Bulletin of the European Union

Secretariat-General European Commission

Description

7/8, 2001
Activities of the institutions and bodies
Target audience: Specialised/Technical

Sujets

• Periodical publication
• Union européenne
• Economie gestion

Informations

• Publié par: SECRETARIAT-GENERAL-EUROPEAN-COMMISSION
• Nombre de lectures: 9
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

ISSN 0378-3693
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
L L Ε Τ I
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
7/8 · 2001 The Bulletin of the European Union reports on the activities of the Commission and the other Community
institutions. It is produced by the Secretariat-General of the European Commission and published
10 times a year in the official European languages.
The following reference system is used: the first digit indicates the part number, the second digit the
chapter number and the subsequent digit or digits the point number. Citations should therefore read as
follows: Bull. 1/2-1994, point 1.1.1 or 2.2.3.
The Bulletin is also available on the Europa server
(http://europa.eu.int/abc/doc/off/bull/en/welcome.htm).
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Editorial team: rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200 — B-1049 Brussels — Tel. [phone]
Sent to press in October 2001
© European Communities, 2001
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Belgium EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Β U L L Ε Τ I
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
7/8 Φ 2001 Bulletin information service
Readers can obtain information on developments since this issue went to press (date of adop­
tion of instruments by the Council, of opinions given by Parliament or the Economic and
Social Committee, of publication in the Official Journal, etc.) by telephoning the documenta­
tion service of the Commission Offices on the following numbers:
London (44-20)72 22 81 22
Belfast (44-28) 90 24 07 08
Cardiff (44-29)20 37 16 31
Edinburgh (44-131)225 20 58
Dublin (353-1)671 22 44
References in the text s to other parts of the same issue of the Bulletin are given in parentheses in text,
thus (-> point 2.1.53).
Abbreviations
Publications cited in tin this Bulle
Bull. Bulletin of the European Union
Supplement — Bull. Supplement to the Bulletin of the European Union
General Report General Report on the Activities of the European Union
Currencies
Austrian schilling ATS
BEF Belgian franc
DEM German mark
DKK Danish krone
ESP Spanish peseta
FIM Finnish markka
FRF French franc
GBP Pound sterling
GRD Greek drachma
IEP Irish pound
ITL Italian lira
LUF Luxembourg franc
NLG Dutch guilder
PTE Portuguese escudo
SEK Swedish krona
USD United States dollar Contents
Activities in July/August 2001 Part One
News in brief
Institutional questions and the future of the Union 7
Human rights 10
The Community economic and social area 14
14 Economic and monetary policy
14 Statistical system
16 Employment and social policy
18 Equal opportunities
18 Internal market
23 Competition
37 Enterprise
38 Research and technology
38 Information society
39 Economic and social cohesion
43 Agriculture
45 Fisheries
Citizenship and quality of life 49
Area of freedom, security and justice 49
Education and culture 52
Environment 53
Energy 56
Transport 58
Health and consumer protection 59
Enlargement 63
Role of the Union in the world 65
Common foreign and security policy 65
International organisations and conferences 74
Common commercial policy 78
Development cooperation 84
Humanitarian aid 84
Relations with the Western Balkans 85 s with the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East
Independent States of the former Soviet Union; Mongolia United States. Japan and other industrialised countries 89
Asia 89
Latin America 91
91 ACP countries and OCTs
92 Diplomatic relations
Financing Community activities, resource management 93
Budgets 93
Community law 101
Monitoring the application of Community law 101
Decisions by the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance 108
Community institutions 116
European Parliament 116
Council 117
Commission 120
Court of Auditors 122
123 European Investment Bank
126 Economic and Social Committee
Part Two Documentation
1 The euro 128
2 Additional references in the Official Journal 129
3 Corrigenda 131
4 Index 132 PART ONE
ACTIVITIES
IN JULY/AUGUST 2001 News in brief
D Governance: the Commission adopts a White Paper on European governance (—» point 1.1.2).
D Employment and social policy: the Commission adopts a communication supporting na­
tional strategies for safe and sustainable pensions through an integrated approach (—» point
1.3.14), a Green Paper promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility
(—> point 1.3.15) and a communication promoting core labour standards and improving social gov­
ernance in the context of globalisation (—> point 1.6.36).
D Data protection: the Commission adopts a proposal for a decision on the regulations and gen­
eral conditions for the performance of the duties of the European data protection supervisor
(-> point 1.3.36).
D Financial services: the Commission adopts a proposal for a regulation on cross-border pay­
ments in euro (—> point 1.3.30).
D Taxation: the Commission adopts a proposal for a directive to ensure effective taxation of
savings income in the form of interest payments within the Community (—» point 1.3.32).
D Pharmaceutical legislation: the Commission adopts various legislative proposals (—> point
1.3.24).
D Area of freedom, security and justice: the Commission adopts a communication on an open
method of coordination for immigration policy (—> point 1.4.4) and a proposal for a directive on
the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of paid employ­
ment (—» point 1.4.3).
D Education: the Commission adopts a communication on strengthening cooperation with third
countries in the field of higher education (—» point 1.4.16).
D Environment: a conference on climate change is held in Bonn (—> point 1.4.28).
D Genetically modified organisms: the Commission adopts a proposal for a regulation con­
cerning traceability and labelling of GMOs (—> point 1.4.40) and a proposal for a regulation on ge­
netically modified food and feed (—> point 1.4.39).
D Enlargement: the Commission adopts a communication on the impact of enlargement on re­
gions bordering candidate countries (—> point 1.5.1 ).
D G7/G8: the 27th Western Economic Summit is held in Genoa (-» point 1.6.99).
Bull. EU 7/8-2001 1. Institutional questions and the future
of the Union
to improve the effectiveness of EU policies by Treaty of Nice
combining formal legislation with non-legislative
and self-regulatory solutions, thereby simplifying
and speeding up the legislative process; and to re-
Luxembourg
focus the roles and responsibilities of each institu­
tion. Reference: Treaty of Nice: OJ C 80, 10.3.2001;
Bull. 1/2-2001, point 1.1.1
Refocusing of the institutions, accompanied by
reinvigoration of the Community method, is at the /././. Ratification law signed by the Grand Duke
heart of the proposed changes. This should lead Henri on 1 August, following the approval given
to: more targeted use by the Commission of its by the Chambre des Députés on 12 July (57 votes
right of initiative; EU legislation which is stripped for, 1 against and 2 abstentions).
back to essential principles; and more effective
involvement of national and regional actors in the Detailed information on the Treaty of Nice and
shaping, application and enforcement of Commu­the ratification situation can be found on the
nity rules and programmes. Internet: (http://europa.eu.int/comm/nice_treaty/
index_en.htm).
The Commission proposes also that the Union's
future political organisation be geared to separa­
tion of powers between the legislature and the ex­
Governance
ecutive, with clear principles identifying how
competence should be shared between the Union
1.1.2. Commission White Paper on European
and its Member States.
governance.
In the next phase, the Commission will launch a
References:
consultative process which will run until the end
Treaty of Nice: OJ C 80, 10.3.2001; Bull.
of March 2002. By the end of 2002, it will report 1/2-2001, point 1.1.1
on the progress made and draw lessons from the Debate on the future of Europe: Bull. 3-2001,
White Paper consultation. These reflections will point 1.1.3
be enhanced by the wider process of constitu­
tional reform to be initiated at the Laeken Euro­Adopted on 25 July. In this White Paper, the Com­
pean Council in December 2001. mission proposes major changes aimed at open­
ing up the policy-making process to get more peo­
ple and organisations involved in shaping and Detailed information on governance can be found on
delivering EU policies. Five principles (openness, the Internet (http://europa.eu.int/comm/governance/
participation, accountability, effectiveness and index_en.htm).
coherence) underpin the proposals contained in COM(2001)428
the White Paper. The objectives sought by the
Commission are: to structure the relati