department. It brings the total
Commission aid for Sudan (including development aid) for this year to more
than €248 million, including about €215 million for the victims of the
Darfur crisis.
[08] US Byrd Amendment : WTO authorises retaliation – US urged to conform
to WTO ruling
The EU, alongside six WTO members (Brazil, Canada, India, Korea, Japan and
Mexico), received on 26 November WTO authorisation to impose retaliatory
measures against the US for failing to bring its legislation into
conformity with its international trade obligations. This was a formal step
before retaliatory measures could be imposed. These measures will take the
form of additional import duties on wide variety of US products from an
indicative list approved by the WTO that includes machinery, foodstuffs,
textiles and paper products. The EU has urged the US to avoid retaliation
by complying with its international obligations.
[09] Danuta Hübner meets EU ministers for regional policy and urban
affairs in Rotterdam
Danuta Hübner, the European Commissioner responsible for Regional Policy,
meets on 29 and 30 November in Rotterdam the ministers of the EU Member
States in charge of territorial cohesion and urban policy. The Dutch
Presidency has prepared these two informal ministerial meetings. On the
first day and concerning territorial cohesion, the meeting will discuss an
agenda for specific actions to be taken during the next two-three years on
how to exploit Europe's diversity for sustainable economic growth.
Concerning urban policy, which will be on the agenda on the second day,
Member States and Commission will discuss how cities empower Europe and how
they contribute to the objectives of the Lisbon strategy aiming to make the
EU the world's most dynamic and competitive economy.
[10] Action Jean Monnet : 500 participants attendus le 30 novembre et le
1er décembre à Bruxelles pour un débat sur le rôle de l'UE dans le
monde
Les 30 novembre et 1er décembre 2004, l'Action Jean Monnet organise Ã
Bruxelles, en collaboration avec l'ECSA (Association européenne d'études
des Communautés européennes), la 7ème conférence internationale
ECSA-World sur le thème de "L'Union européenne et les ordres mondiaux
émergents: perceptions et stratégies". Quelque 500 participants,
accueillis par José Manuel Barroso, Président de la Commission
européenne, et Ján Figel, Commissaire chargé de l'éducation, de la
formation, de la culture et du multilinguisme, pourront débattre avec des
orateurs prestigieux de la place de l'UE sur la scène internationale.
[11] Autre matériel diffusé
Nutrition and Ageing - showcasing European Research projects
Ministerial meeting on territorial cohesion (29/11, Rotterdam)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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