Daily News 23 / 10 / 2020

Coronavirus: first rescEU ventilators dispatched to Czechia 

Following a request for assistance from Czechia, the EU is immediately sending a first batch of 30 ventilators from rescEU - the common European reserve of medical equipment set up earlier this year to help countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic. As President von der Leyen said yesterday: “Czechia is facing one of the most difficult situations in Europe right now. The number of coronavirus cases is rising rapidly. And it needs medical equipment to treat patients in hospitals. We do not leave our European friends alone in these hard times. The European Commission is mobilising medical material through our Civil Protection Mechanism. I just called the Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to tell him that we are dispatching rapidly to Czechia a set of 30 ventilators from our RescEU reserve. We created this reserve in record time in spring, to stockpile essential medical material that we can send to European countries in need. And we are in touch with other EU countries, to mobilise more ventilators for the Czech Republic. We are in this together.” Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, added: ”We have been working around the clock to avoid a repetition of the situation experienced at the end of February, when whole EU was overwhelmed in the fight against the pandemic. We created the rescEU medical reserve so no Member State is left alone when dealing with the same challenge. After already delivering protective face masks across Europe, this will be the first time the European Commission is dispatching ventilators from the EU level reserve." The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is in constant contact with authorities in Czech and more EU assistance can be channelled in the coming days via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, coming from Member States. In order to give Member States time to assess their response capacity and taking into account the gravity of the situation in the Czech Republic, the EU has proactively initiated the rescEU deployment of medical reserve. The full press release is available online. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 229 54578; Daniel Puglisi– Tel.: +32 229 69140)

Latest Eurobarometer survey (July-August): Economic situation is EU citizens' top concern in light of the coronavirus pandemic

In a troubled period marked by the coronavirus pandemic, trust in the EU remains stable and Europeans trust the EU to make the right decisions in response to the pandemic in the future. In the new Standard Eurobarometer survey released today, European citizens identify the economic situation, the state of Member States' public finances and immigration as the three most pressing concerns at EU level. Concern about the economic situation at the European level has not been this high since spring 2014. The economic situation is also the main concern at national level, followed by health and unemployment. Concern about the economic situation is notably reflected in the perception of the current state of the economy. 64% of Europeans think that the situation is ‘bad' and 42% of Europeans think that their country's economy will recover from the adverse effects of the coronavirus outbreak ‘in 2023 or later'. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, health (22%) is the fourth most mentioned concern at EU level. Moreover, Europeans are divided in their assessment of the measures taken by the EU to fight the pandemic overall (45% satisfied vs 44% not satisfied), while a majority of respondents in 19 Member States is satisfied with the measures taken by the EU in this context. However, 62% say they trust the EU to make the right decisions in the future, and 60% remain optimistic about the future of the EU. The most frequently mentioned priorities for the EU's response to the coronavirus pandemic are: establish a strategy for facing a similar crisis in the future and develop financial means to find a treatment or vaccine (each 37%). 30% think that developing a European health policy should be a priority. For more information and the full results, a full press release is available online. (For more information: Dana Spinant – Tel.: +32 229 90150)

President von der Leyen at the EU Green Week 2020: on the way to Kunming

Yesterday afternoon, President von der Leyen gave a speech at the closing session of the EU Green Week 2020. “Biodiversity is at the heart of [our] future and the future of our planet. There is no choice between nature on the one hand and the economy on the other. What is good for nature is good for the economy. Climate change and biodiversity loss are happening before our eyes. They amplify each other. The need to act has never been clearer. This is what is driving me as President of the European Commission.” In her speech, President von der Leyen called on all present to join forces to fight biodiversity loss and make Europe a global leader in this: “Today, we are calling on all to join our action to halt biodiversity loss. You are numerous today, coming from all parts of Europe, public and private sectors, small villages and big cities, start-ups, SMEs and multinationals. And there are more and more allies in the world: Development and humanitarian organisations; companies and cities; youth and faith organisations; and of course all countries and regions around the world who want to address biodiversity loss. We are teaming up. We are providing leadership to help us agree on a new Global Biodiversity Framework in Kunming next year. Global rules that are clear, measurable that allow us, to hold each other accountable. Let us act, each of us, with no delay. You can count on my commitment.” The full speech is available online here. (For more information: Eric Mamer – Tel.: +32 229 4073; Dana Spinant – Tel.: +32 229 90150)

Lutte contre le coronavirus : 1 milliard d'euros de la politique de cohésion européenne pour soutenir le redressement du Portugal

La Commission européenne a approuvé la modification de dix programmes opérationnels au Portugal, réorientant ainsi un total de plus d'un milliard d'euros des fonds de la politique de cohésion européenne, notamment le Fonds européen de développement régional (FEDER), le Fonds de cohésion (FC) et le Fonds social européen (FSE). Parallèlement à une augmentation temporaire du taux de cofinancement de l'UE à 100 % pour les projets de la politique de cohésion visant à lutter contre la pandémie de coronavirus, ces modifications permettront au pays de faire face aux effets néfastes de la crise du coronavirus sur l'économie en soutenant sa reprise. Elisa Ferreira, commissaire en charge de la cohésion et des réformes a déclaré à cet égard : « Comme beaucoup d'autres pays européens, grâce à ces modifications, le Portugal et ses régions ultrapériphériques vont stimuler leur redressement socio-économique et sanitaire. La réponse rapide et globale de la Commission à la crise du coronavirus prouve que lorsque nous coopérons et que nous sommes unis, nous sommes plus forts et capables de relever des défis inattendus. » Cette approche globale soutiendra notamment les investissements dans l'éducation et la santé (avec, par exemple, l'achat de tests et d'équipements de protection individuelle), la numérisation des écoles, le soutien aux petites et moyennes entreprises (PME), au secteur du tourisme et aux activités culturelles. Ces adaptations des programmes opérationnels pour le Portugal sont les premières, elles concernent sept régions (Algarve, Açores, Centre, Lisbonne, Madère, Norte, Alentejo) et trois programmes nationaux (Compete, SEUR, Assistance technique). Ces remaniements sont possibles grâce à la flexibilité exceptionnelle de l'initiative d'investissement dans la lutte contre les coronavirus (CRII) et de l'initiative d'investissement dans la lutte contre les coronavirus Plus (CRII+) qui permettent aux États membres d'utiliser les fonds de la politique de cohésion pour soutenir les secteurs les plus exposés en raison de la pandémie, tels que les soins de santé, les PME et le marché du travail. Un communiqué de presse est disponible ici. (Pour plus d'informations - Vivian Loonela - Tél : +32 229 66712 ; Veronica Favalli - Tél : +32 229 87269)

Trade defence: EU publishes a report on market distortions in Russia

Today, the Commission published a report on significant government-induced distortions in the economy of Russia. The factual report prepared for the purpose of the EU's trade defence proceedings focuses on Russia's macro-economy, the main production factors, such as labour and energy, as well as certain specific sectors of the economy, including steel, aluminium and chemicals. Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, said: “This report is the result of thorough research and provides fact-based evidence regarding aspects of the Russian economy that may be relevant in our anti-dumping investigations. Protecting our industries from unfair trade is crucial in the current international environment. Our anti-dumping legislation equips us with trade defence instruments fit for current challenges, while fully respecting our commitments under the World Trade Organization. Today's report is an additional instrument in our toolbox to combat unfair trade.” This is the second such report produced by the Commission following the introduction in 2017 of a new anti-dumping methodology. Country reports provide evidence that can be used by industry to request application of the new methodology to their particular case. The 2017 methodology establishes a new way of calculating anti-dumping duties for imports from countries where the economy is distorted by state interference. For more information, see the full announcement here. (For more information: Miriam Garcia Ferrer - Tel.: +32 229 99075, Kinga Malinowska - Tel.: +32 229 51383)

Agriculture : la Commission approuve une nouvelle indication géographique d'Italie

La Commission européenne a approuvé la demande d'inscription du « Pampepato di Terni »/ « Panpepato di Terni » d'Italie dans le registre des indications géographiques protégées (IGP). Le « Pampepato di Terni »/ « Panpepato di Terni » est un produit de boulangerie obtenu par la transformation de fruits secs, de chocolat, de raisins secs, de fruits confits, de cacao amer, de miel, de café, d'épices et de farine. Il est produit dans la province de Terni, en Ombrie, au centre de l'Italie. Le « Pampepato di Terni »/ « Panpepato di Terni », élaboré depuis des siècles à partir des denrées que l'on pouvait mettre de côté durant l'année, est le gâteau de Noël par excellence. Au fil du temps, l'élaboration de ce produit s'est développée pour devenir le symbole de la gastronomie de Terni pendant les fêtes de Noël. Cette nouvelle appellation va rejoindre près de 1500 produits alimentaires déjà protégés dont la liste est disponible dans la base de données eAmbrosia. Pour plus d'informations, voir aussi les pages sur la politique de qualité. (Pour plus d'informations: Miriam Garcia Ferrer – Tél.: +32 229 99075; Thérèse Lerebours – Tél.: +32 229 13963)

Concentrations: la Commission autorise l'acquisition du contrôle exclusif de Elsan par KKR

La Commission européenne a approuvé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l'acquisition du contrôle exclusif de Elsan Holding SAS (« Elsan »), basée en France, par KKR & Co. Inc. (« KKR »), basée aux États-Unis. Elsan est un groupe hospitalier qui gère des cliniques dans toute la France. KKR est une entreprise d'investissement mondiale qui offre à des investisseurs un large éventail de fonds non conventionnels et d'autres produits d'investissement et propose des services sur les marchés des capitaux pour elle-même, les sociétés qu'elle détient en portefeuille et des tiers. La Commission a conclu que l'opération envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problème de concurrence en raison de son impact limité sur le marché. L'opération a été examinée dans la cadre de la procédure simplifiée du contrôle des concentrations. 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.9960. (Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tél.: +32 229 90526)

CALENDRIER – activités hebdomadaires des commissaires

Eurostat: communiqués de presse