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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 08-10-10Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>CONTENTS / CONTENU
MIDDAY EXPRESSNews from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefingNouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communicationb10/10/08[01] Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner calls for continued efforts to achieve universal abolition of death penaltyOn the occasion of the World and European Day against the Death Penalty Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: "I am proud of the EU's leading role in the international efforts to abolish the death penalty. Although over half the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, the global figures for its use remain much too high. I fully recognize the plight of victims of violent crime, but the death penalty is not the solution. On the contrary, it only serves to aggravate a culture of violence and retribution. The Commission is determined to work towards the universal abolition of the death penalty through all available diplomatic channels and as a leading donor in this field.[02] L'Union européenne signe la déclaration contre la peine de mortA l'occasion de la Journée mondiale et européenne contre la peine de mort une déclaration conjointe a été signée par les Président du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission européenne, du côté de l'UE, et par le Président de l'Assemblée parlementaire, le Président du Comité des Ministres et le Secrétaire Général du Conseil de l'Europe. La déclaration confirme l'engagement des institutions européennes à continuer à travailler pour l'abolition universelle de la peine capitale.[03] EU Maritime Policy: a first year of marked by achievementsPrecisely one year ago, and after one of the most comprehensive stakeholder consultations ever, the European Commission tabled its proposal for an Integrated EU Maritime Policy. EU Heads of State and Government endorsed the Commission's vision only weeks later at the December European Council under the Portuguese Presidency. The European Commission marks the first anniversary of the Integrated Maritime Policy by reviewing the concrete progress achieved to date. The last twelve months have seen major new initiatives in areas as varied as border surveillance, sustainable tourism, maritime transport strategy, climate change, or maritime governance. At the same time, the Commission's services coordinating this policy have been reorganised within DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to provide cross- cutting coordination on a regional basis. The Commission plans to launch a number of new policy initiatives in the coming months which will also make an immediate, tangible difference to the way our oceans are managed.[04] New Commission MAP looks at the outlook for world agricultureSo far this has been a turbulent year for world agricultural markets with record high prices followed by a sharp downturn in recent months. The latest MAP (Monitoring Agri-trade Policy), published by the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, highlights the changes that agricultural markets have undergone this year and identifies the main trends for the outlook up to 2017, based on projections by OECD- FAO and FAPRI. This year the list of uncertainties linked to the current economic climate seems longer than ever. The projections were made before prices reached their peaks in 2008 and before the subsequent sharp decline in prices over recent months. However, there is a consensus that prices will fall from the peaks seen earlier this year and this is something which has already happened. The key question now is how high they will stay over the medium term. FAPRI and OECD-FAO believe that structural factors could keep prices higher than we have seen over the past decade, though below the recent price peaks. If prices do remain higher than recent trends, then this is good for some, but has important repercussions for others, especially vulnerable net importer developing countries. To some extent this should be mitigated by the international response by the EU and others to put agriculture at the heart of development policy once again. The MAP is available at: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/publi/map/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/publi/map/index_en.htm[05] World Mental Health Day: Commission presents new video 'Europe joins forces on mental health'Today, on World Mental Health Day, the Commission presents a new VNR about mental health. A recent study in six EU-countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain) found that problems such as depression, anxiety, phobias or alcohol dependence affected 11.5 % of their population. As a result, mental health problems are a major challenge for national health systems and a leading cause of work absenteeism and incapacity. More people in the EU (almost 60,000 per year) die from suicide than traffic accidents. Breaking the stigma around mental illness is one of the Commission's priorities. Another priority is preventing the onset of mental illness in the first place. The video highlights examples of successful initiatives such as the European Alliance Against Depression and initiatives promoting corporate social responsibility in the workplace. The video also reports on the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being, a very important initiative in this field, launched by Commissioner for Health, Ms Androulla Vassiliou in June 2008 at an EU high-level conference. The Pact will aim to promote mental health at all levels, by assisting governments and stakeholders to pool good practice from across Europe, in partnership with the WHO, and to formulate recommendations and action plans to address mental ill health. Link to video "Europe joins forces on mental health" <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/press/index_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/press/index_en.htm Link to information about the European Pact for Mental Health and Well- being <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/mental_health_en.htm">http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/mental_health_en.htm[06] Commissioner Dimas to participate in Warsaw climate change ministerialEnvironment Commissioner Stavros Dimas will participate in an informal international meeting on climate change in Warsaw on 13-14 October. The aim of the ministerial consultations, to which over 40 countries have been invited, is to lay the groundwork for a successful outcome of the next UN climate change conference, taking place in Poznan, Poland on 1-12 December. The Poznan conference will be an important milestone in negotiations on a new international climate agreement which began in March and are due to be concluded at the end of 2009. Both the Warsaw preparatory meeting and the Poznan conference will be chaired by Poland's Environment Minister, Maciej Nowicki.Rediffusion [07] Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of sole control over German Metro-Group by HanielActing under the EU Merger Regulation, the European Commission has cleared the acquisition of sole control over the German retailer Metro Group by Haniel also of Germany. Haniel is already a large shareholder in Metro and intends to acquire control by way of a pooling arrangement with another shareholder, Schmidt-Ruthenbeck. .The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic area (EEA) or in any substantial part of it.[08] Autre matériel diffusé• Memo on State aid: Overview of national rescue measures and deposit guarantee schemes• Speech by President Barroso 'Can Europe lead the world on Climate and Aid Policies?', Brussels • Speech by Commissioner Hübner 'Regions and cities in the challenging world', Brussels • Discours de clôture du Commissaire Špidla au Forum "Droits des travailleurs et libertés économiques", Bruxelles • Speech by Commissioner McCreevy 'European Private Company', Paris – Embargo 13h • Calendrier hebdomadaire du 13 au 19 octobre • Top News from the European Commission A disposition au secrétariat de Jonathan Todd (BERL 03/315): Notification préalable d'une opération de concentration : Invitrogen/Applied Biosystems
From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/ Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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