President Juncker at the G20 in Hamburg: warns against protectionism

President Jean-Claude Juncker and Commissioner Pierre Moscovici are attending the G20 Summit in Hamburg today and tomorrow. Under the German G20 Presidency, the G20 nations will be meeting under the motto “Shaping an interconnected world”. This morning, President Juncker and President of the European Council, Donald Tusk held a joint press conference ahead of the start of the G20 Summit. Speaking of the global economy outlook, President Juncker said: “This year, we are meeting with the wind in our sails. All 28 Member States of the EU are growing. Since 2013, ten million jobs have been created in the European Union. We have the lowest unemployment in nine years […]. There are 233 million Europeans at work – the highest employment rate we have ever had in the European Union.” President Juncker also said that “going back to protectionism is not the way ahead,” instead, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement concluded yesterday, was the right way forward, adding that this agreement takes account of all European interests and high standards related to labour, environment and data protection. President Juncker underlined the importance of a partnership with Africa and described climate change as “the biggest challenge for the future”. Concrete G20 commitments in support of Africa are central to the Summit. Work at G20 Summit will take place in four working sessions on: 1. Global Growth and Trade; 2. Sustainable Development, Climate and Energy; 3. Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health and 4. Digitalisation, Women’s Empowerment and Employment. The EU’s priorities for the G20 Summit are outlined in the joint letter by Presidents Juncker and Tusk sent to EU Heads of State or Government on 4 July. President Juncker’s press remarks are available here. (For more information: Margaritis Schinas – Tel.: +32 229 60524; Mina Andreeva – Tel.: +32 229 91382)

 

EU boosts aid to drought affected countries in the Horn of Africa

The European Commission has announced additional humanitarian assistance of €60 million to help people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, who have been facing critical levels of food insecurity due to severe drought. This additional assistance brings EU humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa region (including Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti) to nearly €260 million since the beginning of the year.  “The situation in Horn of Africa has drastically deteriorated in 2017 and it keeps getting worse. Millions of people are struggling to meet their and their families’ food needs. The risk of famine is real. The European Union has been following the situation closely since the very beginning and progressively increasing aid to the affected populations. This new package will help our humanitarian partners scale up the response further and keep bringing lifesaving assistance to people in need,” said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. The newly announced EU assistance will support humanitarian partners already responding to the needs of the affected populations to step up emergency food assistance and treatment of malnutrition. Projects addressing water supply, livestock protection and response to outbreaks will also be supported. The bulk of the funding (€40 million) will go to help the most vulnerable in Somalia, while €15 million will go to Ethiopia and €5 million to Kenya. (For more information: Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela – Tel.: +32 229 65322; Christina Wunder – Tel.: +32 229 92256)

Les principaux défis de la future Politique Agricole Commune identifiés par la consultation publique

La Commission a présenté aujourd’hui, le 7 juillet, les résultats de la consultation publique sur “la modernisation et la simplification de la Politique Agricole Commune (PAC)”. Le Commissaire à l’agriculture, Phil Hogan, a ouvert la conférence consacrée aux enseignements de la consultation et a déclaré à cette occasion: “Nous vivons aujourd’hui une autre étape importante vers l’avenir de la Politique Agricole Commune et il s’agit là d’une opportunité pour les parties prenantes de contribuer encore plus au débat en cours. La réaction du public à la consultation démontre le niveau d’intérêt qui existe pour la PAC, qui est une politique qui continue de soutenir un secteur agricole dynamique, d’assurer la production d’aliments sûrs et de grande qualité aux 508 millions de citoyens européens et d’investir massivement dans les zones rurales.” Les citoyens européens estiment que la politique agricole doit continuer à être gérée au niveau de l’UE et que le soutien aux agriculteurs et la protection de l’environnement devraient être ses principaux objectifs. Voici ce qu’il ressort principalement de la consultation publique qui aura reçu au cours de trois mois plus de 322 000 contributions d’un large éventail de parties prenantes, dont des agriculteurs, des citoyens à titre individuel, des ONGs, et autres. Les résultats de la consultation et l’analyse de terrain réalisée par la Commission seront utilisés pour élaborer une Communication qui contiendra des propositions législatives concrètes pour moderniser et simplifier la PAC. Un communiqué de presse est en ligne et les présentations de la conférence sont également disponibles en ligne. (For more information: Daniel Rosario – Tel.: +32 229 56185; Clémence Robin – Tel: +32 229 52509)

Agriculture: the Commission approves new geographical indication from Poland

The Commission has approved today the addition of one new product from Poland to the quality register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI). ‘Kiełbasa biała parzona wielkopolska’ is a pork sausage produced in the Wielkopolskie, Lubuskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie Provinces. The only seasonings used are salt, pepper, garlic and marjoram, which dominates. ‘Kiełbasa biała parzona wielkopolska’ grew so much in popularity over time that butchers began to produce it outside the festive seasons. It can be served fried in lard with onions and finely chopped sour apples or grilled. Throughout Wielkopolska, ‘kiełbasa biała parzona wielkopolska’ is served in a traditional soup called żurek. This new denomination will be added to the list of over 1,400 products already protected. More information: webpages on quality products and DOOR database of protected products. (For more information: Daniel Rosario – Tel: +32 229 56 185; Clémence Robin – Tel: +32 229)

Concentrations: la Commission approuve la prise de contrôle conjoint de CDPR par PGA et le groupe Bernard

La Commission européenne a approuvé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, la prise de contrôle conjoint de CDPR par la société PGA Group SAS et la société Bernard Participation SAS (Groupe Bernard), toutes basées en France. CDPR est active dans la distribution au détail de pièces de rechange d’origine PSA pour les véhicules automobiles particuliers et commerciaux et non d’origine pour tout type de véhicules. PGA est active dans la distribution au détail d’automobiles et de pièces de rechanges en France, en Pologne, aux Pays-Bas, en Belgique, en Espagne et en Italie. Le Groupe Bernard exploite diverses concessions d’automobiles et de camions en France. La Commission a conclu que l’opération envisagée ne soulevait pas de problème de concurrence compte tenu du caractère limité des parts de marché des sociétés et du nombre conséquent de concurrents présent sur les marchés concernés. La transaction a été examinée dans le cadre de la procédure simplifiée du contrôle des concentrations. Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez consulter le registre public des affaires de concurrence sur le site web de la Commission consacré à la concurrence, sous le numéro M.8491. (Pour plus d’informations: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Sarantopoulou – Tel.: +32 229 13740)

 

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of SAVE by DAAM, InfraVia and FIH

The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of SAVE S.p.A. of Italy, by Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (Global) Limited (DAAM) of the UK, InfraVia Capital Partners of France, and Finanziaria Internazionale Holding S.p.A. (FIH) of Italy. SAVE, which is currently controlled by FIH, operates mainly in the airport management business. DAAM, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, is a management company that provides investment management and fund management services. InfraVia is an independent investment manager dedicated to the infrastructure sectors, including transportation, environment, energy and social infrastructure. FIH is a financial company active in investment banking and asset management, business process outsourcing, and proprietary investments. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, because SAVE is not active in the same market as its new parents. In addition, the relationships between the ground handling services that SAVE provides at some of the airports it manages and the supply of ground support equipment by TCR, which is one of DAAM’s portfolio companies, would only have a marginal impact on the market structure. The transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.8470. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Sarantopoulou – Tel.: +32 229 13740)

Mergers: Commission clears creation of a joint venture by Gasunie, Vopak and Oiltanking

The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of joint control over a newly created joint venture by Gasunie LNG Holding B.V., Vopak LNG Holding B.V., both of the Netherlands, and Oiltanking GmbH of Germany. The joint venture will own and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Northern Germany. Gasunie is a European gas infrastructure company which owns and operates the Dutch transmission system and an LNG terminal in the Netherlands. Vopak is an independent tank storage provider, operating two LNG import terminals in the Netherlands and in Mexico. Oiltanking is an independent storage services provider for petroleum products, chemical gases and dry bulk. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns because the companies are not active in the same product and geographic markets, or in a market which is upstream or downstream from those markets. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.8484.  (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Sarantopoulou – Tel.: +32 229 13740)

Eurostat: Des régions d’Espagne, de France et d’Italie destinations touristiques phares dans l’UE

Dans l’Union européenne (UE), le tourisme est avant tout une affaire intérieure. Environ 90% des nuitées touristiques dans l’UE sont le fait de résidents des États membres, ce qui signifie que les touristes des pays hors-UE ne représentent que quelque 10% du total. Et lorsqu’ils sont en voyage, les résidents de l’UE passent près de 85% de leurs nuitées au sein même de l’UE, contre à peine plus de 15% dans des destinations extra-UE. Un communiqué de presse est disponible ici. (Pour plus d’informations: Lucia Caudet – Tel.: +32 229 56182; Mirna Talko – Tel.: +32 229 87278)

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