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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 07-02-02
From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>
CONTENTS / CONTENU
[01] Climate change : new report from the world's leading scientists
underlines the need for urgent global action
[02] La Commission lance la première étape pour améliorer la protection
des infrastructures critiques
[03] Statement by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on UNOSEK's proposal
of the Kosovo status settlement to be submitted to the parties on 2
February 2007
[04] Du labo aux feux de la rampe : l'UE annonce les candidats
sélectionnés en vue de l'attribution du prix Descartes pour la
communication scientifique
[05] Major discoveries earn leading EU Scientists nominations for Descartes
Prize for Research
[06] Commission clears acquisition of Serene by BG Group
[07] Commission approves proposed acquisition of aluminium assets of
Glencore and Sual by EN+
[08] Commission hosts major conference on food quality certification
schemes
[09] Mariann Fischer Boel looks ahead to the future of the Common
Agricultural Policy
[10] Initial Commission reaction on US Farm Bill (01/02)
[11] Benita Ferrero-Waldner to participate in EU-Russia Foreign Ministers
Troika meeting on 5 February in Moscow
[12] Andris Piebalgs and Minister Enoksen discuss EC-Norway cooperation on
carbon capture and storage (CCS)
[13] Andris Piebalgs welcomes Greek-Italian agreement to build key gas
infrastructure (01/02)
[14] December 2006 compared to November 2006 : industrial producer prices
stable in euro area ; down by 0.1% in EU25
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Midday Express of 2007-02-02
Reference: MEX/07/0202
Date: 02/02/2007
EXME07 / 2.2
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb
02/02/07
[01] Climate change : new report from the world's leading scientists
underlines the need for urgent global action
European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas called for an urgent start
to international negotiations on a comprehensive new global climate change
agreement following today's publication of alarming scientific evidence by
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The consensus report
from IPCC Working Group I (WG1) projects that, without more action to limit
greenhouse gas emissions, the global average temperature is likely to rise
by a further 1.8-4.0°C this century, after increasing by over 0.7°C in
the past 100 years. Even the low end of this range would take the
temperature rise since pre-industrial times to above 2°C, the level at
which there could be irreversible and possibly catastrophic consequences.
The pace of global warming and sea-level rise has increased. The recent
observations and measurements reflected in the report dispel any doubts
that the global climate is changing and that human activities have caused
most of the changes observed in the past 50 years.
[02] La Commission lance la première étape pour améliorer la protection
des infrastructures critiques
Comment peut-on mieux protéger les infrastructures critiques européennes
dans les secteurs de l'énergie et des transports si on ne sait pas comment
les identifier? Afin de répondre cette question primordiale, la
Commission européenne a aujourd'hui adopté une Communication sur la
protection des infrastructures critiques d'énergie et de transport qui
décrit des critères pouvant être utilisés pour identifier ces
infrastructures européennes.
[03] Statement by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on UNOSEK's proposal
of the Kosovo status settlement to be submitted to the parties on 2
February 2007
"I welcome President Ahtisaari's draft comprehensive proposal for a status
settlement for Kosovo. I fully support his intention to engage the parties
in serious and intensive work on this basis to achieve a sustainable
settlement. I urge both Belgrade and Pristina to engage fully and
constructively. I also expect both parties to demonstrate responsibility
and flexibility, and to understand the need for a realistic compromise. The
European Union is committed to the European perspective of the entire
region of the Western Balkans."
[04] Du labo aux feux de la rampe : l'UE annonce les candidats
sélectionnés en vue de l'attribution du prix Descartes pour la
communication scientifique
Quelle est la meilleure manière d'expliquer les merveilles de la planète
Terre, l'histoire du génome humain ou les mystères des plantes
médicinales? Comment les scientifiques peuvent-ils expliquer de manière
compréhensible les origines de la marche bipède, les problèmes éthiques
liés aux transplantations de tissus animaux sur l'homme ou la mort
cellulaire programmée? Quel est l'intérêt de la naissance des
écosystèmes démersaux en Méditerranée, ou de l'art et de la science
des cristaux de glace? L'excellence des réponses apportées de telles
questions a conduit la sélection de 33 projets européens en vue de
l'attribution cette année du prix Descartes pour la communication
scientifique. Parmi ces 33 projets sélectionnés, 5 finalistes et 5
lauréats seront choisis ; ils se partageront un prix qui s'élève cette
année €275.000. Les lauréats seront annoncés lors d'une
cérémonie qui aura lieu le 7 mars 2007 Bruxelles, en même temps que
les lauréats du prix Descartes pour l'excellence scientifique,
l'occasion de la manifestation "Today is the Future", organisée pour
célébrer le lancement du 7e programme-cadre de recherche et 50 ans de
recherche européenne.
[05] Major discoveries earn leading EU Scientists nominations for Descartes
Prize for Research
How can we use the energy from the sun to produce hydrogen? Will better
understanding of cell death herald new treatments for cancer and AIDS? What
is the true impact of globalisation on European society? These and many
other questions of great relevance for our health, industrial
competitiveness and understanding of the world around us are answered by
the 13 pioneering research projects, representing 20 countries nominated
for this year's EU Descartes Prize for Research. Up to five finalists will
share the €1 million prize, announced at a ceremony in Brussels on 7
March attended by the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez
Potočnik and the German Science and Education Minister, Annette Schavan.
[06] Commission clears acquisition of Serene by BG Group
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger
Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Serene SpA (Serene) of
Italy by BG Italia SpA of Italy, owned by the BG Group plc of the UK. BG
Group currently has joint control of Serene along with Italian company
Edison SpA. BG Group is a global gas exploration and production company. BG
Italia is active in LNG, gas exploration and production and power
generation. Serene is a power production company operating a number of gas-
fired cogeneration units producing electricity and steam. The operation was
examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
[07] Commission approves proposed acquisition of aluminium assets of
Glencore and Sual by EN+
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the
proposed acquisition of Glencore's and Sual's aluminium assets by EN+. The
Commission concluded that the operation would not significantly impede
effective competition in the European Economic Area or any substantial part
of it.
[08] Commission hosts major conference on food quality certification
schemes
Consumers, retailers and farmers rely increasingly on logos and
certification schemes to help them identify and distinguish food produce. A
wide range of quality certification schemes currently operate in Europe and
their number continues to increase. Over the last decade, European
agriculture has made an important shift, emphasising quality and
specialisation. Globalisation will only increase this tendency. Farmers and
producers know and care about production and processing techniques,
ingredients, and origin of raw materials. In the EU, they also have to
follow high animal welfare and environmental standards that cannot be
imposed in respect of imported foods. Certification schemes provide a means
by which producers can inform their ultimate customers about their
products—and give guarantees that the information is well founded. In
order to better understand the potential for certification in the EU, the
Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development is
organising a Conference on food quality certification schemes on 5 and 6
February 2007 in the Hotel Bedford in Brussels. The conference will examine
how food quality schemes work, the economics of schemes, their operation in
the internal market, and implications for global trade. Commissioner
Mariann Fischer Boel will hold a press conference at the hotel on 6
February at 13h00. More information and details on the programme of the
conference available can be found at: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/events/qualityconference/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/events/qualityconference/index_en.htm
[09] Mariann Fischer Boel looks ahead to the future of the Common
Agricultural Policy
Speaking in Wageningen, the Netherlands, on Thursday, European Agriculture
Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel set out her latest thinking on the future
of the Common Agricultural Policy. She explained why the European Union
will need a strong and effective CAP in the future, and set out her concept
of "One Vision, Two Steps". This begins with the so-called CAP "Health
Check" in 2008, which will not be a fundamental reform, but rather an
effort to make the policy work better. In 2009, as part of the mid-term
review of the Financial Perspectives, the Commission will consider what the
CAP should look like after 2013. Ms Fischer Boel also gave her first
reaction to the US Administration's proposals for the next Farm Bill.
[10] Initial Commission reaction on US Farm Bill (01/02)
This is a 183-page document, which will need careful study before we reach
definitive conclusions. And this is not the final word, but the
Administration's first steer to Congress. So far as Doha is concerned, it
is not possible for us to form a clear view from this proposal of what the
Administration's negotiating approach will be. We note a modest shift
towards more "green" direct payments. We are examining the proposals on
Counter-Cyclical payments to see if they offer any genuine improvement.
Cuts in Loan Deficiency Payments – the basic safety net of the 2002 Farm
Bill – are extremely modest. Key trade distorting programmes for dairy
and sugar remain virtually untouched. The proposals assume that commodity
prices will remain at their current high levels. If so, US farm support
will be lower. But if price trends change, trade distorting farm support
would rise again under these proposals. If we are to have a successful
outcome to the Doha Round, the US will need to propose more ambitious cuts
and disciplines in trade-distorting domestic farm subsidies. We had hoped
the Administration's proposal for the new Farm Bill would signal this more
clearly. But this is not the end of the story: further steps are not
precluded by these initial proposals. We in the EU are already going
through a painful process of reform, which allows us to offer to cut our
trade-distorting domestic farm subsidies by 70 percent. There is a clear
obligation on all of us in the developed world to move decisively in this
direction.
[11] Benita Ferrero-Waldner to participate in EU-Russia Foreign Ministers
Troika meeting on 5 February in Moscow
European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will participate in an EU-Russia Foreign
Ministerial Troika in Moscow. The meeting is expected to focus on EU-Russia
relations including energy, international issues including the Middle East,
Iran, and Kosovo, as well as issues related to the EU-Russia common
neighbourhood such as the South Caucasus, Moldova and Belarus.
[12] Andris Piebalgs and Minister Enoksen discuss EC-Norway cooperation on
carbon capture and storage (CCS)
European Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, and the Norwegian Minister
of Petroleum and Energy, Odd Roger Enoksen, met today to discuss ways to
enhance the development of carbon capture and storage technologies, in the
framework of the EC-Norway energy cooperation. "If we want to achieve the
ambitious environmental goals of the European Energy Policy, the EU will
have to develop carbon capture and storage technologies. The extensive
experience of Norway in this area could have a very positive impact",
stated Commissioner Piebalgs and Minister Enoksen.
[13] Andris Piebalgs welcomes Greek-Italian agreement to build key gas
infrastructure (01/02)
European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomed the agreement signed
by the Greek Minister for Development, Mr Dimitris Sioufas and his Italian
counterpart, Mr Pierluigi Bersani to build a gas interconnector between
Greece and Italy which will bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe
through Turkey. He said : "This infrastructure will contribute to the
European efforts to diversify both the geographical origin of our energy
and the supply routes". The construction work, which includes an underwater
pipeline of 220 km between the west coast of Greece and southern Italy,
will begin in 2008 and is set to be operational by 2011. The interconnector
will be linked to an existing pipeline that connects Turkey and Greece,
which will start functioning later this year.
[14] December 2006 compared to November 2006 : industrial producer prices
stable in euro area ; down by 0.1% in EU25
The euro area industrial producer price index remained unchanged in
December 2006 compared to November 2006, while EU25 prices fell by 0.1%. In
November prices remained unchanged in the euro area and gained 0.4% in the
EU25. In December 2006 compared to December 2005, industrial producer
prices rose by 4.1% in the euro area and by 3.3% in the EU25. These figures
come from Eurostat. The average industrial producer price index for 2006,
compared to 2005, increased by 5.1% for the euro area and by 5.8% for the
EU25.
[15] Autre matériel diffusé
Discours du Président José Manuel Barroso la Conférence de Paris pour
une gouvernance écologique mondiale
Speech by Peter Mandelson : "Europe and Globalisation" at London
Metropolitan University (! embargo 14h00 !)
Speech by Danuta Hübner : "EU Cohesion policy – state of play" at EP
Committee on Regional Development (01/02)
Nominees for the Descartes Prize for Research
Nominees for Descartes Prize for Science Communication
Calendrier du 8 au 12 février 2007
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
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