Week in Europe 17-23/09/01

27.09.2001 | Euroskop

Week in Europe 17-23/09/01

EU Reactions to the Terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 in the United States

17.09.01

Aftermath of assault on US: Pascal Lamy, Commissioner for Trade addresses European Parliament committee on implications for trade

19.09.01

European Commission: Call for common instruments to tackle terrorism

European Parliament: Debate on latest developments

20.09.01

Joint U.S. - EU Ministerial statement on combating terrorism

Council of the European Union: Extraordinary session - Justice and Home Affairs (20 September 2001) - Conclusions

21.09.01

European Council: Extraordinary Meeting in Brussels

EU-US Ministerial Meetings, Press Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel

EU news in brief

Main conclusions of Extraordinary European Council on 21.09.2001

The European Council met in extraordinary session on 21 September 2001 in order to analyse the international situation following the terrorist attacks in the United States and to impart the necessary impetus to the actions of the European Union.

The European Council has decided that the fight against terrorism will, more than ever, be a priority objective of the European Union.

SOLIDARITY AND COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED STATES

The European Council is totally supportive of the American people in the face of the deadly terrorist attacks. The European Union will cooperate with the United States in bringing to justice and punishing the perpetrators, sponsors and accomplices of such barbaric acts. On the basis of Security Council Resolution 1368, a riposte by the US is legitimate. The Member States of the Union are prepared to undertake such actions, each according to its means. The actions must be targeted and may also be directed against States abetting, supporting or harbouring terrorists. They will require close cooperation with all the Member States of the European Union.

THE EUROPEAN POLICY TO COMBAT TERRORISM

Enhancing police and judicial cooperation

In line with its conclusions at Tampere, the European Council signifies its agreement to the introduction of a European arrest warrant and the adoption of a common definition of terrorism. The warrant will supplant the current system of extradition between Member StatesThe European Council also calls upon the Justice and Home Affairs Council to undertake identification of presumed terrorists in Europe and of organisations supporting them in order to draw up a common list of terrorist organisations. In this connection improved cooperation and exchange of information between all intelligence services of the Union will be required. Joint investigation teams will be set up to that end.

Member States will share with Europol, systematically and without delay, all useful data regarding terrorism. A specialist anti-terrorist team will be set up within Europol as soon as possible and will cooperate closely with its US counterparts.

Developing international legal instruments

The European Council calls for all existing international conventions on the fight against terrorism (UN, OECD, etc.) to be implemented as quickly as possible. The European Union supports the Indian proposal for framing within the United Nations a general convention against international terrorism.

Putting an end to the funding of terrorism

To that end, the European Council calls upon the ECOFIN and Justice and Home Affairs Councils to take the necessary measures to combat any form of financing for terrorist activities, in particular by adopting in the weeks to come the extension of the Directive on money laundering and the framework Decision on freezing assets. It calls upon Member States to sign and ratify as a matter of urgency the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. In addition, measures will be taken again non-cooperative countries and territories identified by the Financial Action Task Force.

For the full conclusions:

http://www.eu2001.be

Public procurement: Standard forms to improve contract notices

The European Commission has adopted a Directive imposing, from 1st May 2002, the use of standard forms in contract notices published in the EU's Official Journal in accordance with the EU's Directives requiring open and competitive public procurement procedures. The mandatory use of these forms will improve the quality of published notices, thus favouring openness, efficiency and transparency, and facilitate electronic procurement. In particular, use of these forms will make it easier for potential suppliers to use automatic search tools to find procurement notices of most interest and relevance to them. Moreover, for purchasing entities, the standard forms will simplify and cut the cost of compliance with EU procurement rules. European public procurement markets are together worth more than EUR1,000 billion every year across the EU. The full text of the Commission Directive, including the standard forms, is available on the SIMAP website at: http://simap.eu.int.

[Background paper IP/01/1271]

The Commission proposes simplifying Community legislation on fertilisers

In accordance with the principles of the White Paper on Governance the European Commission proposes that the 18 directives on fertilisers, whose presentation is complex and disorganised, should be consolidated into a single text in the form of a proposal for a regulation. The aim of Community legislation on fertilisers is to ensure free circulation of these products within the European Union and to specify the characteristics to which they must conform. These characteristics include their composition, labelling and packaging. The choice of a regulation is justified by the fact that this type of act is the most suitable for ensuring a harmonised approach for applying legislation on fertilisers. A regulation facilitates the Member States' implementing and monitoring tasks and guarantees that citizens and European businesses can exercise their rights effectively throughout the European Union. Further information can be obtained at the following website :

http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/chemicals/index.htm

[Background paper IP/01/1275]

Commission survey shows progress on banks' preparation for the EURO changeover

The second survey on the euro-area banks' preparation for the EUR changeover published by the European Commission shows significant progress. The majority of banks have taken up the Commission's recommendations and have forged ahead by preparing themselves, their clients and their systems for a smooth euro changeover. 83% of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in the euro-area will provide euro-notes the first day of the new year and 98% by the end of the first week. 73% of the banks surveyed expect to provide small denominations (EUR 5 or EUR 10 notes) through their ATMs. All banks will change their customers' cash free of charge - 75% of them without setting a limit. Moreover, 57% of the banks are be ready to continue this free service for their clients after the end of the double circulation period. In a move that will greatly facilitate front-loading of retailers three quarters of banks will debit retailers which ask for front-loading of euro notes and coins after the 1 January 2002, in line with the Commission's recommendation. 83% of banks will not charge retailers handling fees for the return of national banknotes and 76% will do the same for national coins.

The full results of the survey can be found on:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/document/euro/survey0901fr.pdf

[Background paper IP/01/1281]

Byrne and Fischler call for political leadership on GMOs

Speaking at the Informal Agriculture Council in Alden Biesen/Belgium , Franz Fischler, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries and David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection called upon policy makers to show leadership when it comes to the issue of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). "As the heated public debate in Europe shows, it is of utmost importance to respond to the concerns of our society. This is what the Commission did by proposing clear labelling, traceability and a sound science based authorisation process. It is not my understanding of political leadership to echo populist stances and play on fears in order to score cheap political points", said Fischler. David Byrne added: "A high level of protection, consumer choice and transparent, uniform and efficient authorisation procedures are key elements in fostering social acceptance and trust in the application of biotechnology to food and feed. Very often the debate on GMOs has generated more heat than light. We must ensure, as political leaders, that the unbiased facts on bio-technology are placed before our citizens to see and understand. Too many false claims has been made which do not reflect the science-based approach to food safety that I advocated. Therefore I call on all sides to have a rational debate and to take a balanced approach. In the minds of the European public, safety is the most important ingredient of their food. Compromising on food safety is not the way forward. The overarching principle of the existing and proposed legislation of the Commission on GMOs is that GM food and feed is not and must not present a risk for human health, animal health or the environment".

[Background paper IP/01/1280]

EU welcomes conclusion of work in Geneva to ensure China's accession to the WTO

The EU welcomed the fact that the Working Party charged with preparing China's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concluded its task successfully. Welcoming the consensus reached, Commissioner Lamy said "It is very satisfying to see over 15 years of hard work bear fruit. China's accession will make the WTO a truly global organisation. The WTO is about binding countries peacefully together through close trading links in a multilateral system. At this difficult time, the important work concluded in Geneva provides this system and us all with a much-needed boost of confidence and hope for the future." Mr Lamy payed tribute to Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng for their "unwavering commitment to the huge challenge of bringing China into the WTO which they demonstrated to me on numerous occasions". He also praised his predecessor Sir Leon Brittan "who expended so much energy on behalf of the EU to get China into the WTO". See the following website address for full details of the bilateral deal agreed between the EU and China on WTO Accession in May 2000:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/bilateral/china/wto.htm

[Background paper IP/01/1276]

Europe must have common instruments to tackle terrorism

The European Commission is calling for greater harmonisation and closer cooperation in combating terrorism and crime. With the adoption of two proposals for framework decisions on the fight against terrorism and the European arrest warrant, the Commission is getting down to the business of setting up genuine European cooperation in criminal matters on the basis of automatic mutual recognition between the Member States' judicial authorities.

Two proposals were adopted:

First, a common definition of acts of terrorism and penalties on a commensurate scale. There is a list of offences treated as acts of terrorism where they are committed intentionally by individuals or groups against one or more countries or their institutions or population in order to threaten them and seriously undermine or even destroy their political, economic or social structures. It is proposed that such acts incur prison sentences ranging from a minimum of 2 years for the less serious offences to a minimum of 20 years for the most serious offences provided for by the proposal.

Second, a proposal to replace the traditional extradition procedures by a system of surrendering persons sought between judicial authorities on the basis of a European arrest warrant. This proposal proceeds from the principle of mutual recognition of judgments established by the Tampere European Council as the cornerstone of judicial cooperation. The underlying idea is that where the judicial authority in one Member State asks for the surrender of a person sought for an offence incurring at least four months' imprisonment, either having been convicted or still being prosecuted, the decision must be recognised and executed throughout the EU. To simplify and accelerate procedures as far as can be, a time-limit of three months is proposed. The principle of double criminal liability and the exception in favour of nationals are abolished. The proposal seeks to facilitate, wherever possible, the execution of the sentence in the country of arrest where that is where the person is most likely to be reintegrated into society.

[Background paper IP/01/1284]

Trans-European Transport Network 2001-2006: Commission selects priorities to receive EURO 2780 million funding

The European Commission adopted a decision on the Indicative Multiannual Programme for the funding of the Trans-European Transport Network over the 2001-2006 period. After assessing all bids received, the Commission allocates EURO 2780 million to successful projects. Nearly 50% of this amount will go to the large infrastructure projects endorsed by the 1994 Essen European Council, 20% will go to the Galileo programme, the rest being shared between various railway bottlenecks, cross-border projects and Intelligent Transport Systems. The selected projects will contribute to meeting our key transport policy challenges as outlined in the Commission White Paper on Transport adopted on 12 September: shifting the balance between different modes of transport, fighting bottlenecks and congestion and placing quality and security at the heart of the common transport policy.

[Background paper IP/01/1288]

Structural Funds: Commission adopts an INTERREG programme for Austria and the Czech Republic of EURO 25.9 million

The European Commission has adopted a cross-border co-operation programme between Austria and the Czech Republic, which will be financed by the Community initiative INTERREG III. The programme involves the Austrian regions of Nieder- and Oberösterreich, Vienna and its northern surrounding area and the Czech regions of Ceske Budejovice, Jihlava and Brno. The programme will boost cross-border economic development and support spatial planning and environmental protection. The total amount available until 2006 is EUR 51.80 million, of which the EU finances EUR 25.90 million while EUR 22.69 million come from national and regional budgets. In addition, the private sector contribution amounts to EUR 3.21 million.

For additional information on PHARE CBC consult:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/pas/phare/pt/cbc/crossborder.htm

[Background paper IP/01/1297]

Commission listens to consumer concerns on agriculture and food

At the meeting of the Consumer Committee in Brussels, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, Franz Fischler supported consumers' strong interest in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). "The CAP is a policy area where consumers want to be fully involved and heard," Franz Fischler stated. "Consumers want a sustainable agriculture that provides them with a choice of safe and nutritious food at reasonable prices; the kind of agriculture that respects the environment, and makes an effective contribution to rural development. In their search for food safety, food quality and choice the Commission and consumers should pursue the same course and steer towards the same goals." This meeting of the Consumer Committee is part of a series of initiatives launched by Commissioners Franz Fischler and David Byrne (Health and Consumer Protection) to openly discuss the future of food policy and production with society, including round table discussions in seven Member States so far. More information on this broad debate can be found at the 'Agriculture and Food website':

http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/foodqual/index_en.htm

[Background paper IP/01/1300]

European Car Free Day 2001: More than 100 million people involved across Europe

On Saturday 22 September, a thousand cities across Europe will participate in the European Car Free Day initiative by closing part of their territory to car traffic for the day. Instead, it will be reserved for pedestrians, roller-skaters, cyclists and public transport operators. Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström explained: "The European Car Free Day responds to a demand for participatory democracy that is visibly increasing in modern societies. People want to understand and get directly involved in the decisions that affect their everyday life. European citizens have taken full ownership of the Car-Free Day. This event will involve more than 100 million people across Europe. It shows that local initiatives driven by citizens can improve the environment and the quality of life in our cities and influence policies to fight climate change". More information on the Car Free Day initiative is available at:

http://www.22september.org

[Background paper IP/01/1301]

August 2001; Euro-zone annual inflation down to 2.7%; EU15 stable at 2.6%

Euro-zone annual inflation fell from 2.8% in July to 2.7% in August, Eurostat - the Statistical Office of the European Communities in Luxembourg - reports. A year earlier the rate was 2.3%.

EU15 annual inflation was 2.6% in August˛, the same rate as in July. A year earlier the rate was 2.0%.

EEA annual inflation also remained stable at 2.6% in August.

[Background paper No 97/2001]

Enlargement news

Candidate ministers take part in EU informal council

EU foreign affairs ministers met with their counterparts from the candidate countries at an informal Council in Genval on September 8-9. The discussion of the future of Europe - one of the key themes of the meeting - produced agreement among EU member states of the need to involve the candidate countries in the Convention that will prepare the next stage in the debate.

The candidates took the opportunity to press for close involvement in the discussion of the EU's future and a lunch gave what the EU Presidency called "the opportunity to note the growing awareness of the candidate countries of what Europe stands for in terms of constraints and advantages". But there was a concrete example of working together: Louis Michel recalled that one of the advantages which enlargement represents for all - for candidate countries as well as for EU member states - is the "important political leverage" that comes from speaking for a total of 500 million inhabitants. In Durban, just days before, the Belgian Presidency had spoken on behalf of 28 states rather than just the current 15.

Enlargement a key to EU transport policy

Enlargement features prominently in the White Paper on Transport that the European Commission approved on September 12. "The unprecedented enlargement of the next few years will give the Union a truly continental dimension", the new strategy paper says - and transport will have a key role to play in making the wider Europe function effectively.

Adoption of the EU transport acquis does not appear to be posing any major problems for the candidate countries, says the White Paper. International agreements already link them to the EU member states, in international carriage of goods and air transport. But the White Paper does point to the question of "their administrative capacity to apply the acquis and more particularly to recruit sufficient numbers of inspectors".

The first challenge the White Paper identifies is connecting the future member states to the trans-European network. Bottlenecks are already forming at the borders and there is a real risk of saturation on the major East-West corridors. It is not unusual for queues of lorries more than 50 km in length to form at the German-Polish border, it points out. The revision of the Trans-European Network guidelines which the Commission will propose for 2004 will have to take account of the candidate countries.

But the White Paper also sees "the substantial role played by rail transport in the candidate countries" as "a prime opportunity to restore the modal balance of transport" - the shift from road to other forms of transport that is another of the major themes of the White Paper. Rail still retains over 40% of the freight market in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, a level similar to that in the United States, as compared with 8% in the European Union.

There will be difficulties in paying for the improvements needed, the White Paper recognises. Public budget resources fall manifestly short of the Euro 91 billion needed to build the priority transport infrastructure in the candidate countries of central and eastern Europe by 2015", it frankly admits. "Moreover, the aid scheduled under ISPA, the instrument for structural pre-accession policies, is also extremely limited Euro 520 million per annum for transport". Private funding will have to be mobilised, particularly through European Investment Bank loans, and the candidates will have to tap non-traditional sources of financing such as fuel taxes and infrastructure charges, the White Paper urges. "The success of enlargement will depend on making provision in the Community's post-2006 financial perspective for adequate public funding of infrastructure in the new member countries and providing high-quality connections for the future member states to the Union's Trans-European Network".

Candidate states back EU declaration on US terrorist attacks

In the wake of the tragedy that struck the United States on September 11, the thirteen candidate countries associated themselves with the EU Declaration adopted on September 12 by the extraordinary session of the General Affairs Council. The Declaration expressed the profound solidarity of the European Union with the American people and condemned the terrorist attacks.

On September 13, Günter Verheugen, Member of the European Commission responsible for Enlargement, declared at a business meeting on enlargement that "the recent attacks in the US will have an impact on European integration and on the enlargement process. But this impact will be positive, as the feeling that we, Europeans, share the same values is more tangible than ever".

Annemie Neyts, speaking for the Belgian Presidency of the EU at the same meeting, agreed with Verheugen, and said "the population will understand the political argumentation in favour of enlargement better". She added that "the argument that Europe's purpose is to bring peace and stability holds more than ever".