Search Results for: Portugal

BY ALAN OSBORN

The Dutch are Europe’s top recyclers of household rubbish, recycling 65% of their total waste according to a new study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Next come the Austrians at 59% and the Germans at 58% says the report though it notes that in parts of Germany some local areas charge per kilo of waste not recycled and the regional collection of recyclable materials goes up to more than 65 per cent.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has asked European Union (EU) ministers to authorise until January 2011 the right of the Isle of Man and 13 foreign EU member states to levy low rates of VAT on certain building repair services.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE INTERNATIONAL Energy Agency (IEA) has said in its latest annual report that wind energy still only satisfies 1.2% of power demand in its 20 rich country members, although that proportion is increasing fast in some cases. It said that from 1995 to 2005, the contribution of wind power to national electricity demand rose from 0.2%, with 12 IEA members being in the European Union (EU).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank (EIB) has drawn up plans to lend Portuguese electricity utility EDP (Energias de Portugal) up to Euro 180 million to retrofit three coal-fired power stations in Spain and Portugal. The plan is to research, design, build and install clean coal technology, namely flue gas abatement systems, removing SO2, NOx and particulates.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

PORTUGAL has been ordered by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to reform its copyright law, so that the country’s public libraries have a duty to pay authors when they lend books. By not writing such a commitment into its national law, the Portuguese government has been censured by the court for breaching European Union directive 92/100/EEC on rental right, lending right and copyright.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank (EIB) has drawn up plans to lend Portuguese utility EDP (Energias de Portugal) up to Euro 180 million to retrofit three coal-fired power stations, one in southern Portugal (4 units 314 MWe each); and two in Spain’s Asturias region (350 MWe and 556 MWe).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) wine makers have attacked European Commission proposals to reform the EU wine common market regime – targeting with hostility plans to increase grubbing up. All participants at a European Parliament hearing agreed the EU wine system needs change, given current over-production and poor sales.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has renewed its European Union (EU) fishing access deal with Mauritania, initialling a new six year deal that involves a two-year protocol, but which should be renewed twice automatically, unless serious political problems emerge.

Brussels is being bullish about the deal, claiming: "It is the most important fisheries agreement concluded by the EU with a third country both in financial terms and as regards fishing opportunities for EU vessels"

And the agreement does will provide fishing rights for about 200 EU vessels on crustaceans (mainly shrimps), hake and other demersal species), cepaholopods, small pelagics and tuna.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AN ALARMING 20.3% of European Union (EU) laying hen poultry flocks are infected with salmonella, a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report has warned. The Czech Republic (62.5%), Poland (55.9%), Spain (51.6%), Lithuania (50%) and Portugal (47.7%) have the most serious problems.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

PORTUGAL is facing possible European Court of Justice (ECJ) action after it exploited a concession over wastewater treatment to conduct blatant pollution of the Atlantic Ocean, alleges the European Commission. Lisbon was given permission in 2001 to follow lower standards in pumping wastewater from the 720,000-people Estoril region than are usually required under the European Union (EU) urban wastewater treatment directive.…