Search Results for: European Parliament

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development will lend Euro 14 million to a Czech subsidiary of French agri-business company Groupe Soufflet so it can expand its malting interests in the east European country. The money will enable Malterie Soufflet République Tchéque to acquire shares in Obchodní Sladovny, the malting subsidiary of Czech company Tchecomalt Group.…

Keith Nuthall
TEXTILE imports from the United States will carry retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union because of the erection of controversial ‘safeguard’ duties by Washington to protect the American steel industry.

The European Commission is asking EU ministers to approve duties on a selected range of products.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved the management of European Union ‘SAPARD’ agricultural development funds by the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This means that meat producers in the two countries will benefit from annual grants worth Euro 22.4 and 18.6 million respectively, payable until the countries join the EU, maybe by 2005.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has ordered tests on all imports of shrimps from Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, (Burma), and poultry from Thailand to ensure antibiotic residues do not exceed EU health limits, following concerns raised by spot-checks.…

Keith Nuthall
THE VOLUNTARY strategy on pedestrian safety design standards for motor vehicles adopted by the European Commission with the European, Japanese and South Korean auto manufacturers has been undermined by a key European Parliament committee, which has called for EU legislation on the subject.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is piling political pressure onto industries, especially fossil fuel electricity generators, which pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, to force them to clean up their processes, adding costs to their bottom line.

In a move that will only serve to make CHP and renewable plants more competitive by comparison, the Commission is preparing a raft of legal cases against eight European Union Member States, to force them to monitor and restrict their production of key greenhouse pollutants.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE CRUCIAL question of whether the European Commission’s new proposed directive on tobacco advertising will stand up legally is still unclear after a hearing on the subject in the European Parliament. Last year the measure was rejected on the grounds that it attempted to set health policy, an area where the EU has no constitutional role.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development is planning to lend Euro 15.9 million to Italy’s Duferco, to fund buy-outs of minority shareholders in Russian grain oriented steel producer VIZ-Stahl. It is already controlled and managed by Duferco, and the bank thinks full-ownership would lead to “full commercial development” by a company “with a clear strategic view on the steel sector and proven ability in acquiring and turning around steel plants.”…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed an expensive twin-track programme to secure the European Union’s energy supplies, diversifying production by promoting renewables and limiting demand by boosting energy saving initiatives.

It has asked EU ministers to spend Euro 215 million on its planned Intelligent Energy for Europe programme, which would span 2003 to 2006.…

Keith Nuthall
THE DRINKS industry is being asked by the European Commission whether it would like the EU rules governing the size of bottles for wines and spirits to be liberalised. At present, wines may only be sold in the EU in 25, 37.5, 50, 75 cl bottles and a few more units of one litre or more.…