Thursday, 16 June, 2016
Statement by Commissioner Andriukaitis on the political agreement reached on the EU proposal for
revising the provisions on official controls along the food chain
"I welcome the political agreement reached yesterday, Wednesday 15 June, at the last trilogue between the
co-legislators on the Official Controls proposal. This brings us a step closer towards smarter rules for the
enforcement of agri-food legislation. The EU is equipping itself with a simpler and more effective control
system in the areas of food and feed safety rules, veterinary and phytosanitary requirements, organic
production and protected geographical indication rules. This regulation is part of a comprehensive package
which includes major reviews to improve both animal and plant health legislation," said Commissioner
Andriukaitis. The full statement is available online.
The June infringements package: Commission acts for full, proper and timely implementation of EU
law for the benefit of citizens and businesses
To help citizens and businesses benefit fully from the internal market, the European Commission
continuously engages with and, if necessary, initiates infringement procedures against Member States which
do not respect European law. The European Commission also closes pending cases where the Member State
concerned, in cooperation with the Commission, has solved the problem and ensured compliance with EU
law, thus rendering a referral to the Court of Justice of the EU unnecessary. This month, as part of its
monthly package of infringement decisions, the Commission took a number of decisions (including on 2
letters of formal notice, 11 reasoned opinions, 5 referrals to the Court of Justice of the EU, and on 44
closures). A summary of the key decisions as well as the contact details of the relevant Spokespeople and
the corresponding press releases can be found in the fact sheet. On the general EU infringement procedure, a
memo is also available here.
Aviation: Commission updates the EU Air Safety List
Today the European Commission updated the EU Air Safety List, the list of airlines that do not meet
international safety standards, and are therefore subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within
the European Union. Following today's update, all airlines certified in Zambia are cleared from the list,
along with Air Madagascar and three airlines certified in Indonesia (Citilink, Lion Air and Batik Air). In
addition most aircraft of Iran Air are allowed to resume operations to the EU. EU Commissioner for
Transport Violeta Bulc said: "Aviation safety is my top priority and today's update illustrates our continuous
efforts to offer the highest level of air safety to European citizens. I am happy to say that after seven years of
work and extensive European technical assistance, we were able to clear all Zambian air carriers from the
list (…) I am happy to announce that we are now also able to allow most aircraft from Iran Air back into
European skies." More information is available in a press release in here
EU reaches political deal to curb trade in conflict minerals
The EU has reached a political understanding on a framework to stop the financing of armed groups through
trade in conflict minerals, after negotiations between the Commission, Council and Parliament. The
framework aims for EU companies to source tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold responsibly - minerals which
are typically used in everyday products such as mobile phones, cars and jewellery. "This political
understanding on conflict minerals will help trade to work for peace and prosperity, in communities and
areas around the globe affected by armed conflict", said EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström.
Communities in conflict-affected areas currently face great hardship when mining revenues are captured to
fund needless wars and the abuses of human rights that go with them. The EU approach builds upon the
OECD Due Diligence Guidance for responsible mineral sourcing and carries clear obligations for the critical
"upstream" part of the conflict minerals supply chain, including smelters and refiners, to source responsibly.
The vast majority of metals and minerals imported to the EU will be covered, while exempting small volume
importers from these obligations. In addition, the Commission will carry out a number of other measures including the development of reporting tools - to further boost supply chain due diligence by large and
smaller EU companies that use these metals and minerals as components in goods. Today's political
understanding sets the Regulation on track for technical work and final adoption in the coming months. A
press release is available here.
Preparation of the Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings, Luxembourg 16-17 June
Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Moscovici will represent the European Commission at
today's Eurogroup meeting in Luxembourg. The Eurogroup will discuss the IMF’s annual review and
recommendation to the euro area, inflation and exchange rate developments as well as the sustainability of
pensions systems in the euro area. Commissioner Moscovici will participate in the press
conference concluding the meeting. Vice-President Dombrovskis, Commissioner Moscovici and
Commissioner Hill will represent the Commission at the ECOFIN meeting tomorrow, where the agenda will
cover corporate tax avoidance, the Banking Union, the Financial Transaction Tax, the European Fund for
Strategic Investments (EFSI) and VAT. More specifically, Member States will be asked to agree on farreaching new rules to tackle loopholes which some multinational companies use to avoid paying their fair
share of tax. An exchange of views will be held on a roadmap to strengthen the Banking Union, which will
be presented by the Dutch Presidency. Ministers will also be updated on the current state-of-play on the
ongoing enhanced cooperation procedure towards a Financial Transaction Tax, following today's meeting of
the ten participating Member States.Ministers will discuss the latest economic package comprising the
Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) and countries that would exit the Excessive Deficit Procedure
(Cyprus, Ireland, Slovenia). They will also take stock of the first stage of deepening the Economic and
Monetary Union in view of the upcoming European Council. The Commission will set out its first
assessment of requests for a derogation to put in place a reverse charge mechanism for VAT in certain
countries. It will also present the first results of the European Fund for Strategic Investments
(EFSI), following the June 1 Communication Taking stock of the Investment Plan for Europe and next steps.
Ministers will also take stock of EU progress in fighting terrorist financing. VicePresident Dombrovskis will participate in the press conference immediately after the meeting.
New EU Support for Somalia, Kenya and Mauritius announced during European Development Days
Today is the second and final day of the European Development Days (EDDs). During the event, EU
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, is expected to announce
new support to Somalia worth €73 million and to sign the National Indicative Programme from the 11th
European Development Fund for Mauritius. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis
Management, Christos Stylianides, will launch today the European Commission's action plan to implement
the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and participate in the EU Resilience Forum, an event
during which ways to address the root causes of vulnerability and to implement resilience support in
particular in the context of forced displacement, will be discussed. Vice-President of the European
Commission for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen,will talk about investment
as a catalyst for development in a panel on "New financing models for a new development agenda." Finally,
a group of "Young Leaders"' will meet First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner
Mimica, after taking part in a panel on the 2030 Agenda and the implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals. More information is available in the press release.
Strategic partnership between the EU and UN Women reconfirmed
High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini, Commissioner for International Cooperation and
Development Neven Mimica and Executive Director for UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, yesterday
signed a Statement reconfirming the strategic partnership between the EU and UN Women, established in
2012. In the margins of the European Development Days they recommitted to continue working together
and stepping up efforts for gender equality and women's empowerment worldwide. Watch the signature
ceremony here. The text of the Statement can be found here.
Commissioner Andriukaitis: lack of awareness on antimicrobial resistance highlights the need to
intensify EU action
As part of its wider strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the European Commission is
publishing a Special Eurobarometer survey, showing a decrease of 6% in the consumption of antibiotics, but
at the same time a persistent lack of awareness of their effects. "The Eurobarometer shows that there is an
issue of awareness. For instance, 57% of citizens are unaware that antibiotics are ineffective against
viruses. This obviously has consequences on the use of antibiotics. I would like the EU to be the best
practice region in the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), giving a stronger push to research for the
development of new antibiotics, as well as alternatives to antimicrobials. The EU should also continue its
global involvement in fighting AMR. We are supporting Member States' efforts, using our competencies and
tools with a one health approach, encompassing both human and animal health. And this is what the
Commission has been doing through its Action Plan to combat AMR since 2011. I look forward to seeing all
Member States have an Action Plan on AMR in place by next year. I am confident this will help to tackle the
issue. We really need action on this urgently!" said Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis
Andriukaitis. A full press release and the Eurobarometer are available online. )
Cohesion Policy at work: evaluation of the 2007-2013 period now underway
Today, Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Creţu is in Bulgaria and is participating in the 7th European
Evaluation Conference in Sofia, where the first findings of the evaluation of Cohesion Policy in the 20072013 period are discussed. "A lot happened during this funding period; we were hit by the biggest economic
and financial crisis the Union has ever known. We welcomed three new EU Member States. And we adopted
an ambitious set of goals to be met by 2020, the Europe 2020 strategy. This evaluation exercise helps us
assess how Cohesion Policy managed to adapt to these demanding circumstances," said Commissioner
Creţu. "This evaluation feeds into our reflection on the future of the policy. We did the same when we
reformed Cohesion Policy for 2014-2020, with further concentration on key, growth-generating areas, such
as support to small businesses or R&D. Now we are focusing on further simplification, greater flexibility,
stronger administrative capacity and on the performance of our investments, also in the perspective of the
post-2020 framework," she added. In 2007-2013, Cohesion Policy funds helped create 1 million jobs across
the EU and directly supported almost 250,000 SMEs. More information on the first findings of the
evaluation is available here.
Mergers: Commission clears joint acquisition of an Italian real estate asset by SEGRO and PSPIB
The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of joint control
over Torino DC1, an Italian real estate asset, by SEGRO plc of the UK and Public Sector Pension
Investment Board ("PSPIB") of Canada via their joint venture SEGRO European Logistics Partnership.
Torino DC1 is located in Brandizzo, in Italy and comprises a plot of land and a distribution centre/logistics
building currently under construction. Torino DC1’s asset will be let to the retailer Decathlon. SEGRO is a
real estate investment trust that owns, manages and develops modern warehousing, light industrial and data
centre properties. PSPIB invests the pension plans of the Canadian public sector in a diversified global
portfolio including stocks, bonds, private equity, real estate, infrastructure and natural resources. The
Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns because of its
very limited impact on the market structure. 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.8052.
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Obiettivo Lavoro by Randstad
The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of the Obiettivo
Lavoro Group S.r.l. of Italy by Randstad Holding N.V. of the Netherlands. Both companies provide
temporary employment, permanent placement and other HR-related services. Their activities overlap in
Italy. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns,
because of the companies' limited market position and because of the takeover's very limited impact on the
market structure. 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.8066.
EUROSTAT: Asylum in the EU Member States - Number of first time asylum seekers down to fewer
than 290 000 in the first quarter of 2016 - More than 1 out of 3 continued to come from Syria
During the first quarter of 2016 (from January to March 2016), 287 100 first time asylum seekers applied for
international protection in the Member States of the European Union (EU), down by 33% compared with
the fourth quarter of 2015 (when 426 000 first time applicants were registered). Full text available on
EUROSTAT website.
EUROSTAT: May 2016 - Annual inflation up to -0.1% in the euro area and in the EU
Euro area annual inflation was -0.1% in May 2016, up from -0.2% in April. In May 2015 the rate was
0.3%. European Union annual inflation was also -0.1% in May 2016, up from -0.2% in April. A year
earlier the rate was 0.3%. These figures come from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Full text available on EUROSTAT website
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HR/VP Mogherini to host EU-G5 Sahel meeting in Brussels
High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini will host the latest EU-G5
Sahel meeting on 17 June, with Foreign Ministers from the G5 Sahel countries: Mali, Mauritania, Niger,
Burkina Faso and Chad. This second meeting of its kind is part of the strengthened dialogue and cooperation
HR/VP Mogherini is promoting with these countries on key issue areas of shared interest such as security,
migration, terrorism, the humanitarian situation and development. The event will open with a plenary
session held together with Commissioners Avramopoulos, Mimica and Stylianides, as well as the VicePresident of the European Investment Bank to discuss the EU's support to the region. The EU has recently
announced support for the Sahel region under the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. HR/VP Mogherini will
also attend a youth event gathering some 45 young people from the Sahel, to foster exchanges and debate on
how the EU can best support youth in Sahel countries. In 2015 the HR/VP visited Niger and Chad. A press
conference will take place tomorrow at 13:00 in the EEAS building (Brussels).
EURO 2016 – European Commission launches #SupportRefugees campaign
Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, the European Commission has launched the #SupportRefugees
campaign during the EURO 2016 football championship, with the support of international football stars
Marouane Fellaini and Anja Mittag as goodwill ambassadors. The information campaign has one key aim: to
raise awareness of the situation of the 60 million displaced men, women and children worldwide and the
support they are being provided. "For millions of fans, football is their life. For millions of refugees, life is
about survival. Sports and especially football have a long heritage of promoting good causes and socially
constructive messages. The footballers – who have given their time freely for the campaign – will help us to
spread the word about the positive and important work the EU is doing to support refugees." said EU
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides. In 2016, the European
Union is providing over €1 billion in lifesaving humanitarian assistance for refugees worldwide. This
funding provides vital access to shelter, food, healthcare, sanitation, education and other essential services.
Watch the video here. Read more about the campaign on the website
MEX/16/2235
Upcoming Events.
16 June: The Commission adopts its monthly infringements package The European Commission will
adopt its monthly infringements package. These decisions seek to enforce EU law across Europe so that
citizens and businesses can benefit fully from the internal market.
30 June-Friday 1 July: College travels to Bratislava to meet with the Slovak Presidency of the
Council of the EU On 30 June and 1 July, the College of Commissioners is travelling to Bratislava for
its traditional visit to the incoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which in the second
semester of 2016 will be held by the Slovak Republic. President Juncker and the Commission Members
will discuss the priorities of the Slovak Presidency during a plenary session with the Slovak government.
Before participating in a plenary meeting of the National Council – the Slovak Parliament – the College
will engage in four cluster meetings with members of the Slovak government, grouped around the themes:
external relations, security, migration and justice; energy and climate policy, transport and natural
resources; growth, competitiveness and internal market; and the EU Budget, Economic and Monetary
Union, and the social agenda
Find out here what will be discussed next week in the
European Commission, the European Council and the
European Parliament.