|
|
|
European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 06-11-27
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Fighting spam, spyware and malicious software: Member States should do
better, says Commission
[02] Telecommunications : Commission asks UK regulator not to include over-
estimated 3G auction costs in the calculation of termination rates for
mobile phone operators
[03] Danuta HÜBNER, European Commissioner for Regional Policy - Statement
following Swiss Referendum 26 November 200
[04] La Commission européenne se tourne vers des experts pour encourager
l'enseignement des sciences
[05] Fisheries: Commission proposes additional funding for Regional
Advisory Councils
[06] ICCAT decisive measures offer realistic chance for sustainable
fisheries of bluefin tuna
[07] Commission signs agreement with India on employment and social affairs
[08] Accord entre l'UE et la Russie pour mettre fin aux 300 millions
d'Euros de paiements pour le survol de la Sibérie
[09] Sport Ministers' conference in Brussels tomorrow
[10] Night of the HIV/AIDS TV commercials: top five ads nominated
[11] Rédiffusion
[12] La Commission salue la décision du peuple suisse en faveur de la
contribution financière destinée l’amélioration du développement
économique et social dans les nouveaux Etats membres de l’Union
européenne. Les relations bilatérales entre l’UE et la Suisse peuvent
maintenant être renforcées.
[13] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2006-11-27
Reference: MEX/06/1127
Date: 27/11/2006
EXME06 / 27.11
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
27/11/06
[01] Fighting spam, spyware and malicious software: Member States should do
better, says Commission
The Commission today called on all regulatory authorities and stakeholders
in Europe to step up the fight against spam, spyware and malicious
software. Despite existing EU legislation to outlaw spam in Europe, Europe
continues to suffer from illegal online activities from inside the EU and
from third countries, the Commission underlines in a new Communication. The
Communication stresses that although internet safety is on the political
agenda for some time, national authorities should step up their actions to
prosecute illegal online activities.
[02] Telecommunications : Commission asks UK regulator not to include over-
estimated 3G auction costs in the calculation of termination rates for
mobile phone operators
In a letter sent to the Office of Communications ("Ofcom", the UK telecom
watchdog), the European Commission expresses concerns as to how wholesale
tariffs, charged by the five UK mobile operators for terminating calls to
their customers, have been assessed. In the Commission's view, Ofcom's
proposed tariffs keep termination values higher than necessary due to 3G
spectrum cost valuations which risk overestimating the costs. The
Commission therefore asks the UK watchdog to reconsider the valuations.
OFCOM's approach would be detrimental to fair competition on the mobile
market in the UK and lead to higher prices for consumers.
[03] Danuta HÜBNER, European Commissioner for Regional Policy - Statement
following Swiss Referendum 26 November 200
“I am very pleased with the positive outcome of the popular vote in
Switzerland today. This positive result will reinforce our efforts to
enhance the economic and social development in the enlarged European Union.
The Swiss government will contribute 1 billion CHF over 5 years - some €
650 million euros – in project aid for the benefit of the ten Member
States that joined the Union on 1 May 2004. As Commissioner in charge of
regional policy, I welcome this contribution, which will come on top of the
EU's own Cohesion Policy.Such a contribution symbolizes the ever closer
cooperation between the Union and Switzerland: it represents a good
investment for the future as it will increase trade relations between
Switzerland and the EU. Switzerland shares many of the same values as the
Member States of the Union, especially on the need to combine market
freedoms with social solidarity and solidarity with the poorer. It is in
this framework that the Swiss contribution to help the less prosperous
Member States to catch up in economic terms makes sense. This opens a new
chapter in EU- Switzerland relations. It is a genuine win-win situation”.
[04] La Commission européenne se tourne vers des experts pour encourager
l'enseignement des sciences
La Commission européenne a annoncé aujourd'hui la création d'un groupe
d'experts chargé d'examiner les mesures qui peuvent être prises en Europe
pour favoriser l'enseignement des sciences dans les écoles secondaires et
primaires. Le groupe sera présidé par Michel Rocard, ancien Premier
Ministre français et aujourd'hui parlementaire européen. Les quatre
autres membres du groupe sont des scientifiques renommés dotés d'une
longue expérience et témoignant un intérêt particulier pour la
didactique des sciences : Peter Csermely, Doris Jorde, Dieter Lenzen et
Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson. Le groupe formulera des recommandations
politiques en vue d'améliorer l'approche de l'Europe en matière
d'enseignement scientifique, et d'assurer la préparation adéquate des
générations futures une société et une économie dont le moteur est
la connaissance.
[05] Fisheries: Commission proposes additional funding for Regional
Advisory Councils
Today, the European Commission further acknowledged the important
contribution of the recently established Regional Advisory Councils (RACs)
to the application of the Common Fisheries Policy by proposing to increase
the amount of EU financial support that they currently receive. To allow
for this, the Commission proposes to amend the legal base of the RACs and
to define them as bodies contributing to the European interest. The
Commission’s proposed amendment would strengthen the RACs and provide
them with a stable annual contribution from the EU budget. The EU grant
would cover up to 90 % of their costs. The annual allocation would amount
to € 250,000 per RAC. This should cover both their operational costs and
their translation and interpretation costs.
[06] ICCAT decisive measures offer realistic chance for sustainable
fisheries of bluefin tuna
"The decisive measures agreed by ICCAT represent a realistic chance for the
gradual recovery of bluefin tuna and, also importantly, for the
sustainability of the fisheries, the fleets and the coastal communities
involved. It is undeniable that, in the short term, the new measures will
impose sacrifices on all those concerned. But, these measures are essential
to the rebuilding of bluefin tuna on which the future ecological, economic
and social sustainability of these fisheries depends." Joe Borg, European
Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, was commenting on the
outcome of the annual meeting of the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which ended on 26 November, in
Dubrovnik, Croatia. Agreement was achieved on a far reaching proposal,
tabled by the EU, Algeria, Croatia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, on
a range of urgent measures from reduced fishing possibilities, closed
seasons and authorised minimum landing sizes to strengthened control
measures including the setting up of an international inspection scheme on
the high sea. This agreement received the support of all the Contracting
Parties directly involved in the fisheries concerned.
[07] Commission signs agreement with India on employment and social affairs
Vladimír `pidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and
Equal Opportunities, today signed an agreement with Oscar Fernandes, Indian
Minister of Labour and Employment, to strengthen dialogue and exchange on
employment and social affairs issues of common interest. The 'Memorandum of
Understanding' between the Commission and the Indian government follows a
decision at the EU-India Summit in September 2005 to reinforce cooperation
between the two regions. It will provide the framework to exchange ideas on
areas such as social protection, social cohesion, labour legislation,
employment, labour relations and social dialogue. The first exchange under
the new agreement – a high-level joint seminar on skills, training and
employment – kicks off today.
[08] Accord entre l'UE et la Russie pour mettre fin aux 300 millions
d'Euros de paiements pour le survol de la Sibérie
Six mois après avoir obtenu un mandat des Etats membres de l'Union
européenne, la Commission européenne a réussi négocier un accord avec
la Fédération de Russie sur la situation des paiements pour le survol de
la Sibérie. Cet accord résout un conflit épineux de 20 ans entre les
Etats membres de l'UE et la Fédération de Russie, qui a coûté près de
€300 millions aux compagnies aériennes de l'UE en 2006. Le Vice-
Président Jacques Barrot a paraphé l'accord avec le ministre russe des
Transports, Igor Levitin, en marge du sommet UE-Russie d'Helsinki le 24
novembre, en présence de la ministre finlandaise des Transports, Susanna
Huovinen.
[09] Sport Ministers' conference in Brussels tomorrow
This Tuesday, the European Commission and the Finnish Presidency of the EU
are organising in the Charlemagne building an informal gathering of EU
Sport Ministers. Chaired by Minister Tanja Saarela and Commissioner Ján
Figel', the conference - titled "The EU & Sport : Matching expectations" -
will discuss the forthcoming Commission White Paper on Sport and other
topics, including the Presidency priorities (health-enhancing physical
activities, the role of voluntary non-profit sport organisations, the fight
against doping). The meeting will be public, as sport stakeholders and
journalists are invited to follow it via a video link outside the
conference hall (Charlemagne building, Hall S1). Commissioner Figel' and
Minister Saarela will hold a VIP corner in the Berlaymont on Tuesday at
2:30 pm.
More information on EU & sport : <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/sport/index_en.html">http://ec.europa.eu/sport/index_en.html
[10] Night of the HIV/AIDS TV commercials: top five ads nominated
The top five European HIV/AIDS awareness commercials as voted for online by
the public are to be submitted to a final vote on 30 November to choose the
best European AIDS awareness campaign. On the eve of World AIDS Day, the
Commission is organising a "Night of the HIV/AIDS TV commercials" at the
Kinepolis cinema in Brussels. A selection of AIDS awareness adverts has
been accessible on the <a href="http://www.aids-remember-me.eu">http://www.aids-
remember-me.eu website since early November to give web surfers the chance
to vote for their favourite commercial. Today this pre-selection phase has
closed, and the top five adverts are: "Roulette" - Germany ; "C'est
l'exclusion qu'il faut exclure" - Belgium ; "Dance 4 life" - Netherlands ;
"Kitchen" - Belgium ; "Do you choose it - safer sex" - Ireland.
Participants in the 30 November event will attend a show with the screening
of these and many more adverts from across the EU and beyond, and will be
able to vote for the final winner by SMS using their mobile phone. The
winner will receive the 'AIDS - Remember me?' award from European Health
and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou. The night also
includes live music, a cocktail and other surprises. Would-be directors can
still visit the website to submit their screenplay for an HIV/AIDS
awareness commercial, and the winner will see their advert produced by the
Commission. Journalists are welcome at both the event and the press point
with Commissioner Kyprianou which precedes it, at Kinepolis on 30 November
at 18:30. A video trailer for the event with extracts from the national ads
is available from EBS. For further information see IP/06/1565.
[11] Rédiffusion
[12] La Commission salue la décision du peuple suisse en faveur de la
contribution financière destinée l’amélioration du développement
économique et social dans les nouveaux Etats membres de l’Union
européenne. Les relations bilatérales entre l’UE et la Suisse peuvent
maintenant être renforcées.
Le Président de la Commission, José Manuel Barroso a déclaré :
«Je salue cette décision du peuple suisse. Cette décision est aussi dans
son propre intérêt. La Suisse profite déj de l’accès privilégié au
marché intérieur de l’Union et par conséquent chaque élargissement de
l’Union européenne profite la Suisse. Le résultat du
Référendum de ce jour a montré que les électeurs suisses l'ont
compris». La Commissaire pour les Relations extérieures et la Politique
de voisinage Benita Ferrero-Waldner a déclaré : «Nous nous félicitons
du choix du peuple suisse. A travers cette décision, les Suisses ont
montré la volonté de prendre leur responsabilité pour la paix en Europe
ainsi que pour le développement économique et social dans les nouveaux
Etats membres. Ceci conforte le lien bilatéral et constitue la base du
développement des relations entre l’UE et la Suisse. » Cet accord
permet la mise en place de la contribution financière de la Suisse en
faveur des nouveaux Etats membres, qui ont adhéré en mai 2004. En 2004,
la Suisse avait proposé une aide financière d’un milliard de francs
suisses en faveur de ces Etats, échelonnée sur une période de 5 ans.
[13] Autre matériel diffusé
Memo on preparation of Eurogroup and ECOFIN Council, Brussels, 27 and 28
November 2006
Memo on Night of the HIV/AIDS television commercials
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
|
