Search Results for: France

BY ALAN OSBORN

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s decision to appoint ‘project co-ordinators’ to try to spark movement in four long-stalled cross-border energy projects in the European Union (EU) has drawn widespread cynicism from many in the industry. However, here and there, there is an admission that these high-level trouble-shooters might just get results where so many others have failed.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

RUM producers from French overseas departments (counties) have been given a 50% tax break on excise duty charged on sales within mainland France, which will stretch until December 2012. The European Union (EU) Council of Ministers has approved this as a derogation from standard EU excise rules, after French government claims that these rum manufacturers are vulnerable commercially.…

BY MARK ROWE

LORRIES are increasingly being stolen for their value as scrap and recycled materials, UK authorities have warned the road haulage industry. The rise in thefts of lorries has been blamed partly on the high prices now paid for scrap metal on the international markets – driven in part by China’s insatiable demand for metal – and on thieves who have realized that almost any part of a lorry, from wheel hubs to side panels, axles, catalytic converters, a plastic chair or the gold in the wiring looms has a recyclable value.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

Brussels

A TEAM of European and Asian researchers has linked more than 40,000 computers across 45 countries to speed studies into developing an anti-viral drug that can defeat bird flu. Funded by the European Union’s (EU) Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) project, the computing grid is analysing the potential of more than 500,000 drug-like molecules.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) researchers have devised a way of reducing the weight of noise insulation materials in cars without making them noisier. The EU research network Eureka says the Euro 4 million France-led project E!2411 ERTAC has discovered that by layering compressed felt with a low density felt, the weight of sound insulation could be cut by 50%.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice’s (ECJ) Court of First Instance has dismissed a bid by American cosmetics company La Mer Technology Inc, of New York, to secure European Union (EU) trademark rights to its mark ‘La Mer’ for cosmetics, soaps, perfumes and other personal care products.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has dropped a long-running legal case against France after its government abandoned long-standing restrictions on the sale, distribution and handling of cereals within its country. Brussels announced today (Wed 17-10) that "the conditions for obtaining approval [for selling and distributing cereals in France] have been made more flexible."…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

RUM producers from French overseas departments (counties) have been given a 50% tax break on excise duty charged on sales within mainland France, stretching until December 2012. The European Union (EU) Council of Ministers has approved the derogation from standard EU excise rules, after French government claims that these rum manufacturers are vulnerable commercially.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

NESTLÉ has persuaded the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to allow another hearing for its bid to stop French food company Quick from registering the brand Quickies in France and Belgium for food including snack bars, cakes and biscuits.…

BY MONICA DOBIE

THE EUROPEAN Commission will close the bluefin tuna fishery in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean for rest of 2007 because the annual quota of 16,779.5 tonnes has been exhausted. Fisheries controlled by (Greek) Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain will affected.…