Today I heard the EU industry and the Member States’ determination to work together and pull in the same direction. They strongly supported the establishment of a full value chain of batteries in Europe, with large-scale battery cells production, and the circular economy, at the core.

Batteries are at the heart of the ongoing industrial revolution. They represent a key enabling technology in the context of the Energy Union. Their development and production play a strategic role in the ongoing transition to clean mobility and clean energy systems. Batteries embody our ambition, as set out in President Juncker‘s State of the Union, to help our industries remain or become world leaders in innovation, digitisation and decarbonisation.

As was recalled by the actors in our meeting, we are at a critical juncture.

The lack of a domestic, European cell manufacturing base jeopardises the position of EU industrial customers because of the security of the supply chain, increased costs due to transportation, time delays, weaker quality control or limitations on the design.

So, we need to act fast – and collectively – to overcome this competitive disadvantage and capitalise on our leadership in many sectors of the battery value chain, from materials to system integration and recycling.

Due to the level and urgency of investment needed, this cannot be done in a fragmented manner. It needs a Europe-wide approach.

Members of the EU industry and innovation community will drive this process, working in close partnership with the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and interested Member States, to establish a competitive manufacturing chain, capture sizeable markets and boost jobs, growth and investment across Europe.

Since time is running out, we concluded that we will join our efforts to come up with a strategic plan early next year. This could take the form of a comprehensive roadmap for an EU Battery Alliance, to be presented in February 2018, at the Clean Energy Industrial Forum, as part of the EU Industry Days.

The work starts immediately. Following today’s high-level meeting, we will organise a number of working groups, including on the supply chain, investment financing and engineering, trade issues, research and innovation, and others. Industrial participants will take the lead, express interest to participate in or even be rapporteur for each work strand.

The process launched today is of an inclusive nature.

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s readout of the College meeting.

Let me run you through the main points on the agenda.

The main business today was Banking Union.

We are presenting some elements today to help reach an agreement by the end of this mandate to complete the Banking Union.

As President Juncker said in his state of the Union Speech: “democracy is about compromise”.

The euro area countries benefit today from the two pillars of Banking Union that are already up and running. These are the single supervisor and the Single Resolution Mechanism.

Together, they make our banking sector safer.

And they help ensure that taxpayers are not first in line to pay for banking crises.

But as long as financial ties between banks and their sovereigns remain as close as they are today, there is still unfinished business.

In his speech, President Juncker emphasised the need to strengthen the single currency in the face of unforeseen circumstances and challenges.

Completing the Banking Union is essential for reaching that goal:

It will lead to an Economic and Monetary Union that can better withstand and absorb any future crises.

And it will promote deeper financial integration, which further reduces the links between banks and sovereigns. Thanks to more risk-sharing via private markets, taxpayers will be better protected from having to shoulder the burden of bank failures.

More integration is also helping to give consumers cheaper and more diverse options for financial services.

And to make these tangible benefits more accessible, we are working on a proposal to reduce charges on cross-border banking transactions in all EU currencies.

Both the Council and the European Parliament reaffirmed last year the importance of completing Banking Union, and important commitments have been taken to tackle legacy risks.

But progress is slow. We need clear engagement from co-legislators to reach an agreement by the end of the legislative term.

So today we are presenting pragmatic ideas to speed up the process by advancing in parallel on risk-reduction and risk-sharing measures.

First,we call on co-legislators to swiftly adopt the comprehensive risk-reduction measures already presented in our November 2016 Banking Package. These measures will strengthen and adjust the existing rules to complete the post-crisis regulatory agenda for banks.

Second, we need to further reduce the high levels of non–performing loans in certain parts of the banking sector. Bad loans hinder banks from providing new credit to the real economy, and limit economic growth.

The Commission has for years been working alongside Member States, supervisors, and banks to reduce the share of non–performing loans in the EU.

And we are making progress.

Since mid-2014, this share has been reduced from 6.7% to 4.5%. But we need to accelerate this trend and prevent the stock from building up again.

We are currently working to implement the Council’s July Action Plan on non-performing loans. And early next year, we will present a package of measures on this basis.

Third, we need to reach consensus on a European Deposit Insurance Scheme, or EDIS. As you know, the Commission proposed EDIS as a Europe-wide system building on the existing Deposit Guarantee Scheme directive.

EDIS would collect funds from banks – and only banks – to build up a strong Europe-wide deposit guarantee of €100 000 per depositor. This would help break the bank-sovereign link by making deposit protection independent of a bank’s location.

Our 2015 proposal is based on a gradual phase-in with clear safeguards to avoid moral hazard, and this proposal stays on the table.

But in two years it has not really advanced. The positions of the Council and the European Parliament are far apart.

So today the Commission is putting forward some ideas to unblock discussions, by introducing EDIS in a more gradual manner:

• One suggestion would be to limit EDIS in its first phase to providing loans to depleted national schemes. These loans would later have to be fully paid back. In other words, EDIS would not cover losses. It would focus on providing liquidity, to ensure that depositors maintain quick access to their savings.

• Another idea would be to make the second phase of EDISconditional on an asset quality review. In other words, a health-check of our banks to confirm that legacy issues from the crisis have been dealt with. Here, our European level strategy to reduce non-performing loanswould play an important role.

These elements might allow co-legislators to further reduce moral hazard while still fulfilling the ambition of the original proposal.

Fourth, we are calling for a common backstop to the Banking Union to become operational as quickly as possible.

This was agreed nearly 4 years ago to guarantee the credibility of the Single Resolution Mechanism.

As a last-resort tool, this backstop would only intervene after private creditors have born losses.

And it would be fiscally neutral, with all disbursements required to be fully reimbursed by contributions from banks.

We saw support emerging in Monday’s Eurogroup that the European Stability Mechanism could provide that backstop for the single resolution fund.

The Commission will follow this up in our December package on deepening Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union.

Fifth, we are exploring pragmatic solutions for helping banks diversify their holdings of sovereign bonds. This would further weaken the bank-sovereign link.

In this context, we are closely following the work of the European Systemic Risk Board on Sovereign Bond Backed Securities.

This would be a product created by market participants, which banks could choose to hold.

Finally, the Commission issued today a report on the Single Supervisory Mechanism.

It gives an overall positive assessment of the application of the SSM Regulation, and the first years of the ECB acting in its supervisory capacity.

At the current juncture, the Commission does not consider it necessary to amend the SSM Regulation.

Taken together, these measures form an ambitious but realistic path to completing Banking Union.

We hope that today’s proposals will serve as food for thought for the co-legislators.

Reaching a comprehensive deal on the Banking Union is essential for the future of the Economic and Monetary Union.

And for a strong financial system that fully supports jobs and growth and reduces risks for taxpayers.

Now on the other items on the Commission’s agenda,

Commissioner Vestager informed the College regarding the State aid decision on Novo Banco in Portugal, approving the sale of the bank.

Commission calls for the completion of all parts of the Banking Union by 2018

The Banking Union must be completed if it is to deliver its full potential in making the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) more stable and resilient to shocks, while limiting the need for public risk sharing. This is beneficial for the entire Single Market. Building on the significant progress already achieved, the Commission is today publishing a Communication that sets out an ambitious yet realistic path to ensure agreement on all the outstanding elements of the Banking Union, based on existing commitments by the Council. Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union said: “A complete Banking Union is essential for the future of the Economic and Monetary Union and for a financial system that supports jobs and growth. We want a banking sector that absorbs crises and shares risks via private channels, thus ensuring that taxpayers are not first in line to pay. Today we are presenting pragmatic ideas to move forward with risk sharing and risk reduction in parallel. We hope that these will be useful food for thought for EU co-legislators to reach consensus on the remaining measures by 2018.” This comes ahead of the December Euro Summit, in an inclusive format, where completion of the Banking Union will be part of discussions on further deepening the EMU. Together with the Capital Markets Union (CMU), a complete Banking Union will promote a stable and integrated financial system in the EU. Full press release, MEMO and factsheet are available online. (For more information: Vanessa Mock – Tel.: +32 229 56194; Letizia Lupini – Tel.: +32 229 51958)

European Union and United Kingdom engage with World Trade Organization members on certain issues arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU

The European Union and the United Kingdom today sent a joint letter to all members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), setting out their intended approach to certain WTO issues arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.  This letter is the result of a constructive dialogue that the EU has been engaging in with the UK over the past months, covering WTO issues such as trade in goods, services and government procurement. The dialogue, which is outlined in European Council guidelines and the Council’s negotiating directives, aims at ensuring that the UK honours its share of the international commitments it has contracted into in the WTO during its EU membership, and at organising an orderly withdrawal in this respect.  Today’s joint letter marks the start of a cooperative and transparent engagement by the EU and the UK with all members of the WTO. When the UK leaves the EU, it will have its own separate schedules of commitments. Among other things, these schedules indicate the maximum tariff rates that can be applied to each specific type of imported product and the quantities of each product that can be imported duty-free or with a duty discount, known as tariff-rate quotas (TRQs). It is therefore necessary to address both the EU’s and the UK’s commitments regarding these quotas.  Today’s joint letter states that both sides intend to follow a common approach regarding existing EU TRQs and intend to apportion these quotas to reflect current trade flows in order to ensure that, after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, WTO members maintain exactly the same level of access as they enjoy now. The EU and UK will also follow a common approach regarding the ceilings on domestic subsidies for agriculture. This is without prejudice to the position the EU might take on other trade-related matters. (For more information: Margaritis Schinas: +32 229 60524; Mina Andreeva – Tel.: +32 229-91382, Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500)

State aid: Commission approves Portuguese restructuring plan and support for sale of Novo Banco, completing 2014 resolution of Banco Espírito Santo

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the Portuguese restructuring plan and support for sale of Novo Banco. The measures will allow the new private owner to launch its ambitious restructuring plan aimed at ensuring the long-term viability of the bank, while limiting distortions to competition. The sale of Novo Banco, concerned by today’s decision, completes the 2014 resolution of Banco Espírito Santo (BES). In August 2014, Portugal decided to put BES into resolution under the Portuguese resolution framework and determined the strategy for its resolution. To enable an orderly resolution, Portugal designed a number of support measures, including State aid for the transfer of certain BES assets to a bridge bank – Novo Banco. In this context, the Commission approved these support measures under EU State aid rules, in particular the Commission’s 2013 Banking Communication. BES shareholders and subordinated debt holders contributed fully (almost €7 billion) to the costs of the resolution in line with burden-sharing requirements. Another aspect that enabled the Commission to approve the aid was Portugal’s commitment to sell the bridge bank Novo Banco to limit distortions to competition. In its decision today, the Commission has confirmed under EU State aid rules: a) Portugal’s sales process of the bridge bank was open and competitive; b) Portuguese plans to grant additional State aid to finalise the BES resolution and bridge bank sale are in line with EU State aid rules; and c) the entity resulting from the sale of the bridge bank is viable in the long-term. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,in charge of competition policy said: “Portugal has decided to sell Novo Banco to a new private owner, who will restructure the bank to return it to viability. We have approved Portugal’s plans to grant State aid to Novo Banco under EU rules, based on the bank’s far-reaching restructuring plan and measures taken to limit distortions to competition. Now it is important that the new owner successfully enacts the plan, so that that the bank can support the Portuguese economy.” A full press release is available online in EN, FR, DE and PT. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Yizhou Ren – Tel.: +32 229 94889)

Concentrations: la Commission autorise l’acquisition du contrôle conjoint de Jedlix par Eneco et Renault

La Commission européenne a autorisé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l’acquisition du contrôle conjoint de la société néerlandaise Jedlix B.V. par la société néerlandaise Eneco Smart Energy B.V et la société française Renault Venture Capital S.A.S. Jedlix fournit des services intelligents pour véhicules électriques. La société Eneco Smart Energy B.V. se spécialise dans le développement d’innovations dans le domaine de l’énergie. Elle appartient au groupe Eneco, producteur et fournisseur d’énergie aux Pays-Bas. Renault Venture Capital S.A.S. est une filiale d’investissement de Renault S.A.S., dont les activités sont principalement la production, la distribution, la vente et la maintenance de produits automobiles. La Commission a conclu que la concentration envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problème de concurrence, compte tenu du caractère négligeable des activités actuelles et futures de Jedlix dans l’espace économique européen. L’opération a été examinée dans le cadre de la procédure simplifiée du traitement de certaines opérations de concentration. De plus amples informations sont disponibles sur le site internet concurrence de la Commission, dans le registre public des affaires sous le numéro d’affaire M.8628. (Pour plus d’informations: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Sarantopoulou – Tel.: +32 229 13740)

La Commission dévoile les gagnants des RegioStars Awards 2017

Les noms des gagnants ont été révélés hier lors de la 10^e cérémonie des RegioStars Awards, organisée pendant la Semaine Européenne des Régions et des Villes. Chaque année les RegioStars Awards récompensent les meilleurs projets de la politique de Cohésion. La Commissaire à la politique régionale Corina Crețu a déclaré: “Les RegioStars sont de véritables ambassadeurs de la politique de Cohésion. Dans notre effort pour mieux communiquer ce que l’Europe fait pour ses citoyens et défendre une politique de Cohésion forte après 2020, ces projets sont de précieux atouts.” Le gagnant de la catégorie “Spécialisation intelligente pour PME innovantes” est belge; il s’agit de Bio Base NWE, un projet promouvant la bioéconomie. Dans la catégorie “Union de l’Energie et action pour le climat”, les efforts de la ville finlandaise d’Ii pour la qualité de l’air et l’efficacité énergétique ont été couronnés de succès. Un projet accompagnant les femmes victimes de violence conjugale vers une réintégration réussie dans le marché du travail à Murcia, en Espagne, a gagné dans la catégorie “Emancipation des femmes” et a aussi remporté le vote du public. Dans la catégorie “Education et formation”, c’est le croate Ekobiz qui est vainqueur; le projet soutient les jeunes agriculteurs dans le domaine du bio. Dans la catégorie “les villes dans la révolution digitale”, c’est le projet allemand Smart Service Power, dans les services d’e-santé pour un vieillissement actif, qui remporte la récompense. (Pour plus d’informations: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Sophie Dupin de Saint-Cyr – Tel.: +32 229 56169)

16 villes européennes sélectionnées dans le cadre des Actions Urbaines Innovantes

La Commission, en partenariat avec la région Hauts-de-France, vient d’annoncer les gagnants du second appel à projet “Actions Urbaines Innovantes“, doté d’une enveloppe de 50 millions d’euros du FEDER. L’appel, lancé par la Commission en décembre 2016, visait à sélectionner les projets les plus innovants proposés par les villes dans trois catégories en lien avec les priorités de l’Agenda Urbain de l’UE: l’intégration des migrants, la mobilité urbaine et l’économie circulaire. La Commissaire à la politique régionale Corina Crețu a commenté: “Nos villes sont les moteurs de l’innovation et de la croissance en Europe, mais elles font face à bien des défis – sociaux, environnementaux et économiques. Les Actions Urbaines Innovantes font appel à l’ingéniosité de nos villes et leur permettent de partager leur expérience à travers l’Europe.” 16 villes ont été sélectionnées pour bénéficier d’un soutien financier de l’UE. Dans la catégorie “économie circulaire”: Anvers (BE), Héraklion (EL), Kerkrade (NL), Lappeenranta (FI), Ljubljana (SI), Maribor (SI), Sevran (FR), and Velez-Malaga (ES). Pour l’intégration des migrants: Athènes (EL), Coventry (UK) et Fuenlabrada (ES). Pour la mobilité urbaine: Albertslund (DK), Gand (BE), Lahti (FI), Szeged (HU) et Toulouse (FR). Elles ont maintenant trois ans pour mettre en place leurs projets. (Pour plus d’informations: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Sophie Dupin de Saint-Cyr – Tel.: +32 229 56169)

European Commission decides to second OLAF Director-General to Italy’s Customs and Monopoly Agency

Following a request by the government of the Republic of Italy, the European Commission has today decided to second Mr Giovani Kessler, Director-General of the European Union’s anti-fraud office (“OLAF”), to Italy’s Customs and Monopoly Agency. Mr Kessler is being seconded in the interest of the service under Article 38 of the EU Staff Regulations. To ensure business continuity, and in line with a Commission Decision of 13 July 2005, Mr Nicholas Ilett will be acting Director-General of OLAF as of 16 October and until the appointment of the new Director-General, which is expected to happen early 2018. Mr Ilett, a British national, has worked in OLAF since he joined the Commission in 2002. Since then, he has led several of OLAF’s Directorates and has also been an acting Director-General of OLAF in 2010. (For more information: Alexander Winterstein – Tel.: +32 229 93265; Andreana Stankova – Tel.: +32 229 57857)

Eurostat: Le prix des logements en hausse de 3,8% dans la zone euro

Le prix des logements, tel que mesuré par l’indice des prix des logements, a augmenté de 3,8% dans la zone euro et de 4,4% dans l’UE au deuxième trimestre 2017 par rapport au même trimestre de l’année précédente. Ces données proviennent d’Eurostat, l’office statistique de l’Union européenne. Par rapport au premier trimestre 2017, les prix des logements ont progressé de 1,5% dans la zone euro et de 1,8% dans l’UE au deuxième trimestre 2017. Un communiqué de presse est disponible ici. (Pour plus d’informations: Vanessa Mock – Tel.: +32 229 56194; Juliana Dahl – Tel.: +32 229 59914)

Eurostat: Transport aérien de passagers dans l’UE – Nombre record de près d’1 milliard de passagers aériens transportés en 2016, 54,4 millions de plus qu’en 2015

En 2016, 972,7 millions de passagers ont voyagé par avion dans l’Union européenne (UE), soit une hausse de 5,9% par rapport à 2015 et de 29,1% par rapport à 2009. Sur cette période, le transport aérien de passagers n’a pas cessé de croître dans l’UE. Un communiqué de presse est disponible ici. (Pour plus d’informations: Enrico Brivio – Tel.: +32 229 56172; Alexis Perier – Tel.: +32 229 69143)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First Vice-President Timmermans participates in the action #GirlsTakeover

European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans will symbolically hand over his job this afternoon to Ritah Nakaayi, a 23-year old lady from Uganda, as part of Plan International’s #GirlsTakeover initiative. This is part of a global action which sees 1000 girls and young women step into positions of power in over 60 countries to mark the International Day of the Girl. First Vice-President Timmermans said: “I hope that today’s action will help to empower the girls and young women participating, and to inspire many others. There should be no door and no positon of power which is closed to women. Both within Europe and around the world, we are determined to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality, including the goal of gender equality.”  Ms Nakaayi will spend the afternoon shadowing the First Vice-President in his work, and will ‘takeover’ a speech which he is due to deliver at the Gender Equality Index Conference this afternoon. First Vice-President Timmermans is one of several participants in the Takeover in Brussels during the European Week of Action for Girls, 9-13 October. Other high-profile individuals participating in the #GirlsTakeover globally include the Prime Minister of Finland, Prime Minister of Canada, President of El Salvador, the Secretary General of the OECD, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, and the CEOs of Google Australia, Ikea Switzerland, and Accenture Netherlands. (For more information: Natasha Bertaud – Tel.: +32 229 67456; Tim McPhie – Tel.: +32 229 58602)

Vice-President Ansip in Buenos Aires for the World Telecommunication Development Conference

Today and tomorrow Vice-President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip will participate in the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The discussions will concentrate on digital transformation and economy, as well as digital accessibility, inclusion and skills. The Vice-President will speak today at the Ministerial Roundtable that is dedicated to ICT for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (ICT4SDG) – this will be the first time the EU presents the Digital for Development (D4D) approach and priorities in a UN forum. Vice-President Ansip will also meet with Argentina’s Minister for Modernisation, Mr Andrés Ibarra. He will additionally have bilateral meetings with Senegal’s Minister of Communication, Telecommunications, Post and Digital Economy, Mr Abdoulaye Bibi Balde; Uganda’s Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Mr Frank Tumwebaze and Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Ms Ursula Owusu-Ekuful to discuss the preparations for the AU-EU Summit and EU-Africa Business Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire later this year. The conference organised by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) celebrates this year the 25^th anniversary of ITU Telecommunication Development Sector and aims at reviewing the work of the sector and to agree its future work programme and priorities. Live updates from the conference can be followed via #ITUWTDC, the Vice-President will be tweeting on @Ansip_EU. (For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel.: +32 229 67083; Inga Höglund – Tel.: +32 229 50698)

Vice-President Šefčovič in Finland for second Energy Union Tour

From 12-13 October, Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič will be travelling to Finland for the second Energy Union Tour. The Vice-President will meet Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister for Housing, Energy and the Environment, and members of the EU Committee of the Finnish Parliament. He will also join a roundtable discussion on the Energy Union with representatives of the Finnish energy industry and visit a biorefinery run by the company UPM in the town of Lappeenranta. Here he will also take part in a Citizens’ Dialogue. During his visit, discussions will be focused on the Energy Union, the financial instruments it will make available to Finland to support development activities and energy innovation, and the country’s national energy and climate plan. Ongoing improvements to energy interconnection infrastructure in the Nordic and Baltic regions will also be on the agenda. Ahead of his visit, Vice-President Šefčovič said: “I am pleased to see that Finland has already made excellent progress towards its energy efficiency and renewables targets for 2020 and is demonstrating its potential to be a leader in clean energy innovation. In addition, I look forward to discussing the Baltic Connector pipeline, which is scheduled to be operational by 2020 and is partly funded by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility. It will end Finland’s gas isolation and lead to a more competitive wholesale and retail gas, in addition to enhancing the region’s security of supply.” Upcoming dates and more information on the 2017 Energy Union tour are available here. More information on the Energy Union is available here. (For more information: Anca Paduraru – Tel.: +32 229 91269; Nicole Bockstaller – Tel.:+32 229 52589)

Commissioners Oettinger, Avramopoulos, Jourová and King to attend the Justice and Home Affairs Council

Commissioners Günther H. Oettinger, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Věra Jourová and Julian King will attend the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on 12 and 13 October. On Thursday, Justice Ministers are expected to formally agree to the setting up of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), a priority for the Juncker Commission. They will also discuss new rules on the confiscation and freezing of criminal assets and on the better exchange of criminal records of non-EU nationals through the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS). Ministers will additionally exchange views on the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation. A press conference is scheduled to take place at around 14:30 and will be broadcast on EbS. In the afternoon, a joint session of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers will be dedicated to criminal justice in cyberspace and the mid-term review of the JHA strategic guidelines. On Friday, Home Affairs Ministers will discuss the Commission proposals to preserve and strengthen Schengen, including the proposed amendment to update the rules for the reintroduction of temporary internal border controls and the introduction of stronger safeguards. Discussions will also take place on progress made on the reform of the Common European Asylum System. As regards the fight against terrorism, Ministers will also discuss cooperation with the intelligence community through the Counter-Terrorism Group. Over lunch, Ministers will discuss the latest developments in the area of migration, including the new resettlement scheme recommended by the Commission. A press conference will be web streamed in the afternoon. (For more information: Natasha Bertaud – Tel.: +32 229 67456; Tove Ernst – Tel.: +32 2 298 67 64; Christian Wigand Tel.: +32 2 29 62253)

Commissaire Avramopoulos à Luxembourg

Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissaire européen en charge de la migration, des affaires intérieures et de la citoyenneté, sera à Luxembourg demain, où il rencontrera le Premier Ministre Xavier Bettel et le Ministre des affaires étrangères et européennes et Ministre de l’immigration et de l’asile Jean Asselborn, pour discuter des questions relatives aux défis actuels de la migration, des frontières et de la sécurité. Le Commissaire Avramopoulos visitera aussi la ville de Schengen. Le lendemain, il rencontrera en début d’après-midi le vice Premier Ministre, Ministre de la sécurité intérieure,  Ministre de la défense et Ministre de l’économie, Etienne Schneider. (Pour plus d’informations: Natasha Bertaud – Tel.: +32 229 67456; Tove Ernst – Tel.: +32 229 86764; Markus Lammert – Tel.: +32 229 80423)

#BeActive Awards 2017 Cérémonie à Marseille

Le Commissaire Tibor Navracsics, chargé de l’éducation, de la culture, de la jeunesse et du sport, va inaugurer ce soir la cérémonie #BeActive Awards à Marseille, la capitale européenne du sport pour l’année 2017. La compétition du #BeActive Awards est un événement clé de la Semaine annuelle européenne du sport. Il existe trois catégories: le prix de l’éducation, le prix du lieu de travail et le prix du héros local, afin de récompenser différentes disciplines. Avant la cérémonie, Commissaire Navracsis a déclaré: “Je suis enchanté de participer à la cérémonie BeActive Award qui célèbre et présente des personnes et des initiatives venues de toute l’Europe, prêtes à promouvoir le sport et l’activité physique dans leurs communautés. La Semaine européenne du sport qui vient de se dérouler fut un grand succès avec 12 millions de citoyens participant à plus de 35 000 événements à travers l’Europe. Notre défi est désormais de faire en sorte que les Européens restent actifs et sains toute l’année. Le BeActive Award est une autre occasion de souligner le travail qui est réalisé dans cet objectif.” Vous pouvez trouver plus d’informations sur ce que l’UE fait en matière de sport ici. (Pour plus d’information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel.: +32 229 67083; Joseph Waldstein – Tel.: +32 229 56184; Julia-Henriette Bräuer – Tel.: +32 229 80707)

Le Premier Vice-Président Timmermans et la Commissaire Jourová participent au lancement de l’Index sur l’égalité des genres

La CommissaireVěra Jourová a participé ce matin à l’évènement de lancement de l’Index sur l’égalité des genres de l’Institut européen pour l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes. Cet index analyse différents facteurs, comme le travail, l’argent, le pouvoir, la santé ou la violence contre les femmes, afin d’évaluer la situation en matière d’égalité hommes/femmes en Europe. L’index montre qu’en dépit du progrès réalisé au cours des dernières années, ce  dernier progresse très lentement, puisque le score de tous les pays de l’Union européenne est maintenant de 66,2 sur 100, ce qui représente seulement une amélioration de quatre points en dix ans. La Commissaire Jourová a déclaré: “L’Union européenne est une bonne adresse pour les femmes. Mais nous devons encore franchir de nombreux obstacles avant d’atteindre l’égalité entre hommes et femmes.  Je m’inquiète des progrès lents que l’on observe ces dernières années. L’égalité entre hommes et femmes est un droit fondamental dans l’Union européenne. Et nos sociétés ne pourront prospérer que lorsque les hommes, les femmes, les jeunes garçons et jeunes filles peuvent pleinement profiter de leurs droits.” La Commissaire Jourová participera vers 13h à une conférence de presse en présence de Virginija Langbakk, directrice de l’Institut européen pour l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes, d’Åsa Regnér, Ministre des enfants, des personnes âgées et de l’égalité des genres de la Suède, et de Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Vice-Président du Parlement européen dans la salle de presse du Conseil (bâtiment Justus Lipsius). La conférence de presse sera aussi diffusée sur EbS. Le Premier Vice-Président Timmermans conclura la conférence à 16h45, par un discours qui sera retransmis ici. Le communiqué de presse sur l’Index sur l’égalité des genres est disponible en ligne. (Pour plus d’informations: Christian Wigand – Tel.: +32 229 62253; Mélanie Voin – Tel.: +32 229 58659; Tim McPhie   Tel.: +32 229 58602)

Upcoming events of the European Commission (ex-Top News)