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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 05-07-05
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Commission clears planned acquisition of Swiss by Lufthansa, subject
to conditions
[02] Commission approves acquisition of Xtra Print by Continental
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Matussière Assets by MatlinPatterson
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Basell by Access Industries
[05] May 2005 compared to May 2004 : volume of retail trade up by 2.0% in
euro-zone ; up by 2.1% in EU25
[06] José Manuel Barroso propose un nouveau pacte euro-africain lors du
Sommet de l'Union Africaine (04/07)
[07] Commission welcomes US Commitment to Farm Reform
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2005-07-05
Reference: MEX/05/0705
Date: 05/07/2005
EXME05 / 5.7
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
05/07/05
[01] Commission clears planned acquisition of Swiss by Lufthansa, subject
to conditions
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition by German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG of the Swiss
airline Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. The Commission's clearance is
conditional upon the parties surrendering slots at Zurich and Frankfurt
airports and other concessions. In light of these commitments, the
Commission has concluded that the transaction would not significantly
impede effective competition in the EEA and Switzerland.
[02] Commission approves acquisition of Xtra Print by Continental
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of the German company Xtra Print Holding Gmbh ("Xtra
Print") by the German company Continental AG ("Continental"). After
examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction
would not significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any
substantial part of it.
[03] Commission clears acquisition of Matussière Assets by MatlinPatterson
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of parts of the assets of
Matussière & Forest S.A. (MFSA) of France, referred to as Matussière
Assets, by investment funds controlled by MatlinPatterson L.P. of the US.
MatlinPatterson is an investment fund which invests in the discounted
securities and obligations of companies in financial difficulties, with the
objective of acquiring corporate control and subsequently directing the
reorganisation process. Matussière Assets manufactures paper for the
publication of newspapers (newsprint) and magazine paper, mainly used for
the publication of consumer magazines, catalogues and advertising material.
The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[04] Commission clears acquisition of Basell by Access Industries
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Basell N.V of the
Netherlands by AI International S.Ã .r.l. of Luxembourg, belonging to the
Access Industries group of the US. Access Industries is a group of holding
companies active in the fields of oil, coal, aluminium, power and
telecommunications. Basell is active in the manufacture and sale of
polyolefins (polyethylene and polypropylene - key ingredients in the
manufacture of plastics). Basell also produces advanced polyolefins and
licenses its polymer technology. It is currently a joint venture between
the Royal Dutch Shell group and the BASF group. The operation was examined
under the simplified merger review procedure.
[05] May 2005 compared to May 2004 : volume of retail trade up by 2.0% in
euro-zone ; up by 2.1% in EU25
In May 2005, compared to May 2004, the volume of retail trade grew by 2.0%
in the euro-zone and by 2.1% in the EU25, according to first estimates
released by Eurostat. Compared to April 2005, the retail sales index rose
by 1.1% in the euro-zone and by 0.8% in the EU25. In May 2005, compared to
May 2004, retail trade of "food, drinks and tobacco" gained 2.0% in the
euro-zone and 1.6% in the EU25. The non food sector increased by 1.8% and
1.9% respectively.
[06] José Manuel Barroso propose un nouveau pacte euro-africain lors du
Sommet de l'Union Africaine (04/07)
M. José Manuel Barroso, président de la Commission européenne, et M.
Louis Michel, commissaire chargé du développement et de l'aide
humanitaire, ont assisté le 4 juillet au Sommet de l'Union Africaine qui
s'est déroulé à Sirte, en Libye. La Commission a adressé un message fort
de soutien au processus d'intégration africain et aux mutations
spectaculaires que connaît le continent depuis quelques années.
[07] Commission welcomes US Commitment to Farm Reform
The European Commission welcomed on 4 July the apparent willingness shown
by US President George W. Bush to overhaul US agricultural subsidies. It
hopes that the President's words, in an interview with ITV1 on the eve of
the G8 summit, will be translated into genuine and far-reaching reforms
which can find their way through Congress when the US Farm Bill is up for
revision in 2007.
[08] Autre matériel diffusé
Speech by President José Manuel Barroso : "From Schuman to Sirte: a tale
of two unions" at the African Union Summit (04/07, Sirte, Libya)
Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner : "The EU, China and the quest for a
multilateral world" at the China Institute of International Studies (04/07)
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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