Midday Express
· Commission welcomes the Naples charter for promoting better Transeuropean transport infrastructure in the enlarged EU
During the informal Transport Ministers Council, which took place in Naples on 4-5 July 2003, main issues about
Transeuropean transport network (TEN-T) were discussed for the first time at the pan-European level. At the end if this
meeting, the Italian Presidency presented a charter of Naples, aiming at developing the European dimension of main
infrastructures and giving more impetus to the transport network. Loyola de Palacio, European Commission vice-president
in charge of transport and energy, welcomed strongly the results of this Informal Council : "This charter highlights the
need of an important commitment in favour of the development of the Transeuropean Transport network, which is a major
condition of European competitiveness : it is high time we take the crucial decisions which will commit our future for
the next twenty years." The charter of Naples welcomes the intention of the Commission to rapidly present a proposal to
revise the TEN-T guidelines and invites the Commission to further develop the details of the options for new financing.
"There are various possibilities, like the long-term loans by the EIB, the setting-up of a mutual guarantee fund, the
promotion of public-private partnerships or the opening of possibilities of crossed subsidies in sensitive regions. But,
as the Commission Prodi made clear in the last years, there is no doubt that we will face important choices to increase
significantly the share of the budget for transport infrastructure", Ms de Palacio added.
· Commission successfully concludes farm talks with Israel
The European Commission and Israel initialled an agreement concerning new reciprocal liberalisation measures in the
agricultural sector. On the basis of the outcome of the negotiations, most of the agricultural trade from both sides
will be liberalised (preferential treatment with or without quotas). Before entering into force, the deal has to be
adopted by the EU Member States.
· Midterm meeting of high level group on patient mobility
Health ministers from most Member States will attend a meeting hosted by the European Commission in Brussels today to
continue an informal high level process of reflection on the question of patient mobility which was launched in February
this year. The reflection process seeks to produce a coherent political response to a range of issues affecting
healthcare systems including recent European Court of Justice judgements (see IP/01/995) on the right of patients to
have their national healthcare system pay for treatment received in another Member State. The aim is to produce a set of
conclusions by the end of 2003. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne will be chairing the meeting.
Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein will also participate and Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou will be
represented by Odile Quintin, Director General for Employment and Social Affairs. Observers from the acceding countries
will also attend. This is the midterm meeting of the reflection process which will review the work accomplished so far
by the working groups on European collaboration, information, access and quality and reconciling national objectives and
European obligations.
· Winners of eEurope awards for eGovernment 2003 announced at Ministerial Conference
The three top prize winners for the eEurope awards for eGovernment Applications were announced today by European
Commissioner Erkki Liikanen, in a formal ceremony held in the presence of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Lucio
Stanca, Italian Minister for Innovation and Technology. This ceremony was watched by some 30 Ministers attending the
European eGovernment Conference at Villa Erba, beside Lake Como in Italy.