Archive

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union has launched a strong attack on the Council of Europe’s draft convention on cybercrime, a political move that could lead to delays in its adoption and which will almost certainly damage its reputation.

In a paper using unusually strong language for diplomatic circles, the EU’s Working Party of Data Protection accuses the draft of being “too vague and confusing” and of threatening “fundamental rights and freedoms.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
DRAFT guidelines have been released by the European Commission, to help competition regulators decide when an Internet or telecommunications company is so large and powerful, it has to abide by special rules on the sharing of networks and on takeovers and mergers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN IT companies will be able to apply for grants from a budget of Euro 3.6 billion, which has been earmarked for information society research from 2002-2006, if new proposals from the European Commission for a new framework research programme, are agreed by EU ministers and the European Parliament.…

BY SIMON WILCOX
THE LAST mad dog to be found in Singapore was back in 1953, in the days when sick canines shared the midday sun with Englishmen. But from next month, every dog imported into this tiny island-state will need to carry a microchip, certifying that it is free of doggy diseases such as rabies.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) is about to complete a new model computer system that will help it and other medical regulators effectively marshal the mountain of data regarding new pharmaceutical products and keep information up to date.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
IN an attempt to stamp out smuggling and fraud, the European Commission is proposing that excise duties on popular cigarettes sold throughout the 15 EU countries should be brought much closer together. In a proposed new directive, the Commission says there should be a minimum fixed amount of excise duty of Euro 70 (about Pounds 42) per 1,000 cigarettes in the most popular price category, which would be in addition to the existing minimum excise requirement of 57% of the retail price.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CHILEAN government has requested formal talks at the World Trade Organisation with Peru, over a sales tax regime for cigarettes, made from dark, premium bright and standard bright tobacco. The taxation varies for each of these categories by between S/0.025 (Peruvian Sol) to S/0.100 per unit, with higher amounts being charged for brands that are sold in three or more countries than for those sold in fewer countries.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
PHILIP Morris and EU’s Altadis, (formerly Spain’s Tabacalera and France’s Seita), have loosened a licensing agreement granting the European company the right to produce L&M and Marlboro cigarettes in Spain. Following pressure from the European Commission, Philip Morris will now have the right to manufacture the brands itself outside Spain and export them there.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
SLEEMAN beer, made by Canada’s third largest brewery, has been testing the British market through a brand development company.

David Stewart, marketing director for Marble Head Brand Development said that the brand had had a few hiccups, but he considers its future to be bright, and is preparing to re-launch it in selected off licences in the next 12 months.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
VINEYARDS in Kosovo are bearing fruits for the first time in more than a decade because of a joint regeneration programme developed from the Commission, the United Nations and the European Agency for Reconstruction.

In 1990, nearly 10,000 acres of vineyards produced high-quality wine to traditional recipes, 80 per cent of which was exported creating a thriving wine industry in the region.…