EU Parliament Passes Unworkable REACH Legislation at the Expense of Global Trade & Competitiveness
86804
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 13  /PRNewswire/ -- The European Parliament voted today to approve legislation calling for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), in a form which will unnecessarily stifle trade and innovation.
682644
PARIS, Oct 29 (IPS) - The industrial lobby is putting the brakes on  European  Parliament debate of a bill for regulating and  ultimately eliminating  certain toxic chemicals. The U.S.  government also opposes the initiative.
58044
BRUSSELS/LUXEMBOURG  - Microsoft suffered a stunning defeat on Monday when a European Union court backed a European Commission ruling that the U.S. software giant illegally abused its market power to crush competitors.
702713
BRUSSELS, Mar 7 (IPS) - The European Commission and a grouping of   countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the  Pacific are no  nearer an agreement on trade liberalisation after their  latest  effort.
734428
ATHENS, Dec. 7 (IPS) - Immigration and dealing with migrant workers has  perennially been a problem for countries across Europe, but  nowhere more than in Greece. Huge problems remain unsolved while  the country attempts to match the requirements of EU law.
71855
The European Union yesterday said it would lift trade sanctions that are damaging American exporters after President Bush last week signed a bill to revamp the corporate tax code and end an illegal export subsidy.
153750
BRUSSELS -- The European Union moved to lift hundreds of millions of dollars in trade sanctions against US exporters, responding to sweeping new US corporate-tax legislation that closes tax breaks ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization.
527605
Some dangerous chemicals could be banned from the European market, and about 30,000 substances used in everyday products ranging from detergents to toys will have to be registered in a central European Union database under a new law. The European Parliament passed the law, one of the most complex and far-reaching commission regulations ever, after years of haggling marked by intense lobbying by the European chemicals industry and by protests from environmentalists who sought more restraints on the industry. The law, a compromise balancing health and environmental concerns against fears that excessive red tape would stifle business, puts the burden of proof on companies to show that industrial chemicals and substances used in everyday products are safe. It is likely to take effect in mid-2007.
210415
A European Union import duty on bananas is declared illegal by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
242977
The European Parliament  called on Monday for binding rules to regulate the bloc&#39;s  online music market and protect less powerful artists, but the  proposal was rejected by the bloc&#39;s executive.
526793
WASHINGTON -- The House last night passed a massive business-tax bill aimed at settling a trade dispute with the European Union and propping up domestic manufacturers.
513676
The EU leadership issue is essential. This entity, whose powers are so extensive, needs firm leadership.
311563
The European Union has been plunged into uncharted constitutional waters following parliamentary committee&#39;s rejection of Italy&#39;s nominee for European commissioner, Rocco Buttiglione.
605683
(InfoWorld) - Four European Parliament members warned the European Commission that its actions toward Microsoft could endanger the competitiveness of European businesses by delaying the release of Vista, Microsoft's next operating system. In a strongly worded letter submitted Thursday to Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, the legislators said Microsoft regards the E.U.'s regulatory actions as a "risk factor." Microsoft used the terminology in its annual report filed Aug. 25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). "This effectively means that the Commission's actions are endangering the ability of European business to compete globally," the legislators wrote. The letter is signed by U.K. representatives Chris Heaton-Harris, Sharon Bowles and Peter Skinner, plus Michal Kaminski of Poland. Microsoft wrote in the SEC filing that its ongoing appeal of European Commission's March 2004 antitrust decision means there's uncertainty over the legal principles regarding product design in the European market. "These uncertainties could ... delay release dates for Windows or other products," the SEC filing read. Microsoft has provided copies of Vista to the Commission along with technical information, said spokesman Tom Brookes. The Commission, he said, has raised concerns regarding complaints by competitors. In March, the Commission sent a letter to Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, saying it was concerned about certain functions in Vista and how compatible the OS would be with products from other software companies. European Commission representatives were not immediately available for comment regarding Thursday's letter. Brookes said Microsoft was unaware of the letter until this morning. Two of the legislators said their letter is based on information contained in the company's SEC filing. Heaton-Harris referred questions to Microsoft, regarding why the company thought the E.U. might cause a delay Vista's shipping date. Microsoft has said Vista will be ready for corporate customers in November and consumers in January. Bowles said she has participated in informal sessions where Commission members have acknowledged they are watching Microsoft's development of Vista closely. She said she had no specific information on what the Commission is currently doing, as few details are publicly released. However, the Commission's actions have prompted concern among small to medium-size businesses in Europe, worried that the E.U. could potentially delay Vista's release, putting them at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world, Bowles said. "That climate of uncertainty caused through competition policy and actions already taken ... are meaning that Europe is being deprived," Bowles said. Europe is in the middle of a 10-year plan, called the Lisbon Agenda, to increase the continent's competitiveness in technology. The legislators wrote that they are concerned the Commission's actions toward Microsoft are undermining Europe's moves to become a knowledge-driven economy. Microsoft and the Commission have locked horns over how the company is complying with the March 2004 antitrust decision. TheÂ Commission fined MicrosoftÂ â¬280.5 million ($357 million at the time) in July for failing to provide technical documentation for certain protocols used by its server products. The Commission required disclosure of the protocols to allow competitors to develop compatible products.Â Microsoft is appealing. Microsoft is also appealing the entire March 2004 decision, in which it was fined â¬497 million ($613 million at the time), before the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg.
765046
European Union and U.S. lawmakers must  work more closely if a project to cut transatlantic red tape  and expand trade is to succeed, an EU official said on  Thursday.
88716
The European Parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a ban on trade in products containing cat or dog fur following calls to outlaw a practice many consider unethical and animal rights advocates call barbaric.
355156
BRUSSELS : European Union finance ministers wrestled with a proposal to overhaul an ineffective set of budget rules, but faced with lingering differences they postponed concrete action until January at the earliest.