Search Results for: Dutch

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) chemical control package REACH that has been causing metal companies serious concern is starting to move steadily towards the Brussels statute book, with the European Parliament preparing to start formal debates next month. Its responsible committee on the environment, public health and food safety stages its next meeting on November 23 and 24, following a session of the industry, research and energy committee, which has the right to propose its own amendments.…

By Alan Osborn
A threatened blockage in the shipment of all animal products from the EU countries to Russia has been averted following an agreement on veterinary certification reached at talks between the European Commission, the Dutch EU presidency and the Russian agricultural ministry.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRUSSELS whistle-blower and now anti-fraud MEP Paul van Buitenen has been using his new position to undermine his countrywoman competition-commissioner designate Neelie Kroes. Van Buitenen followed up a short broadside against Kroes’ commercial links at this week’s European Parliament hearing by circulating detailed allegations on paper to its press officers: these were all vigorously denied by Kroes as “unfounded and nonsensical”.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) current Dutch presidency has ruled out securing political approval for the EU’s proposed directive on energy efficiency and energy services in the remainder of its 2004 presidency. Speaking to the European Parliament’s energy committee, the Netherlands’ economic affairs Minister Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst said the proposed directive on the security of electricity supply would take priority.…

Keith Nuthall
NEELIE Kroes, the European Union (EU) Commissioner-designate for Competition – called the Commission’s second most important job after its president’s – vigorously defended herself at the European Parliament against allegations of divided loyalties today.

Appearing at a hearing before parliament’s economic committee earlier today, she endured a three hour grilling from cross-party tormentors who included her Dutch countryman Paul van Buitenen, formerly a whistle blower and now an MEP.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN research consortium says it has adapted existing nanotechnology to create tiny switches that can further shrink the size of computers. The E! 2839 MESCI-I project – coordinated by European Union (EU) research network EUREKA – claims to “have succeeded where many others have failed – by making the production of miniature electric and computer systems economically viable”.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRITAIN’S current strong performance in employing its citizens in general, and offering part-time jobs in particular, has been confirmed by a Eurostat report placing the UK above most other European countries. In a comparative study on employment rates, (rather than unemployment), the European Union (EU) statistical agency said 17.4% of Britons were in part-time employment, a larger proportion than in any other EU country, except in the Netherlands, where it is 32.8%.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE NEW president of the European Commission, the former Portuguese prime minister Jose Manuel Barroso, has made clear that for the next five years at least there will be a reform-minded team at work in Brussels driven by a powerful desire to eliminate accounting fraud, inefficiency and the protection of special interests.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the policy portfolios commanded by the incoming European Commission from November generally spells good news for the European Union’s (EU) ferrous and non-ferrous sectors, senior industry figures have told Metal Bulletin. “In general … we are quite happy with the commissioners who will be responsible for industry”, said Gordon Moffat, director of the association of European iron and steel industries Eurofer.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Environment Agency (EEA) says the old 15 member European Union’s (EU) greenhouse gas emissions fell by 0.5% from 2001-2, following increases in the previous two years. Sadly, proactive anti-global warming measures were not top of the agency’s reasons for the cut.…