http://www.neurope.eu Competition News - New Europe News: The European News Source. en-us Copyright The Media Company S.A. info@neurope.eu (New Europe) kgougakis@neurope.eu (Kostas Gougakis) Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:37:00 +0200 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:37:00 +0200 New Europe New Europe 5 http://www.neurope.eu/images/logo.jpg http://www.neurope.eu 100 35 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98494.php Neelie Kroes soon to be former European Commissioner for Competition should not be allowed by the European Parliament to be confirmed in her new portfolio which includes telecoms. Why? Because when at her personal discretion to choose citizens over industry. In an in-depth report by New Europe we discovered that Kroes... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/98494.php Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94191.php The business world knew it was coming but it still resounded loudly when the European Commission in a bid to provide computer buyers with more choice fined US computer chip maker Intel a record 1.06 billion Euro USD 1.45 billion for bribing retailers and manufacturers to shut its main rival... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94191.php Mon, 18 May 2009 12:17:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94192.php Anti-competitive practices are punished hard in times of crises as witnessed by California-based company Intel. The leading chip-manufacturer was fined an unprecedented 1.06 billion Euro by the Commission which said it had abused its dominant market position between 2002 and 2007 by acting to shut out its only competitor Advanced... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94192.php Mon, 18 May 2009 12:17:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94126.php American computer microprocessor chip maker Intel which dominates the world market might be choking on its own gagabytes pretty soon as it reportedly faces a possible new record one billion Euro USD 1.33 billion fine from the European Union for alleged anti-competitive abuses against US rival AMD including giving large... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94126.php Sun, 03 May 2009 13:45:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94119.php A European Court has reduced a multimillion-euro dollar fine imposed by EU officials on Nintendo after the Japanese maker of popular video game consoles and game cartridges such as Super Mario Bros agreed to cooperate in an anti- trust investigation. In 2002 the European Commission found Nintendo and six of... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/94119.php Sun, 03 May 2009 13:10:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/93229.php The European Union has scaled back its monitoring of Microsoft in a case concerning the software giantrsquo;s publication of key communication codes saying that the companyrsquo;s good behaviour meant that full-time supervision was no longer needed. The EUrsquo;s executive the European Commission ldquo;considers that the ongoing monitoring that is still... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/93229.php Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:57:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92981.php The European Commission said it fears that an Italian plan to support the car industry could break EU rules officials in Brussels said just days after they raised similar concerns over French and Spanish schemes to protect their auto makers as well. ldquo;As far as the Italian measures are concerned... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92981.php Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:25:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92951.php The European commission has approved the Belgian Governmentrsquo;s financial aid amounting to Euro 1.5 billion for the insurance and banking group Ethias on February 16. Corresponding with the Commissionrsquo;s communication providing guidance on state aid it is another measure in the long row of the Member statesrsquo; capital assistance projects... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92951.php Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:25:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92622.php The European Commission has launched an investigation into claims that Germanyrsquo;s Lufthansa may not be paying enough for Austrian Airlines in its bid to create Europelsquo;s largest carrier in a deal in which the German carrier bought the airline for a token price. In a statement the European Union executive... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92622.php Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:41:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92592.php The European Commission said it launched raids on unnamed companies producing high-voltage undersea cables fearing that they are illegally fixing prices. Investigators raided the premises of a number of cable- makers between January 28 and 30 because it ldquo;has reason to believe that the companies may have violated EU rules... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92592.php Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:47:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92577.php The European Commission has ruled that a provision of the Slovak Competition Act the Commission found restrained the ability of the countryrsquo;s competition authorities from implementing measures against anticompetitive practices must be amended. The opinion came after the Commission said it was concerned that EU regulations against anti-competitive activities in... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92577.php Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:47:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92565.php In a recently written opinion issued by the European Commission to Slovakia the European Commission has asked the republic to amend a provision of the Slovak Competition Act which is believed to have restrained the ability of the nationrsquo;s competition authorities from implementing appropriate measures against anticompetitive practices. The opinion... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92565.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:16:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92263.php The European Commission has slapped a 131 million Euro USD 173 million fine on five companies that contributed to higher petrol costs by fixing the price of marine hoses used to transfer crude oil to and from ships. The five companies - Bridgestone Dunlop Oil amp; Marine/Continental Trelleborg Parker ITR... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92263.php Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:25:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92007.php The European Commission on Friday late evening Jan 16 confirmed that it is taking Microsoft to task again. The Commission filed fresh antitrust charges against Microsoft for abusing its dominant position by bundling Internet Explorer into its ubiquitous Windows operating system. The Commission sent a Statement of Objections SO to Microsoft... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/92007.php Sat, 17 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91154.php Customers of the Hofer discount supermarket chain will be able to gas-up on site beginning next year. Several Hofer supermarkets in Salzburg will open discount petrol stations run by Free Energy Trading GmbH FE in 2009 and if the experiment proves successful Hofer will expand the network of stations in... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91154.php Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91166.php nbsp;On December 4 during the ministerial council of the OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe the foreign ministers of Luxembourg and Serbia signed a memorandum of cooperation on a project to develop a backup site Disaster Recovery Site for the Belgrade Stock Exchange. This project was made possible... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91166.php Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91173.php Dublin-headquartered pharmaceutical company Elan is to close its offices in New York and Tokyo as part of a ldquo;resource realignmentrdquo; which the company says is aimed at putting more resources into research and development. In a statement the company said that ldquo;a number of positionsrdquo; would be eliminated as part... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91173.php Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91183.php French fashion house LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton has abandoned its plans to open a flagship store in Tokyorsquo;s ritzy Ginza district as the global financial crisis hits Japanrsquo;s booming luxury market the company said. Declining sales were cited as the reason for scrapping plans to open the Louis Vuitton store... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91183.php Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91196.php The European Commission has approved a major takeover in Germanyrsquo;s automotive components industry clearing family- owned Schaeffler Group to take a main stake in stockmarket-listed Continental. nbsp; Schaeffler is mainly a maker of ball-bearings whereas the bigger Continental has a focus on tyres and electronics. The 10 billion Euro USD 14... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91196.php Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91129.php The European Commission has approved a series of temporary guidelines designed to make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses SMEs to access funds during the credit squeeze. Under the new rules applicable until the end of 2010 European Union governments will be allowed to grant eligible SMEs up to... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91129.php Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91124.php Ryanair has won a court case against the European Commission meaning the low-cost airline will not have to pay back millions of Euro in subsidies that it received from the Belgian state for establishing a base at Charleroi Airport. Ryanair obtained favourable terms from the Wallonia Region when negotiating its... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/91124.php Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90867.php Adetailed probe report of the European Commission on the EU pharmaceutical industry released November 28 slammed drug companies for ldquo;delaying or blocking market entry of competing medicines rdquo; with further warning that it will start legal proceedings against companies found violating the EU rules of fair competition. Presenting the interim... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90867.php Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90593.php The European Commissionrsquo;s Competition Directorate-General has potential to become the crown jewel of Europersquo;s governmental bodies. Unfortunately their treatment of competition law applies quite selectively. We have seen 1.3 billion euro fines this week on the car glass industry; the people who make the windows and windshields of our motor... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90593.php Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90601.php The European Commission has imposed an unprecedented 1.38 billion Euro combined fine on four car glass manufacturers found guilty of forging a cartel designed to keep prices artificially high. An investigation concluded that managers of Asahi of Japan Britainrsquo;s Pilkington Saint-Gobain of France and Belgiumrsquo;s Soliver had taken part in... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90601.php Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90634.php European car industry including Opel may not enjoy benefits of state aid from their parent governments if the statement of the EU officials today Nov 18 in Brussels are taken as indicators. The European Union is back to its strict competitive environs and allied state aid rules application as is evident... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90634.php Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90540.php The number of decisions taken by the EU to nod financial schemes of the member states till today crossed the double-digit mark as the European Commission approved Finnish and Italian support schemes to stabilise their financial markets. Presenting the positive outcome of the Commission deliberations on the subject Jonathan Todd the... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90540.php Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90487.php The European Commission has opened public consultations on a draft Communication laying down the rules that it intends to apply to state funding of public service broadcasting. Announcing the proposals Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement: ldquo;I am pleased to submit the draft Broadcasting Communication for public consultation.... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90487.php Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90433.php European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes today Nov 6 announced plans for sale of the Polish yards saying Clearly todays decision is not the one which the shipyard workers would have liked. This is without a doubt one of the hardest proposals to the Commission that I have had to make... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90433.php Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90432.php European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes today Nov 6 announced plans for sale of the Polish yards with the conclusion that state aid granted to Gdynia shipyard and Szczecin shipyard gives rise to disproportionate distortions of competition within the Single Market in breach of EC Treaty state aid rules and must... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90432.php Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90401.php The European Commission today Nov 4 opened public consultations on a draft Communication laying down the rules that it intends to apply to state funding of public service broadcasting. Announcing the proposals Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement: I am pleased to submit the draft Broadcasting Communication for public... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90401.php Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90108.php The European Commission on Tuesday Oct 7 asked the Slovakia authorities to reopen the postal market in hybrid mail which was closed down after recent amendments to the Slovak law. Addressing journalists Jonathan Todd spokesman for Neelie Kroes European Commissioner for Competition said ldquo;The Commission has decided that an amendment of... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90108.php Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90016.php ldquo;Nobodyrsquo;s happy but wersquo;re going to pass it anywayrdquo; * The US Senate has put its endorsement on the new financial rescue plan securing the 60 necessary votes while Presidential Candidates Barack Obama and John McCain calling for unity and bipartisanship in acting on the financial crisis.nbsp; Obama Acknowledged that the... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/90016.php Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:15:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/89930.php European Union consumers will soon be pa ying much less when using their mobile phones during trips out of the home country according to pr oposals agreed on September 23 by the European Commission. Presenting the proposals to journalists in Brussels Viviane Reding European Teleco ms Commissioner outlined that there... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/89930.php Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/89920.php The EU blogosphere is growing rapidly. There are many blogs going deeply into EU affairs and even more which skim the surface. Some are serious carrying credibility; some acting as a venting mechanism or humorous outlet. Some support Europe and others are more anti-Europe. I find EU blogs a precious gem... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/89920.php Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/89704.php Welcoming the European Commission statement about our efforts to improve data privacy for Internet users saying Particularly important is the Commissions shift and acknowledgement of the need to balance privacy needs with innovation Peter Fleischer Googles Global Privacy Counsel said in a statment: Google welcomes the European Commissions reaction to... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/89704.php Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:59:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/87110.php The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of joint control in the newly created company Bosch Mahle Turbo Systems GmbH amp; Co KG by the German companies Robert Bosch GmbH and Mahle GmbH. The joint venture will be active in the research development manufacturing... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/87110.php Mon, 26 May 2008 20:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/86578.php European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs Meglena Kuneva has given EU airlines one year to make their websites honest after a study revealed appalling levels of deceptive offers and a weaker than expected ability to change them. The airlines involved include low-cost giant Ryanair and Austrias national carrier Austrian as well... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/86578.php Mon, 12 May 2008 12:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/85480.php The European Court of Justice on April 11 upheld a fine of 12.6 million Euro USD 19.8 million imposed by the European Commission on Deutsche Telekom for abusing its dominant position in the German telecoms market. The fine dates back to May 2003 when the EU executive decided that Deutsche... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/85480.php Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/84877.php The European Commission on March 26 launched formal antitrust proceedings against Visa Europe Limited in relation to its multilateral interchange fees MIF for cross-border point of sale transactions within the EEA using Visa branded consumer payment cards. The commission statement said This initiation of proceedings does not imply that the... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/84877.php Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/84891.php The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition by Finlands Nokia of Navteq a navigable digital maps producer based in the United States. The European Unions executive wants to ascertain whether the proposed merger worth USD 8.1 billion violates EU competition rules. In a statement the... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/84891.php Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0300 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/84187.php The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the online advertising technology company DoubleClick by Google both from the US. Following the clearance Google said that it had completed its acquisition of the Internet advertising firm DoubleClick and would start detailed planning on integrating... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/84187.php Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83546.php How best to boost competition - and at the same time investment - in the telecommunications sector was the key issue discussed at a European Parliament Industry committee public hearing on the telecoms package. MEPs national regulators telecoms operators new entrant companies and academics debated the Commissionrsquo;s proposals for a... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83546.php Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83548.php The European Commission again hit US software giant Microsoft with a giant fine this time for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order an 899 million Euro penalty that was the largest ever imposed on a company. European regulators said they believed that Microsoft operated like a monopoly by... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83548.php Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/82955.php European Union inspectors on February 12 carried out surprise raids at Intel offices in Germany and at retailers in Britain as part of a probe into unfair business practices by the worlds leading maker of computer processors. The European Commission can confirm that on 12th February 2008 commission officials carried... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/82955.php Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83033.php The European commission has last week reiterated its decision adopted in 2005 asking Greece to recover illegal and incompatible aid to Olympic Airways Services and Olympic Airlines. The commission call came in the wake of the Court of Justice confirming that Greece has failed to comply with a Commission decision... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83033.php Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83034.php Europes mobile phone companies are ripping off clients by charging them unreasonably high prices when they send text messages or check their email while abroad a top European Union official said. Viviane Reding the European Commissioner responsible for media and telecommunications told industry chief executives meeting in Barcelona Spain that... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/83034.php Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/82102.php The European pharmaceutical sector got a taste of the European Unions anti-trust policies as the EU launched a series of raids on concerned companies amidst allegations the firms involved may be protecting their own market shares at the expense of introducing better drugs. A sector inquiry is something we engage... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/82102.php Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:48:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/81774.php The European Union has welcomed a decision by Apple to harmonise the price of music downloads from its European online iTunes stores in a bid to avoid getting into trouble with the blocs antitrust rules. The move should result in cheaper prices in Britain where downloads are currently almost 10... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/81774.php Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:43:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/81341.php The European Commission on December 19 accused Master- Card of violating the blocs competition rules by applying unnecessary fees on cross-border payment card transactions a move which a group of major retail companies immediately hailed. In a statement the EU executive said such charges levied on each payment at a... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/81341.php Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:18:00 +0200 http://www.neurope.eu/articles/81085.php The legal protection of the design of visible spare parts is to come to an end in 2012. The European Parliament has given initial approval to a proposal that would require an end to legal protection of design for automotive parts. The five-year transition period is a compromise proposal which... info@neurope.eu (New Europe) Competition http://www.neurope.eu/articles/81085.php Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:37:00 +0200