Midday Express of 2012-04-10
| Reference: MEX/12/0410 Event Date: 10/04/2012 |
EXME 12 / 10.04
Midday Express of 2012-04-10
News from the European Commission's Midday Briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Commission européenne
Commission clears creation by Mobile Display and Corning of a joint venture for the production of glass substrates in Korea
The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the creation of a joint venture by Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd. ("SMD", South Korea) and Corning Holding Japan G.K. ("Corning", Japan). The joint venture will be active in the manufacturing and sale of glass substrates for organic light emitting diodes ("OLED") applications in Korea.
SMD is active in the manufacturing and sale of flat panel display systems, in particular film transistor liquid crystal displays (“TFT-LCD”) and OLED displays.
Corning is a holding company investing in companies, which manufacture and sell TFT-LCD glass products for use in displays and which sell other Corning products in Japan.
The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
Commissioner Hedegaard to visit Qatar and Turkey
Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, will visit Qatar on 11-12 April and Turkey on 12-13 April. Her visit to Doha will focus on preparations for this year's UN conference on climate change, which will take place in the city at the end of November. Qatar is the first OPEC member to host the annual conference. Commissioner Hedegaard will hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister [His Excellency] Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, who will chair the conference, and Environment Minister [His Excellency] Abdulla bin Mubarak Al Madadi. In Istanbul, Commissioner Hedegaard and Turkish Environment and Urbanisation Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar will co-host a high-level seminar on EU-Turkey climate cooperation organised by the EU-sponsored Regional Environmental Network for Accession. Minister for Development Cevdet Yılmaz will also address the seminar. Minister Bayraktar and Commissioner Hedegaard will hold a joint press conference during the event. Commissioner Hedegaard will also attend a dinner with the Turkish business community and hold a meeting with environmental groups.
Rediffusion
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of parts of AR Industrie Alimentari by Princes in food sector
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of sole control over certain assets of the Italian food company AR Industrie Alimentari S.p.A. ("the ARIA assets") by the UK food and drinks producer Princes Limited. The Commission found that the proposed transaction would not raise competition concerns, because it will not significantly alter the market structure.
Mergers: Commission clears merger of fruit juice concentrate businesses of AGRANA and RWA
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the creation of a joint venture by the Austrian companies AGRANA and RWA which will bring together their respective activities in the production of apple juice concentrate and other fruit-related products. The Commission's investigation confirmed that the joint venture, which will trade under the name YBBSTALER AGRANA JUICE GMBH, would continue to face a number of other competitors active in apple juice concentrate, both in the European Economic Area (EEA) [1] and beyond. Customers would therefore still have a number of alternative suppliers in the markets concerned.
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of joint control over the Polish insurance company Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń i Reasekuracji Warta S.A. by Talanx International AG of Germany and Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance of Japan, both insurance companies. The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would not raise competition concerns because of the merged entity's moderate market position and the presence of strong competitors.
Update on ACTA's referral to the European Court of Justice
The European Commission has taken the next step in the important process of referring the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). By agreeing on the legal submission to be put before the ECJ, the Commission aims to respond to the wide-ranging concerns voiced by people across Europe on what ACTA is about and whether it harms fundamental rights in any way.
In times of crisis, the EU must not forget the poorest in the world
With €53 billion of development aid in 2011, the European Union and its 27 Member States remains the world biggest donor, providing more than half of global official aid, preliminary figures on official development aid published by the OECD reveal today. At a time of heavy budgetary constraints, 16 Member States managed to increase their aid, three of them are ranked among the five largest donors worldwide and four of them have already reached the target of spending 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) on aid. EU official development aid reached 0.42% of EU GNI, which exceeds the efforts of other major donors. However, efforts are still needed to reach the agreed target of 0.7% EU GNI by 2015.
Autre matériel diffusé :
• Hommage à Claude Miller, Président d'Europa Cinéma - rediffusion
• Publication of preliminary data on Official Development Assistance, 2011 - rediffusion
[1] The EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
