Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
SPIDLA QUESTIONNAIRE
BY DAVID HAWORTH
THE FORMER Czech prime minister and would-be European Commissioner for Employment, Vladimir Spidla, was given high marks by MEPs during a three hour grilling on his suitability for the job at the European Parliament last week. He stoutly defended the European Union’s (EU) so-called left-leaning “social model” while insisting that its application should be more flexible in future.…
EUROSTAT - EMPLOYMENT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRITAIN’S current strong performance in employing its citizens in general, and offering part-time jobs in particular, has been confirmed by a Eurostat report placing the UK above most other European countries. In a comparative study on employment rates, (rather than unemployment), the European Union (EU) statistical agency said 17.4% of Britons were in part-time employment, a larger proportion than in any other EU country, except in the Netherlands, where it is 32.8%.…
ANDREASON HEARINGS
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE European Commission’s former chief accountant Marta Andreasen says she would “certainly” take her old job back if offered but admitted the prospect was “unrealistic” as her disciplinary proceedings wind towards an imminent conclusion. Ms Andreasen was suspended two years ago after airing criticisms of the Commission’s accounting practices.…
KALLAS APPOINTMENT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE NEW European Commission taking office from November will include for the first time a Commissioner specifically dedicated to fighting European Union (EU) fraud and handling audits. New Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has appointed an Estonian, Silim Kallas, a former prime minister and finance minister.…
EU-SWITZERLAND DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A DETAILED agreement on mutual cooperation against fraud has been negotiated between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland. The deal now awaits confirmation from the Swiss federal parliament and the EU Council of Ministers before it comes into affect, probably next year.…
EU SOFTWARE PIRACY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A REPORT from market analysts IDC has revealed 37% of business programmes used in the EU are pirated. The study, involving 5,600 interviews, identified Greece as having the worst problem, with 63% of business software being pirated, followed by Poland and Lithuania (58%), Latvia (57%) and Estonia 54%.…
ROMANIAN COURT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ROMANIA was to inaugurate its first specialised commercial court on October 1, part of a process to match the country’s legal system with norms in the European Union (EU). The business court will be staffed with eight judges, seven clerks and four support staff (including an IT specialist).…
EU FRAUD REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE LATEST European Commission report on fraud and irregularities regarding European Union (EU) programmes and spending indicates a significant decrease in dishonest and incompetent handling of money in 2003. However, Brussels officials told Fraud Intelligence that the figures should be viewed cautiously, because they only indicate declining reports of fraud and irregularities from member states.…
ECJ - PROGESTERONE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has dismissed claims for damages brought by livestock hormone producers CEVA Santé animale SA and Pfizer Enterprises over claims that the European Commission took too long to rule on the safety of its progesterone product.…
NEW EU FOOD SAFETY BODY CREATED
BY ALAN OSBORN
A new and potentially influential advisory body concerned with food safety in the European Union has been set up by the European Commission. The Advisory Group on the Food Chain and Animal and Plant Health will mirror the reach of the Commission’s “farm to fork” food safety policies by including in its membership the food production and processing industries, retailers and farmers.…