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.
SOUTH AFRICA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DETAILS of the trade agreements struck earlier this year between the European Union and South Africa have been published by the European Commission, in two legal texts submitted to the EU Council of Ministers for formal approval.
Assuming this is granted, EU import quotas for South African wine will rise to 353,000 in the New Year, increasing gradually every 12 months to 420,200 hectolitres in December 2011.…
GUINNESS ALCOPOPS
BY MONICA DOBIE
GUINNESS UDV has signaled optimism about the future of “party drinks” such as alcopops amidst the gloom of the war against terrorism, by buying a major Pennsylvania brewery operated by Pabst Brewing to expand production of Smirnoff Ice malt beverage.…
FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY THINK PIECE
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE NEW European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has now virtually completed its legislative journey through the EU institutions and is set to begin operations in the first half of next year though we’re still not sure where. Helsinki was the favourite for the seat until the Italian prime minister signor Berlusconi rudely pushed the claims of Parma, dismissing the Finns as “people who don’t know what prosciutto is.”…
VITAMIN CARTEL
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined eight companies a total of Euro 855.22 million for participating in secret market-sharing and price-fixing cartels affecting the production of vitamins including those sold to the confectionary industry to make nutrient enriched products.…
NUTS AID
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed a one-year extension to the EU’s production aid scheme for certain nuts and locust beans, which is due to be phased out in January. Brussels wants EU ministers to continue funding until June 2002, with up to Euro 241.5 per hectare, 25 per cent co-funded by Member States, being made available to producer organisations.…
CZECH REPUBLIC
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
PROVISIONAL safeguard duties of 113 per cent have been applied by the Czech Republic to imports of cocoa powder containing 80 per cent or more by weight of sucrose, (including invert sugar), or isoglucose. These tariffs will apply until June 2002, pending the erection of definitive duties.…
PHILIPPINES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PHILLIPINES government has imposed provisional safeguard duties on imports of glazed and unglazed ceramic wall and floor tiles, to protect local producers Mariwasa Siam Ceramics and Lepanto (Guoco) Ceramics against an alleged surge in imports. A cash bond of P5.40 per kg will be demanded while Philippines investigators decide whether to establish a definitive safeguard duty.…
CHEMICAL TERROR GROUP
BY ALAN OSBORN
A GROUP of scientific experts assembled to advise the European Union and its Member States about the fight against chemical and biological terrorism met for the first time in Brussels yesterday. Their first task was to make a joint assessment of the existing knowledge about the subject in the EU and on the capacity of emergency services to deal with attacks of this kind.…
KAHMA I/II
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has extended its formal investigation into state aid paid by the German regional government of Thuringia to eastern Germany porcelain companies Kahla Porzellan GmbH (Kahla I) and Kahla/Thüringen Porzellan GmbH (Kahla II). Brussels is to examine subsidies of Euro 14.9 million, which it thinks were probably unlawful under EU regulations.…