Search Results for: France

BY MONICA DOBIE

WINE bottle labels that contain colour and hue combinations, such as brown, yellow, black and green, on rectangular and hexagonal patterns are most appealing to consumers according to new research published by the American Association of Wine Economists.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

DESPITE being granted special emergency subsidies, Europe’s hard-pressed dairy farmers are increasing their protests across Europe. Yesterday (MONDAY 21 SEPT), a group of producers set hay on fire and spilt milk in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

MEDITERRANEAN countries yesterday blocked a European Commission initiative to temporarily ban the global trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, despite warnings that this key sushi ingredient source is being overfished. France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece, and Cyprus opposed backing a proposal from non-member state Monaco to ask next March’s meeting of parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to ban the trade.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE ATTACK by France and Germany on the European Commission’s ‘health check’ reforms to phase out European Union (EU) dairy quotas by 2015 is gathering support, with 16 member states backing increased subsidies. Having failed to persuade the Commission to abandon quota liberalisation, a growing Franco-German-led alliance at the EU Council of Ministers is backing increased subsides while restrictive production quotas expand from 2010 and disappear in 2015.…

BY DINAH GARDNER

BURMA is both a dream and a nightmare for energy companies. First, it is undoubtedly resource rich. According to the BP Statistical Review, the country had 0.49 million cubic metres (17.5 trillion cubic feet) of proven natural gas reserves at the end of 2008, roughly the same as Vietnam.…

BY EMMA JACKSON

THE EUROPEAN Commission has ordered 18 European Union (EU) member states to collectively repay Euro 214.6 million in misspent food production funding. France owes Euro 71 million for weak on-the-spot checks regarding environmental and animal welfare standards, ensuring ‘cross compliance’ commitments made by producers are followed.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

IT is a little like the election of a Pope. The five-yearly reappointment of the European Commission – now underway – is shrouded in complex procedure and murky backroom deals. Closed discussions between Europe’s power-brokers in Brussels offices, embassies and national capitals divide up the available positions – currently there are 27: one per member state.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A NEW crisis over the presence of genetically modified (GM) ingredients in food and livestock feed has once more focused attention on the European Union’s (EU’s) controversial GM policies. It has especially raised the spectre of job losses, farm bankruptcies and higher consumer prices if a relaxation of the current de facto zero tolerance restriction applying to unauthorised GM products is not agreed soon.…

BY MARK GODFREY

THE NUCLEAR power authorities of Bangladesh deny they have reached terms with Russia’s Rosatom atomic energy corporation, despite Russian claims that it had secured the deal to build Bangladesh’s long-planned nuclear plant. Mohammed Muzammel Haque, chief engineer at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), claims Bangladesh has opted to build a 1,100 MW plant.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) consumer safety alert service RAPEX has released warnings about western Europe-made cosmetics products. In July, it reported a Dutch market withdrawal of France-made Bio Claire lightening body cream over illegal glucocorticosteroid and clobetasolpropionate content. There was a Germany recall of German-made Siriderma skin cream, over silver chloride/titanium dioxide content – which should not be used near eyes under the EU cosmetics directive.…