Search Results for: Switzerland

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has cleared the 100% acquisition of Australia’s WMC Resource Ltd by Switzerland’s Xstrata plc, a Zurich-based international natural resources company that produces copper, zinc, gold, silver, alloys and coal. WMC explores, mines, processes and sells minerals, metals and chemicals, including nickel, copper, uranium oxide, gold and silver.…

KEITH NUTHALL
A SUCCESSFUL European Union (EU) research project, which has developed plant-based health treatment alternatives to antibiotics in feed for cows and goats, is being expanded into the fish-farming sector. The RUMEN-UP project found 23 out of 500 samples of plant materials with beneficial health effects on ruminants, especially cattle.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined three chemical companies Euro 216.91 million for operating a cartel in monochloroacetic acid production; it makes detergents and thickens cosmetics. The companies concerned included Akzo Nobel, of the Netherlands (Euro 84.38 million); Atofina – now Arkema – of France (Euro 58.5 million); and Hoechst, of Germany (Euro 74.03 million).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
WHILE discussions continue over how to ensure the security of energy supplies to the European Union (EU), Brussels institutions are sinking money into one sure bet, eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), for instance, is lending US$170 million to SOCAR, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, to fund two Caspian gas projects.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is sending legal and accounting specialists to Nigeria and Kenya, to help them trace and recover money stolen by previous corrupt governments. The Vienna-based agency says it will “conduct in-depth assessments of the institutional and legal frameworks” in these countries, making detailed proposals to “overcome obstacles to asset recovery”.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EU Council of Ministers has approved an updated trade deal with Switzerland allowing duty free imports and exports of a wide range of foods.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD’S largest think tank has advised developed country governments to adopt programmes helping families achieve an acceptable work-life balance, boosting child development and general well being amongst adult workers. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has abandoned its usual laissez faire approach to economics and society by encouraging its rich country members to promote part-time work.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission and Switzerland have negotiated a veterinary agreement so that when either side conducts emergency vaccinations to fight a disease, they share full information. The signatories have also agreed to share good practice, scientific knowledge and cooperate to fight zoonotic diseases.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
DUTIES on a range of Romanian confectionary exported to European Union (EU) will be phased out by 2007, easing the country’s oncoming EU membership. Affected lines range from chewing gum, liquorice extract, white chocolate, boiled sweets and toffees.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced Euro 5 million of spending to help France, Denmark, Greece and Italy promote local food products in the USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, China, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania.…