Search Results for: Germany

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is seeking legal authority to undermine the series of bilateral ‘open skies’ agreements struck between individual EU Member States, and the USA.

These deals allow airlines from both sides the right to fly to each others’ territory and on to another country, but not to undertake onward domestic flights to a neighbouring terminal.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE COOPERATION agreement signed between Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines is facing an uncertain future, with the European Commission threatening to withhold regulatory approval because of concerns that it would damage competition in the German and Austrian travel market.

In a statement, the Commission claimed that it has reached a preliminary conclusion that the deal “would eliminate competition on a large number of routes between Austria and Germany.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN INTERNATIONAL action plan to fight forest fires is being drawn up with the assistance of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation. Experts from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Turkey and USA have been discussing proposals for a system involving mutual assistance and coordinated approaches to forest fire management.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE MEMBER States of the European Union reduced their emissions of the six key greenhouse gases by four per cent between 1990 and 1999, three per cent of which was achieved in 1998-9, according to a report from the European Environment Agency.…

KEITH NUTHALL
A DEAL whereby Shell Erneuerbare Energien GmbH will acquire joint control of an existing solar energy joint venture between Siemens AG and E.ONEnergie AG has been cleared by the European Commission, which has concluded that the deal will not harm competition in the sector.…

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 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.”…

BY MONICA DOBIE
THE EUROPEAN Commission has agreed to allow Canadian ice-wine, the specialised dessert wine made from frozen grapes, to be sold within the EU, after a long battle to have the designation of recognised by Brussels was finally won.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
PHILIP Morris has launched a case at the European Court of Justice, which seeks to stop the European Commission from launching its own law-suit in New York, claiming damages from it and RJ Reynolds for allegedly promoting smuggling within the European Union and hence losing it customs revenue.…

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.…