The Week in Europe 30/6-06/07/01

13.07.2001 | Euroskop

EU news in brief

Professional qualifications: Commission launches open consultation on new EU regime

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on how to improve the EU regime for recognition in all Member States of professional qualifications. The results will be taken into account when the Commission presents a proposal for a new Directive, due before the Spring European Council in 2002, to create a more uniform, transparent and flexible regime in this area. The objectives of this forthcoming proposal, as announced in the Commission's new European labour markets Communication (see IP/01/276), are to simplify and consolidate existing legislation, to improve the conditions for professional recognition and to liberalise service provision within the EU, whilst ensuring a high level of health and consumer protection. The consultation documents are available on the Commission's Europa Website at

http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/qualifications/index.htm

[Background paper IP/01/929]

Commission unveils new blueprint for EU tourism

Fresh ideas to maximise tourism's contribution to growth and employment were aired at a ministerial conference in Bruges on 1-2 July, organised by the Belgian European Union Presidency. These ideas will enhance tourism's competitiveness and sustainability, inter alia by accelerating the take-up of new technologies and other intangible assets, and by bringing tourism services within the reach of every sector of society. On the first day, Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen presented the outcome of 18 months' intensive work between the Commission, Member States, and the tourism industry, which will help shape recommendations for action to be issued in a Commission Communication due in November 2001. For further information please visit

http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/services/tourism/index_en.htm.

[Background paper IP/01/927]

European Parliament: Welcome pages in candidate countries languages

Citizens from candidate countries can now find information about the European Parliament in their own language (information also available in Gaelic and Russian). The presentation of the European Parliament (including welcoming speech by the EP President, information on working procedures, powers, composition of the EP, and the glossary of EU institutions can be found at

http://www.europarl.eu.int/presentation/default_html.htm in eleven official EU languages and thirteen languages of the candidate countries.

Commission approves joint venture between Creditanstalt and RaiffeisenZentralbank

The European Commission has approved the creation of a start-up joint venture ("NewCo") between two Austrian banks, Creditanstalt AG ("CA") and RaiffeisenZentralbank Österreich AG ("RZB"). NewCo will operate in the field of electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP)). The project should not result in any distortion of competition. CA is an all-purpose Austrian bank which is a 100%-owned subsidiary of the German Hypo- und Vereinsbank Aktiengesellschaft ("HVB"). RZB specialises in international banking and services for large customers and also acts as representative of the Austrian Raiffeisen group. [Background paper IP/01/936]

May 2001 : Euro-zone unemployment unchanged at 8.3% ; EU15 stable

at 7.6%

Euro-zone seasonally-adjusted unemployment was unchanged at 8.3% in May 2001 compared to April, according to Eurostat. It was 8.9% in May 2000. The EU15 unemployment rate was 7.6% in May 2001, unchanged compared to April. It was 8.3% in May 2000. Lowest rates were registered in the Netherlands (2.3% in April), Luxembourg (2.4%), Austria (3.7%), Ireland (3.8%) and Portugal (3.9%). Spain's 12.9% remained the EU's highest rate. In the last twelve months, the most important relative falls were recorded in the Netherlands (from 3.1% in April 2000 to 2.3% in April 2001), Sweden (from 6.0% to 5.0%), Ireland (from 4.3% to 3.8%) and France (from 9.6% to 8.5%).

The Commission prohibits GE's acquisition of Honeywell

The European Commission has decided to prohibit the proposed acquisition by General Electric Co. of Honeywell Inc. This follows an in-depth investigation in the markets for aero-engines, avionics and other aircraft components and systems. In adopting this decision, the Commission concluded that the merger would create or strengthen dominant positions on several markets and that the remedies proposed by GE were insufficient to resolve the competition concerns resulting from the proposed acquisition of Honeywell. « The merger between GE and Honeywell, as it was notified, would have severely reduced competition in the aerospace industry and resulted ultimately in higher prices for customers, particularly airlines. However, there were ways of eliminating these concerns and allowing the merger to proceed, » European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said, adding : « I regret that the companies were not able to agree on a solution that would have met the Commission's competition concerns». [Background paper IP/01/939]

Pension time-bomb : Commission proposes to formalise EU co-operation on pensions. Common goal is adequate levels of pension through an integrated strategy for sustainability of pension systems

On a proposal by Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou, the Commission proposed a joint, EU-wide effort to ensure that pensions for old age, invalidity or survivors - provide an adequate income and that, at the same time, pension systems as a whole remain financially sustainable in spite of a forecast EU-wide rise in the number of older people. This second Commission policy paper on pensions the first, in October 2000, analysed the challenges and identified common principles for pensions - proposes to formalise and strengthen EU co-operation in the face of ageing populations by setting 10 common objectives for each member state. It responds to calls from the European Council in Stockholm and Gothenburg, as well as the European Parliament, to apply the so-called open method of co-ordination (common objectives, agreed indicators, regular reporting and identification of best practice) to the question of pension reforms. The Commission proposes that, in accordance with the wish expressed by the European Council in Gothenburg, an agreement be reached on these common objectives and new formalised co-operation by the end of this year. First national strategy reports could then be prepared for the summer of 2002. [Background paper IP/01/931]

Pre-accession farm aid: Commission acknowledges "enormous efforts" made by candidate countries

In its first annual report on the aid programme to help farmers adjust to the challenges of EU membership (the so-called SAPARD programme) the European Commission concludes that, "the applicant countries made great strides in 2000 towards constructing systems capable of managing the SAPARD instruments correctly". An "enormous amount of work" was done last year, notably of a legislative nature, involving a close collaboration between the Commission services and all ten applicant countries. Emphasising that the programming and the drawing up of rural development plans was a completely new concept for most of the candidate countries, the report points out that a framework for rural development programmes had been drawn up by all ten states, and approved by the Commission by autumn 2000. The report says that the challenge of building the appropriate institutions, in particular the SAPARD agency, often from a zero base, is considerable. Therefore in spite of the progress that has been made "in certain cases these efforts [made by the candidate countries] are unlikely to be sufficient to allow SAPARD funds to flow before the end of 2001". The full text of the report can be downloaded from

http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/publi/reports/sapard2000/index_en.htm. [Background paper IP/01/937]

Council of the European Union: Further step in the fight against air pollution

Agreement on Large Combustion Plants' and National Emission Ceilings Directives was reached on two Directives which form part of the Community's strategy to combat air pollution:

· the amendment of Directive 88/609/EEC on the limitation of emissions of certain acidifying pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust) into the air from large combustion plants (LCPs), and

· the proposed Directive fixing national emission ceilings (NECs) for four atmospheric pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia).

[Background paper

Press: 266 - Nr: 10244/01]

Scientific Steering Committee publishes new opinions

The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) advising the European Commission published on 4thJuly 2001 several opinions related to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) related opinions. The SSC revised its standing opinions on the safety of tallow and gelatine in view of new data. The scientists consider that tallow derived from tissues other than standard meat fat could present a BSE risk if used in cattle feed without adequate measures such as removal of Specified Risks Material (SRM) and filtration and, for certain tissues, heat treatment. They also updated the safety requirements for the different uses of gelatine. A further opinion concludes that certain parts of the discrete fatty tissues directly associated with the intestine tract should be considered a potential BSE risk material. The Committee also adopted opinions on the Geographical BSE Risk (GBR) in El Salvador, Panama (both category I) and Nigeria (category II), evaluating the risk that animals in these countries have incubated the disease. The SSC further adopted an opinion on the risk assessment to be undertaken if genetically modified cotton in medical and hygiene products might be used. Since 1997 two authorisations for GM-cotton are pending for marketing in the EU. The SCC finally proposed a framework for the assessment of the risk from different options for the safe disposal or use of meat and bone meal (MBM) and other products which might be contaminated with Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) prions and other materials. [Background paper IP/01/957]

Commission issues guidelines for environment-friendly procurement

The European Commission has clarified how Community law offers numerous possibilities to public purchasers who wish to integrate environmental considerations into public procurement procedures. The clarifications take the form of an interpretative Communication that explains how environmental concerns may be taken into account at each separate stage of the contract award procedure. As public procurement amounts to over €1,000 billion every year across the European Union (14% of EU GDP), 'greening' these purchases could contribute substantially to sustainable development. Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said "This Communication explains in concrete terms how current public procurement legislation enables public authorities to apply environmental considerations to their purchasing, whilst at the same time ensuring value for money for taxpayers and equal access for all Community suppliers." [Background paper IP/01/959]

Climate Change: Results of EU High Level Mission to Australia

On 6 July, a European Union High Level Mission met the Australian Minister of Environment, Senator Robert Hill, to prepare the negotiations on climate change in Bonn on July 16-27. The EU mission was led by the EU's chief climate change negotiator, Belgian State Secretary for Energy and Sustainable Development, Olivier Deleuze, EU Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallström, and Lars Danielson, State Secretary for International and EU Affairs at the Swedish Prime Minister's Office. The EU Mission stressed the importance of Australia continuing its active involvement in the Kyoto process. It appreciated the Australian Government's willingness to negotiate in Bonn. Nevertheless, important differences remain between the EU and Australia on the question of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol even without the United States. The United States recently made it cleat that they no longer support the Kyoto Protocol. [Background paper IP/01/968]

Poul Nielson addresses ACP-EU Conference on Civil Society and the Cotonou Agreement

In a speech at the 'ACP-EU Conference on the participation of civil society in the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement', Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Affairs, urges civil society and private sector groups to sieze the opportunities offered by the Agreement. The Cotonou Agreement, signed in June 2000 between the 15 EU Member States and the 77 countries of the Africa, Caribbean and pacific Group (ACP), opens up a new type of partnership for the next 20 years. The recognition of civil society organisations and the private sector as fully fledged actors of the development process is one of the main innovations of the Agreement. Mr Nielson outlines the pre-conditions for making a success of this change so as to boost the fight against poverty in developing countries. [Background paper SPEECH/01/332]

Enlargement news

Belgian Presidency calls for convention on EU future

Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt presented the work programme of the Belgian six-month EU Presidency to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 4 July. Mr Verhofstad and Commission President Romano Prodi made a joint appeal for a convention to prepare the next intergovernmental conference on further EU reforms in 2004.

The convention would comprise members of the European Parliament and national parliaments, members of the European Commission, and government representatives from Member States and candidate countries. The decision on whether to set up a convention will be taken at the December Summit in Laeken near Brussels.

Mr Verhofstadt said the convention would propose different scenarios for the EU's future. He is convinced that several proposals are necessary because the EU's eastward enlargement requires a real "metamorphosis" of the Union. Mr Prodi said that the next intergovernmental conference may have to be brought forward if the Member States fail to ratify the previous round of reforms, embodied in the Treaty of Nice that was rejected by Irish voters. Official presidency website can be found at www.eu2001.be.

CEPS recommends "friendly Schengen borderland policy"

The Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the Polish Stefan Batory Foundation (SBF) called on the EU to adopt "a political declaration on friendly Schengen borderland policy". At a conference in Brussels on 6 July, where the post-enlargement borders of the EU were discussed, the two think tanks warned of the problems arising from shifting the Schengen border further east. They stressed that EU enlargement will make the Schengen external border "more restrictive for the movement of persons in Central and Eastern Europe than has been the case for a whole decade since the collapse of the communist regimes". CEPS and SBF urged the EU to ensure that new member states will be able to implement the existing Schengen rules. They warn that neither side has yet given sufficient attention to the need of making the new Schengen borders of the EU "as friendly as possible for the new borderland neighbour".

Their recommendations for policy include:

· provision of adequate consular services in the border regions,

· upgrading of border facilities to provide for rapid passage of large numbers of travellers,

· special visa regimes for border regions,

· custom-friendly consular and border services,

· advanced electronic techniques to speed up frontier procedures,

· planning in neighbouring states for visa-free status,

· development of Euro-region programmes,

· clarification of the rights of stateless persons,

· possible easing of immigration policy by EU Member States.