Archive

BY KEITH NUTHALL
The Gothenberg summit of EU leaders, ending Saturday, nodded through an initiative on Internet security from the European Commission that has not been universally acclaimed by industry. Purpose of the Communication from Brussels is to set up “a more collaborative approach to tackle problems like viruses, hacking, denial of service, interception and natural disasters.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
FARMERS and food industry cooperatives have been encouraged by the European Commission to use the Internet as a way of improving communications with fellow producers, processors, distributors and customers.

Speaking to the Praesidium of EU cooperative movement COGECA, information society commissioner Erkki Liikanen urged these rural industries not to miss out on the opportunities offered by the development of e-commerce technologies.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has unveiled its latest call for research proposals to develop e-learning which will attract EU funding; Euro 7.5 million has been made available for projects promoting ideals such as setting up virtual universities.

This money is part of the Commission’s e-learning initiative.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has granted competition clearance to a new joint venture that will design, develop, manufacture and sell devices to route Internet and other electronic communications to homes and offices in Europe and the USA, via existing electrical wires, without laying any additional cables.…

Keith Nuthall
MEMBER States of the European Union have come under political pressure from Brussels to outlaw the designing and marketing of alcoholic drinks, such as alcopops, to children and adolescents, as part of a move against under-age drinking.

The EU Council of Ministers (health) has adopted a Recommendation, (formal non-binding guidelines), which calls on national governments to “ensure” that the drinks industry does not produce alcoholic beverages specifically “targeted, designed or promoted to appeal” to young people.…

KEITH NUTHALL
FISH farming companies and organisations have until September 30 to submit papers to the European Commission, if they want them to be considered as part of an ongoing review of the Common Fisheries Policy, that could create root-and-branch reforms to the way that Brussels impacts on the industry.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A DISPUTES panel is to be set up at the WTO, following the failure of talks to resolve complaints made by the Chilean government about the sales tax regime for cigarettes in Peru, which it claims discriminates against its tobacco exports.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
SOUTH Korea has announced that its half of the 2002 World Cup finals will be free from “tobacco sales, consumption, promotion and sponsorship.” The tough line on smoking in and around matches has been welcomed by both the World Health Organisation and EU health Commissioner David Byrne, who said: “This decision clearly puts tobacco products offside the World Cup.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
RESEARCHERS in developing countries are to be offered US$ 17 million in grants for work on tobacco control policies, via a new programme co-sponsored by the US National Institutes for Health and the World Health Organisation. Their International Tobacco Health Research and Capacity Building Programme will, over the next five years, support research on tobacco consumption and related health risks in developing countries and fund studies about how tobacco use impacts on low and middle-income countries..…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
PLANS to develop a new kind of European Union patent, which would allow R&D units to gain protection for their inventions across the EU by making one comparatively simple application, are being discussed. A so-called Community Patent would be easier to operate than the existing European Patents, which have to be translated into the official language of each Member State in which it is to apply.…