European Union News

On 8 April 2008, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertaking Arrow Electronics, Inc. (‘Arrow’, United States of America) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation control of the whole of Logix SA (‘Logix’, France) by way of purchase of shares.

On 7 April 2008, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 by which Autogrill SpA (‘Autogrill’, Italy) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation control of the whole of World Duty Free Limited (‘WDF’, United Kingdom) by way of purchase of shares.

The European Commission (EC) published in the Official Journal of the European union (OJ), notices from various member states including information of the Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty Cases where the Commission raised no objections. The TSE testing of sheep and goats fallen stock aid scheme will distribute aid in the form of subsidised service to all regions of the United Kingdom to tackle animal diseases. The overal budget stands at GBP 22,4 million (approximately 32,9 million EUR).

The EP Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality adopted on Monday 14th April 2008, a report on the under-representation of women in the world of science. The report calls for mainstreaming of the male-female dimension in research programmes, support for scientific careers for women and a gender balance on decision-making bodies.

In 2007, Member States' contributions to the European Union budget almost exactly matched the agreed spending for the year so that there was the smallest EU budget surplus ever with a 90% drop from 2000 and a steady 17% decrease from 2006.

Commissioner Piebalgs underlines the role of nuclear energy in the transition towards a low carbon economy Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs reiterated today the importance of nuclear energy for the reduction of CO2 emissions in a speech at a European Nuclear Assembly conference in Brussels. The conference was dedicated to the development of Europe's low carbon economy and organised by Foratom.

European Court of Auditors has presented an information note with the title "Information note of the European Court of Auditors concerning Special Report No 3/2008 on "The European Union Solidarity Fund: how rapid, efficient and flexible is it?". The audit of the EUSF examined whether the Fund had achieved these aims and whether recipient states were satisfied with the Fund.

The European Commission published, on the 15th Abril, a Communication on the role of fisheries management in implementing an ecosystem approach to marine management. In this text, the Commission outlines how the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) can help implement a more joined-up approach to protect the ecological balance of our oceans as a sustainable source of wealth and well-being for future generations.

On the 15th April 2008,the European Commission (EC) is hosting a public hearing on the place and role of languages within the EU. The event, held in the Borschette Conference Centre, rounds up a wide-ranging public consultation on multilingualism which was launched at the end of last year.

The report was submitted to the European Parliament and the Council in compliance with the reporting requirement set out in Article 23 of Regulation (EC) N°1717/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing an Instrument for Stability (the IfS Regulation).

MEPs adopted a report on rights-based management tools in fisheries, by Elspeth ATTWOOLL (ALDE, UK). The rapporteur looks upon both the advantages and disadvantages involved in rights-based management. These vary according both to the nature of the system currently in operation and the ways in which fishing rights are allocated and made transferable/tradable.

The European Commission published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ) information communicated by Member States regarding the State aid "Shetland Cast Ewe Welfare Scheme", granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products. The overall amount of individual aid granted to the company has be set at 50,000 Pounds