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EXME08 / 28.04
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday
briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction
Générale Communication
28 / 04 / 08
- Spring economic forecast
2008-2009: growth moderates, price pressures a worry but, overall, EU weathers
external headwinds rather well
Growth
in the European Union is expected to ease to 2% in 2008 and 1.8% in 2009 from
2.8% in 2007 (1.7% and 1.5% in the euro area from 2.6% in 2007), according to
the Commission's spring economic forecast. The moderation in growth results from
the persisting turmoil in the financial markets, the marked slowdown in the
United States and soaring commodity prices, all of which are taking their toll
on global activity. The EU economy is holding up relatively well thanks to sound
fundamentals and is expected to create 3 million new jobs in 2008-2009 on top of
the 7½ million in 2006-2007. But consumer price inflation is expected to
surge temporarily to 3.6% this year in the EU against 2.4% in 2007 due to
soaring energy and food prices, before coming down to an expected 2.4% in 2009
(equivalent figures for euro area are 3.2% and 2.2% versus 2.1% in 2007).
- Commissioner Hübner in
dialogue with stakeholders to boost potential of Lubelskie, Poland
Today, Danuta Hübner, Commissioner
responsible for Regional Policy, visits the Polish region of Lubelskie for the
first time since taking office. During her visit to the regional capital of
Lublin, she will meet the Marshal of Lubelskie Region, Krzysztof Grabczuk, and
the Voivod Genowefa Tokarska to discuss how the region can best make use of the
€1.16 billion in Cohesion Policy investment that Lubelskie will receive
for 2007-2013.
- Un rapport de l’Union
européenne prévoit une hausse de la demande de soins de longue
durée, tant qualitative que quantitative
Selon un nouveau rapport présenté
aujourd’hui par la Commission européenne, la demande de soins de
longue durée et leur coût sont promis, dans l’Union, à une
hausse considérable d’ici à 2050. Par ailleurs, la grande
majorité des Européens (près de neuf sur dix) se disent plus
favorables aux soins à domicile ou de proximité qu’aux soins en
institution. L’augmentation prévisible de la demande de soins de
longue durée constitue un défi crucial pour les gouvernements de tous
les pays. Le rapport révèle également que ceux-ci
s’efforcent de garantir l’accès de tous à des soins de
qualité en consacrant des ressources suffisantes en vue de satisfaire cette
demande. Les conclusions de ce rapport seront débattues les 28 et 29 avril
lors d’une conférence sur la solidarité
intergénérationnelle, organisée par la Présidence
slovène de l’Union à Brdo (Slovénie).
- Marché intérieur : La
Commission va organiser une conférence sur la contrefaçon et le
piratage
La Commission européenne
va organiser une conférence sur la contrefaçon et le piratage le 13
mai 2008. Les intervenants aborderont différents sujets, tels que les
effets de ces phénomènes sur la croissance économique et la
création d’emplois en Europe, les risques qu’ils
représentent pour la santé et la sécurité des citoyens et
les mesures susceptibles de rendre plus efficace la lutte contre la
contrefaçon. Cette conférence devrait réunir des
députés au Parlement européen ainsi que des représentants
des entreprises, des administrations publiques et de la société civile
concernés par le problème.
- Services financiers: la
sécurité des paiements est essentielle pour accroître la
confiance des consommateurs dans les nouveaux services de paiement,
d’après un rapport de la Commission
La Commission européenne vient de publier un rapport
sur les mesures prises entre 2004 et 2007 pour prévenir la fraude
concernant les moyens de paiement, à la suite d’un plan
d’action adopté en la matière. Il montre que la
sécurité des moyens et systèmes de paiement est une condition
indispensable à l’amélioration de la confiance des consommateurs
dans les nouveaux services de paiement. En ce qui concerne la
réglementation, la question de la sécurité des moyens de paiement
a été traitée dans un instrument législatif adopté
récemment, la directive sur les services de paiement, ainsi que par la
troisième directive sur le blanchiment de capitaux, qui impose des
obligation de connaissance de la clientèle. Le développement de
l’espace unique de paiements en euros (SEPA) par le secteur offrira la
possibilité d’utiliser le cadre législatif pour renforcer la
sécurité aussi bien que la confiance.
- Commission launches a public
consultation for the coming Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
The European Commission has launched a public
consultation on the recasting1 of the 2002 Energy Performance of Buildings
Directive2. The consultation will help the Commission gain input on the Energy
Performance of Buildings Directive from interested parties through an online
questionnaire and thus enable it to better develop the new proposal.
- Small Business Act for Europe - Results of the open
consultation
Over the past few years, upon initiative of the
European Commission the EU started implementing a modern SME friendly policy and
has committed itself to improving the business environment by applying the
“Think Small First” principle. This policy has already produced
significant improvements in creating a more SME-friendly business environment
across the EU. The Commission has made real efforts to cut red tape for SMEs and
has significantly increased the SME focus within major EU spending programmes
for the period 2007-2013. Member States have also substantially improved the
SMEs’ environment and progressed in their implementation of the 2006
Spring European Council conclusions, e.g. by introducing one-stop shops for
company registration and reducing the time and costs required to do so. However,
given the economic and social importance of SMEs and their crucial role for the
achievement of the objectives of the Partnership for Growth and Jobs, the EU has
decided to further step up the SME policy to irreversibly put SMEs and
entrepreneurship at the heart of policy making. Therefore, following up on its
decision to prepare a European "Small Business Act" as part of the Community
Lisbon programme for Growth and Jobs 2008 – 2010, the European Commission
launched a public consultation on the content of this initiative. Its objective
was to better understand remaining hurdles for SME growth and jobs potential in
view of unlocking it. Stakeholders reaction indicate the need to further action
in the following areas: full application of the subsidiarity principle and
further reduction of regulatory burden on SMEs, facilitation of their access to
the Single Market and to public procurement, access to finance and to a skilled
labour force, support for SMEs who wish to expand and to "go global". The result
of the consultation will be taken up in the preparation of the "Small Business
Act" for Europe. The results of that consultation are now available For more
details see: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sba_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise-europe-network
- Commission clears acquisition of Domo PP by Carmel Olefins and Domo
Chemicals
The European Commission has granted clearance under
the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Domo
Polypropylene BV (Domo PP) of Belgium by Carmel Olefins Ltd of Israel,
controlled by Oil Refineries Ltd and Israel Petrochemicals Enterprises Ltd, and
Domo Chemicals NV of Belgium. Carmel Olefins produces petrochemical products,
including polypropylene and polyethylene, in Israel. Domo Chemicals produces
chemicals, polyamide, polypropylene and polyamide compounds in the EEA. Domo PP
produces polypropylene in the EEA. The operation was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure.
- Commission clears acquisition of Morrison Utility by Englefield
andCognetas
The European Commission has granted clearance under
the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Morrison Utility
Services Limited (Morrison Utility) of the UK by Englefield Capital LLP
(Englefield) and Cognetas Fund II (GP) Limited (Cognetas), both of the UK.
Englefield and Cognetas are both diversified private equity funds. Morrison
Utility provides utility infrastructure installation and maintenance including
meter operation in the water, gas and electricity sector in the UK. The
operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
Rediffusion
- EU and China start high-level
economic and trade talks
New mechanism
stresses sustainability, interdependence - The European Commission and the
Chinese government today launched their new High Level Economic and Trade
Dialogue Mechanism (HLM) in Beijing. The meeting was chaired by Chinese
Vice-Premier Wang Qishan and EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. A further
seven EU Commissioners and a total of 10 Chinese ministers participated. The two
sides agreed on an ambitious and far-reaching remit for the dialogue and began
focused discussions.
• Speech by Commissioner McCreevy on the
occasion of World Intellectual Property Day – EMBARGO 16h00 -
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