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.
EBRD - RUSSIAN BAUXITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is expected next month to rubber stamp plans to lend two Russian SUAL group companies US$75 million to expand production at a bauxite mine and begin work on developing a related alumina refinery and aluminium smelter.…
EASTERN ENERGY TAXATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EASTERN and southern European countries who joined the European Union (EU) on May 1 have been granted requested stays of execution over the implementation of common EU minimum rates for solid fuel energy taxation. The EU Council of Ministers fears sharp increases would damage these new members’ energy markets.…
ESTONIA OIL SHALE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ESTONIA should hasten its electricity market liberalisation, helping to promote investment in an oil shale industry fuelling most power generation, the European Commission has proposed. It has asked European Union (EU) ministers to approve a derogation from the EU’s electricity liberalisation directive requiring full market opening – including the right to secure energy materials from any source – by 2012.…
GREECE - LIGNITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has given Greece a ‘reasoned opinion’ final warning threatening legal action at the European Court of Justice, telling it to abolish exclusive rights enjoyed by its state-owned Public Power Corporation (PCC) regarding lignite mining, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of Greek electricity generation.…
OIL PRICE RISE
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE RECENT sharp rise in the price of petrol and petro-chemicals has inevitably threatened prices and profit margins in the paint manufacturing industry but the effect is far from straightforward according to leading figures in the industry. This is because paint and coatings manufacturers do not buy oil directly, but products further down the chain such as vinyl acetate monomer and others where impact of higher crude oil prices tends to be muted.…
CHINA COKE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN ABANDONED bid to toughen anti-dumping duties on Chinese coke exports to Europe has been formally scrapped by European Union (EU) ministers currently much more concerned about supply restrictions of this crucial steel making product. The abolition of a formal review of the Euro 32.6/tonne duties (on coke exceeding 80mm in diameter) comes as ministers consider taking China to the World Trade Organisation over its export ties.…
POLAND - EBRD
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has drawn up plans to lend Spanish steel group Celsa Euro 40 million to help restructure Polish steel mill Huta Ostrowiec (HO), which was liquidated in Summer 2003 having been placed in receivership.…
POLAND STEEL AID INQUIRY
BY ALAN OSBORN
The European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation into the restructuring of the Polish steel company Huta Czestochowa saying it doubted that this was being achieved without state aid which is banned under Poland’s treaty of accession into the EU.…
EBRD - RUSSIAN BAUXITE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is expected next month to rubber stamp plans to lend two Russian SUAL group companies US$75 million to expand production at a bauxite mine and begin work on developing a related alumina refinery and aluminium smelter.…
GRAIN STEEL DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
RUSSIA’S exporters of grain oriented electrical sheets will be temporarily exempted from European Union (EU) anti-dumping duties (of between 40.1 and 14.7 per cent) on sales to the new 10 EU member countries, to avoid “sharp price increases”.…