Business

Which way now for conservatism in Europe?
EU Reporter Correspondents
Friday, December 11, 2009
Twenty years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, it is symbolic that Europe's Christian Democrat and Conservative leaders are choosing Bonn, the old Cold War capital of West Germany, as the venue for the 2009 EPP Statutory Congress - where the Europe-wide leadership of the EPP Party will be elected.  Over one thousand five hundred delegates from across the continent are gat
Alcohol Policy: Ministers to meet on December 1st
Gary Cartwright
Monday, November 9, 2009

On December 1st, European health ministers will meet to discuss the EU's alcohol strategy. Sweden, which currently holds the EU presidency, has pledged to make alcohol a priority, with fears in the industry that Swedish-style pricing mechanisms may be introduced. The effects of advertising on younger consumers have also been raised as a concern.

Putin Warns of Conflict over Gas Supplies
Gary Cartwright
Friday, November 6, 2009
A spokesman for the Russian Prime Minister spoke to his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt by telephone, after “uncovering concerns” that Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko was blocking payments for Russian gas supplies.
European Parliament to create new media group
Cillian Donnelly
Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The new intergroup, which will consist of MEPs from across all political groupings, will also invite journalists to participate in debates concerning the future of the press and media.

This comes after EPP chairman Joseph Daul stated that Brussels is not the right place to “settle scores” on the question of press freedom in individual Member States.
Ex-MEP Vatanen to lead world motor sport?
Marc Jahns
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Next month’s election for the top job in motor sport is being watched closely in the European Parliament.

One of the two candidates for the presidency of the FIA (Federation International de l’Automobile) is former MEP Ari Vatanen. The likeable Finn recently left Brussels after a decade representing first his homeland and then, in his second term, the South East of France, where he has long been settled.
Can Parliament stop Council “steamrolling” on telecoms?
Marc Jahns
Friday, September 25, 2009

Campaigners for digital rights continue to express fears that the European Council is preparing to “remove the right to due process” as the EU institutions prepare once again to work out a way forward on the much-delayed telecoms package.
Council exceeding mandate, say digital rights campaigners
Marc Jahns
Monday, September 21, 2009

The European Parliament, as well as digital rights campaigners, are expressing serious concerns over recent behaviour by the European Council, which, they say, exceeds the legal mandate of the institution.

Baroness Ashton in China for trade talks.
Gary Cartwright
Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Baroness Ashton, the EU trade Commissioner, is currently in China for discussions on trade and investment issues. Speaking ahead of her visit, she said " The EU and China share common goals in trade and investment. We must continue to build confidence in order to realise our full potential and deal effectively with any issues that arise, especially in the face of the economic downturn".

VAT Harmonisation Will Bail-out Governments
Chris White
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The European Union is harmonising VAT across the 27 member states. A 20 percent norm will be introduced probably by June with registration also likely to be harmonised at the Belgian standard of €5000 earnings per annum.
New cross-border rules introduced on January 1will prove a cash cow for troubled national exchequers to be followed by harmonised rates and registration.
People In Glass Houses Should Not Throw Stones
Chris White
Monday, November 23, 2009
Europe needs to set an example on climate change by reforesting. Malaysia currently has 56 percent of its landmass under forest compared with 11 percent in the UK and a similar amount in continental Europe.
Boris in Brussels
Chris White
Wednesday, September 2, 2009

He came, he saw and, by all accounts, he conquered. Boris Johnson, Mayor of London breezed into Brussels to defend his City from EU financial regulation that would “drive Hedge Funds out of Europe”.

Integrity in the New Parliament
Richard Means
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

“Common sense and courtesy”, these were the guiding principles given to me when I first started out in the business of lobbying. And though there is more to it that that, those principles have stood me in good stead, even if the object of my lobby has not necessarily reflected these principles.

Tackling Corruption While Preserving Expertise
Giles Chichester MEP
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Of late it has seemed as if we are moving towards a new Puritan era in
Why CAP Doesn't Kill
Pekka Pesonen
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

It is an extremely disturbing fact that over 70% of the world’s poor live in rural areas and most of them depend upon agriculture for their livelihood.
Sizing up Russian-NATO relations
Ruslan Pukhov
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Needless to say, Russia-NATO relations have reached a crisis. Of course, relations between post-Soviet Russia and NATO were never really normal, and so we should take the term crisis with a grain of salt.
New Group in Parliament Confident of Expansion
Marc Jahns
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The new anti-federalist group in the European Parliament says it will continue to attract new members even after it officially declares its membership tomorrow.
COPYRIGHT: A new era...
Monday, May 18, 2009
300 years after the concept was born, copyright has hit the headlines. Suddenly, everyone has discovered it. The simple mechanism that gave authors ownership of their works has exploded on the internet.

It all began at the dawn of the Enlightenment with the Statute of Queen Anne. Our forefathers granted “the Author of any Book or Books...the sole Right and Liberty of Printing such Book and Books.”

Over the next three centuries, it was an idea that was adopted throughout the world. But it remained largely hidden from public view, buried in artists’ contracts, distributor agreements and High Court
Millions for wasting: recession for the rest of us
Chris White
Monday, May 4, 2009
As the European economic crisis continues to spiral downwards with jobs lost in almost every sector the European Parliament has ordered the contractors running EuroparlTV to allocate “stupendous sums” buying in professional talent to try to get its viewing figures up from a reported “abysmal 900 viewers”.
Thinking Outside the Box
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The economic and financial tsunami that has had such a major impact on much of Europe and the US, as well as the shockwaves which have followed in the Far East and in the developing world are, of course, well documented.
Syndicate content