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.
SECURITY OF GAS SUPPLY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
MEPs are heading off a move by European Union (EU) ministers to agree without consultation pared-back legislation designed to help guarantee the security of gas supplies during a European crisis. Members of the European Parliament’s industry committee have voted narrowly to refuse a bid by the EU Council of Ministers to decide the heavily amended legislation without MEPs having any input.…
EEA DATABASE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FIRST Europe-wide register of industrial emissions into air and water has been launched by the European Environment Agency and the European Commission. This European Pollutant Emission Register is available on the Internet and contains detailed information on pollution from around 10,000 large industrial facilities in the European Union and Norway.…
OECD - BROADBAND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has called on its developed country governments to do more to encourage broadband rollout, saying particular emphasis was needed on expanding services to remote and rural areas. Its detailed report said government’s needed to encourage as many technical means as possible to achieve this end, treating different technologies neutrally.…
CZECH WATER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has welcomed the introduction of river basin management systems of water resources in the Czech Republic, a key requirement of the European Union’s (EU) water framework directive. This legislation has proved challenging for existing EU Member States, let alone countries joining the EU in May, such as the Czech Republic.…
NUCLEAR LIABILITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
REVISIONS to a European nuclear energy liability convention will increase the total accident compensation available from operators in 15 countries to Euro 1.5 billion, up from Euro 350 million. Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey have now signed the Protocols to amend the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and the Brussels Convention Supplementary to the Paris Convention.…
BUSQUIN - RESEARCH
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SUPPORT for the future preservation and even expansion of nuclear fission appears to be growing in the European Commission, with European Union (EU) research Commissioner Philippe Busquin adding his backing to the pro-nuclear stance long adopted by energy Commissioner Loyola de Palacio.…
EBRD TRANSPARENCY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has agreed to formally associate itself with the international Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which was formed in 2002 – with the key support of Britain’s Tony Blair – to fight corruption in the natural gas, oil and mining sectors.…
EURELECTRIC - CABLES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN electricity federation Eurelectric is calling for wide-ranging economic assessments to be held into future plans to bury high or very high voltage power cables, rather than erect them above ground, because of cost and other concerns. In a formal statement, Eurelectric noted that the European Commission “sees undergrounding…as an increasingly promising technology for overcoming environmental/planning constraints on the construction of new electricity transmission lines.”…
ENERGY EFFICIENCY LAW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament’s environment committee is seeking to prioritise a new European Union energy efficiency directive, by proposing amendments forcing the European Commission to introduce electricity consumption standards for particular products generating significant global warming problems. These rules would cover heating and water heating equipment, electric motor systems, lightings, domestic appliances, office equipment, consumer electronics plus heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.…
ENERGY EFFICIENCY LAW
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament’s environment committee is seeking to prioritise a new European Union energy efficiency directive, by proposing amendments forcing the European Commission to introduce electricity consumption standards for particular products generating significant global warming problems. These rules would cover heating and water heating equipment, electric motor systems, lightings, domestic appliances, office equipment, consumer electronics plus heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.…