Search Results for: Belgium

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE MITIGATION measures taken by European Union (EU) utilities and member states to deal with the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis were effective, the EU’s Gas Coordination Group has concluded. Consisting of gas industry representatives from the EU’s 27 countries and chaired by the European Commission, the group concluded that protective steps taken "allowed most countries to successfully manage the situation in a way which is the least disruptive for their consumers".…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has been advised to push for an increase in the maximum size and weight of lorries allowed across the European Union (EU) – maybe to 60 tonnes and 25.25 metres – by a report that will kick off an official review of these rules.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has proposed relaxing a tight limit on residues of the pesticide thiram on bananas, which would enable Belgium’s Taminco NV to import the fruit from Ecuador, Costa Rica,

Columbia, Panama, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Brazil.…

By Alan Osborn

The failure of business to invest significantly in innovation projects remains the major weakness in the European Union’s (EU) research picture, says the European Commission. While there is "substantial progress" in some aspects of the EU’s innovation performance, investments by business in R&D and IT projects "are still relatively weak, especially if compared to the US and Japan," claims Brussels.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE MAXIMUM amount of duty-free or duty-paid tobacco that can be brought into the European Union (EU) from a non-EU country without paying EU excise duty can now be reduced to just 40 cigarettes. That is an option now offered to member states, which can maintain the previous 200 cigarette limit if they choose.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) consumer safety alert service RAPEX has reported the withdrawal from sale in Belgium of a Democratic Republic of the Congo-made whitening cream – Topclaire Plus. Its use of hydroquinone breaks the EU cosmetics directive. RAPEX has also reported a withdrawal from sale in Ireland of China-made ‘GIRLZ’ children’s cosmetics sets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A DETAILED report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), which highlights signals of environmental problems within Europe, says England and Wales can be labelled "water stressed", along with only eight other European countries. They are Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Macedonia, Malta and Spain.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has cleared the acquisition of sole control of Belgian gas and electricity company Segebel by Centrica Overseas Holdings Ltd, part of Britain’s gas and electricity company Centrica plc. Brussels’ ruling follows an inquiry into the deal by its officials who concluded it would not cause competition problems in the European energy sector.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH

A LITTLE noticed event took place in Brussels last month when the European Union (EU) Court of Auditors awarded the president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering its annual Gold Medal, citing "the co-operation between the two institutions in safeguarding the interests of the European taxpayers."…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS 2009 dawns, the European Union’s (EU) renewable energy sector knows that it has truly entered the mainstream of EU utility markets, its growth being sanctioned by ambitious legislation approved before Christmas.

After more than a year of debates, the European Parliament and EU ministers have approved a new EU directive imposing mandatory national targets for the 27 member states regarding the portion of their gross final consumption of energy in 2020 coming from renewable sources.…