Archive

Keith Nuthall
FINAL agreement has been secured on the shape of an updated European Union directive on employees’ safety from exposure to mechanical vibrations, with the European Parliament cutting the latest deadline companies have to introduce technical changes reducing exposure from 2011 to 2010.…

Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Agency for Safety and Health at Work has released a public appeal for project proposals tapping a Euro 4 million funding scheme to encourage higher safety and health standards in small and medium-sized businesses. The agency will provide co-financing grants of between Euro 25,000 and Euro 200,000, with applications being accepted from businesses themselves, as well as commerce organisations and public sector groups.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
HERE’S a growing security problem for businesses that issue a lot of computers to staff – how can a guard, or a closed circuit TV camera, tell what’s inside the briefcase of somebody leaving an office? And if they do find something, how can they tell whether or not the person owns it?…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations has highlighted how some member countries have been using their money laundering laws to criminalise corruption, while employing bribery or corruption laws to outlaw money laundering. A report by the UN Secretary General’s department on how the organisation’s 1996 declaration against Corruption and Bribery in International Commercial Transactions has lead to national laws being tightened regarding these crimes lists a number of case studies.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
A MOVE towards radical changes in marine insurance practices have been signalled by a policy statement from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD), on ways of eliminating sub-standard shipping throughout the world.

The OECD, which represents the 30 leading western industrial countries, has set out a number of principles to be developed into precise recommendations which, among other things, are aimed at “reducing the unintended effects of insurance policies that allow unfettered coverage of sub-standard ships.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has called for EU legislation that would insist that passenger ferry companies take out compulsory insurance, which would cover them for no-fault strict liability claims of up to Euro 250,000 per passenger.

In a Communication, (discussion paper), “on the enhanced safety of passenger ships,” Brussels also suggests that if a carrier is at fault, unlimited liability should apply.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
LAST week a political deal was struck in Brussels on the shape of European cookie legislation. The result, in footballing terms: Lawyers 5 – IT industry 2.

On the plus side, the anti-cookie proposals of Council of Ministers, (which represents Europe’s Member States and shares the right of veto over this law with the European Parliament), have been softened, which should give some breathing room to the EU’s hard pressed Internet industry.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
CRIMINALS dream of a world without police and although such a concept might seem science-fiction, it is actually easy to commit offences away from the eyes of law enforcement: just hire a boat. On the high seas, there is no-one watching, which is why fishing crime is so common and difficult to detect.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is planning to impose 100 per cent retaliatory duties on US exports of ball-point, felt-tipped, fountain and stylograph pens, as well as propelling or sliding pencils, pen-holders, pencil-holders, plus caps and clips. Brussels wants to impose the duties on June 18 in response to the controversial ‘safeguard’ duties erected by Washington to protect its steel industry.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
The European Commission and OLAF are again deciding how to handle allegations about professional wrongdoing in Brussels by EU whistleblower Paul van Buitenen. This time, instead of being suspended, the official was given eight week’s grace from regular duties and a special office to compile his brief.…