Search Results for: International law

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has declared itself well satisfied with the results of the World Radiocommunication Conference, staged by the International Telecommunications Union, which it says has allocated enough spectrum to allow the efficient roll-out of new wireless and broadband comms systems.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organisation has approved a significant tightening of its MARPOL convention regarding the phasing out of certain oil tankers, although it has postponed many formal decisions on the issue until a key meeting in December. Following political pressure – especially from the EU – IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee agreed to bring forward from 2005, from 2007 the phasing-out of ‘category 1’ tankers delivered before the MARPOL convention came in force in 1982.…

BY ALAN
International insurance cover for nuclear risk is to be extended in the EU following a decision by the European Commission to approve a new protocol amending the Paris Convention. This will allow the concept of nuclear damage to cover damage to the environment, non-material damage and the cost of safeguard measures and will extend geographical scope to cover third countries that are not parties to the Convention such as Ireland and Luxembourg.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
FISH farms that have to slaughter their whole stock because of disease are not automatically entitled to compensation under EU law, the European Court of Justice has ruled. It said a complete cull was not an illegal attack on the property rights, even though it would be mandatory under EU legislation.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A COMPREHENSIVE deal over third party access to gas pipelines has been agreed between German joint venture BEB and the European Commission, leading to Brussels closing its competition investigation into the company’s refusal to allow Norway’s Marathon to pump gas into its infrastructure.…

BY MARK ROWE
THAI farmers of black tiger prawns have launched a series of protests across the country calling for a ban on cheap imports of prawns from neighbouring countries. The farmers are angry that the prawns are simply processed and re-exported, undercutting their own market in the process.…

BY ALAN OSBORN and KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union ministers have agreed to a significant strengthening of EU regulations covering the counterfeiting of goods, a key move for many small businesses, given that insurance against losses caused by their receiving fake goods is hard to obtain, even though the cost of resulting seizures or losses in value may be significant.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
NON-FERROUS metal producers in the existing 15 European Union (EU) countries could see some lowering of labour costs after enlargement of the EU next year as low-paid Polish and other workers move into the higher wage countries like Germany, according to industry sources.…

Keith Nuthall
Serious doubts have been expressed over the European Commission’s

ability to meet its 2005 deadline for the reform of its accounting system.

In a letter sent on July 2nd to commissioners Michaele Schreyer, who is in

charge of the Euro 79 billion budget, and Neil Kinnock, who handles

internal administration, the commission’s internal auditor Jules Muis said

the proposed timetable was “not achievable.”…

BY PHILIP FINE

THE USA’s Alabama has passed a law to try and rid the state of the 15-20 million tyres in its dumps. The Scrap Tire Environmental Quality Act will allow the state to collect US$1 (60p) in tax on the sale of replacement tyres, require bonds from tyre haulers and fine illegal dumpers.…