Search Results for: Romanian

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE NEWEST members of the European Union (EU) – Bulgaria and Romania – have been roundly attacked in Brussels over failures to combat organised crime and corruption. Their inaction could cost them dear. Keith Nuthall reports.

BEING criticised by the European Commission could easily be compared to being slapped with a wet fish: unpleasant, but nothing to lose sleep about.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WORKING groups for the new European Nuclear Energy Forum have started investigating the opportunities and risks facing Europe’s nuclear power sector, while examining how it can improve its transparency.

Following up an inaugural conference held in Bratislava last November 2007, three groups of high level nuclear experts have staged meetings and circulated papers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE BRITISH government has opposed Polish government proposals for introducing export refunds to promote European Union (EU) pigmeat sales abroad, despite recent London demonstrations by UK pork producers. Around 200 pig rearers picketed the 10 Downing Street residence of prime minister Gordon Brown earlier this month, protesting at low prices paid by supermarkets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CORRUPTION is hard to pin down and is by nature the most insidious commercial crime. While the European Union (EU) has been showing its concern that Europe’s governments and international organisations are at risk, news about a probe into European Parliament financial misdemeanours have highlighted the EU’s own failings.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

THE FRENCH-OWNED Carrefour food retailer has announced major plans for expansion in Romania where it expects to achieve sales of exceeding Euro 1 billion in 2008. The company’s eleventh Romanian hypermarket was recently opened in Braila, with an investment of Euro 20 million, and nine more will be opened in 2008-2009, said a company spokeswoman.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

The proposed acquisition of EMS, a Romanian utility engaged in the distribution and retail supply of electricity in the south of the country, by the Italian electricity giant Enel, has been cleared by the European Commission. Brussels said the two companies’ activities overlapped in the retail supply of electricity but there were no grounds for concern as "there are several other strong competitors present."…

BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing

LONGYAN Cigarette Factory reflects the kind of good fortune and ambition which characterised China’s tobacco industry in 2007. Located in the city of the same name in southeastern Fujian province, the factory’s almost US$1 billion revenues for 2007 are a 24.5% increase on figures for the previous year.…

BY MARK ROWE

CADBURY Schweppes has welcomed the increase by its subsidiary Vantas International in Romanian chocolate confectionery producer Kandia-Excelent just weeks after a buy-out bid for the company expired. Vantas International, a fund controlled by Cadbury Schweppes, increased it stake in the burgeoning chocolate producer to 95.73% from 93.32%.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Vienna

AUSTRIA boasts a relatively low commercial crime rate. However its position as one of Europe’s crossroads is threatening this good reputation. Today it’s geographically and politically wedged between some older and some more recent European Union (EU) member countries.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have backed the European Commission’s move to introduce private storage aid for pigmeat to fight current low prices. Under the programme, pigmeat producers can claim EU aid when storing meat for between three and five months.…