Search Results for: France

KEITH NUTHALL
GIVEN the difficulty that the British haulage industry has in recruiting new drivers, the last thing that it needs – some might say – would be to make it harder for would-be haulers to get behind the steering wheel and drive.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE REVIEW of the Common Fisheries Policy is likely to create the largest overhaul in European Union fishing policy in years, matching the crisis in stock levels in European waters. At its heart is the integration of environmental and conservation concerns into the organisation of the EU fishing market, a principle that – judging by conclusions agreed by the Council of Ministers – will have significant consequences when changes are put in place next year.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
GERMANY appears to be the most industrially innovative country in the European Union, filing 43.6 per cent of all EU patent applications with the European Patent office in 1999, well ahead of its nearest rival France, which filed just 14.9 per cent.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE European Union Council of Ministers has agreed to allow France impose lower excise duties on diesel fuel used in local public transport, than is generally allowed under European regulations. The special exemption will last until December 2005.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Central Bank has concluded that the liberalisation of the EU telecommunications markets has contributed to a sharp cut in prices and that planned additional reforms are likely to make European charges cheaper still; it also concludes that reforms are likely to harmonise future electricity prices.…

Keith Nuthall
ITALY has announced that it is to join a growing band of European Union countries that want to grant special national aid for the distillation of excess wine stocks, in the teeth of opposition from the European Commission. It wants Member States to abide by the new common market organisation, which was designed to limit such production subsidies.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Commission has expressed concern at the growing number of requests from EU wine-producing countries for permission to grant national distillation aid to growers. Franz Fischler, EU agriculture commissioner for wine, said it was “quite worrying” that member states were seeking to grant “pure operating aids which do not bring about any structural improvement.”…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE SUPPLY and quality of water services and their environmental management have been near the top of the research agendas of institutions of the European Union this year, with the European Commission’s directorate generals (DG) for research and the environment being particularly active.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s Euro 2.5 billion Galileo programme to set up a global positioning system by 2008 is firmly back on track in spite of concerns expressed by Britain, Germany and others about the cost.

Telecom ministers of the 15 EU countries have now pledged finance of up to Euro 100 million, (Pounds 60 million), for 2001 and have agreed to take a decision on a further Euro 450 million, (Pounds 270 million) at the end of the year.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
REGULATORY clearance has been granted by the European Commission for the acquisition of Unilever’s European Culinary Brands Businesses by Campbell Soup Co. of the United States. The sale fulfils commitments given by Unilever last year to obtain European Union clearance for its purchase of Bestfoods.…