European Union

Summit Key Opportunity to Press Moscow to Regain Lost Momentum for Reform

November 17, 2009 -- (Moscow) - European leaders should use the upcoming EU-Russia summit to convey alarm over deteriorating human rights in Russia and to press for concrete improvements, Human Rights Watch said today. The summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2009, in Stockholm.

During the past year, Russia has suffered unprecedented blows to its human rights community, with at least five independent civic activists murdered, and others imprisoned, beaten, and harassed. A leading rights activist is facing criminal charges for speaking out over the murder of a colleague. Violence has surged in the North Caucasus.    » read more »

Set to reach 12% of EU’s electricity by 2020

Brussels, 16 November 2009 -- The Thin Film industry is more than ever ready to contribute to the 12% target set by EPIA in its recent SET For 2020 study. This was confirmed by the 260 participants of EPIA’s 2nd International Thin Film Conference that took place on 12 November 2009 in Munich.    » read more »

Panenza®, non-adjuvanted pandemic vaccine, licensed for use in adults and children 6 months of age and older

Lyon, France – November 16, 2009 - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that the French drug agency Afssaps (Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé) has granted marketing authorization in France for Panenza®, its non-adjuvanted Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, produced at Sanofi Pasteur’s facility in Val de Reuil, France. The vaccine was made available to French health authorities.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall:

“On November 9, 1989, the world witnessed a stirring moment of progress for all humanity. On that day, students, activists, and citizens tore down the Berlin Wall, pulled back the Iron Curtain, and opened the doors of democracy to millions in East Germany and beyond.

“The people of Germany rejected decades of division and grasped the opportunity to determine their own brighter future. They sent a clear message that echoed across the globe in support of freedom, human rights, and democracy.    » read more »

Nordic countries continue to have the smallest equality gaps between men and women

New York, USA, 27 October – Iceland (1) has claimed the top spot of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2009 from Norway (3) which slipped to third position behind Finland (2). Sweden (4) completed the Nordic countries’ continued dominance of the top four. The report’s Index assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities.    » read more »

LONDON - 15 October, 2009 - Europe's transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure is more than 50 years old and in urgent need of an upgrade, especially with the increasing share of electricity generation from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass. Further, these transmission networks were built without considering the impact of generation from renewable sources, and there is mounting pressure to build new lines as well as upgrade old ones.    » read more »

Ford achieved a market share high of 10.1 per cent in September in its 19 European main markets – the best share for any month for Ford of Europe since September 2001

COLOGNE, October 12, 2009 – Ford achieved a 10.1 per cent market share in September 2009 in its 19 European main markets – the best share for any month since September 2001 and a 0.8 percentage point increase on the same month 2008.

A total of 51,400 new Ford Fiestas were registered in Europe last month – the best September for Fiesta since 1994.    » read more »

GE’s Jenbacher CHP Units to Support European Union Energy Efficiency Goals, Help Eliminate up to 40 Percent of a Plant’s Annual CO2 Emissions

PLOIESTI, Romania--Wednesday, October 07, 2009-- In line with a major initiative by the European Union (EU) to reduce emissions, GE Energy, the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. and the energy development company ContourGlobal today celebrated the opening of a new cogeneration plant at Coca-Cola Hellenic’s Ploiesti bottling facility near Bucharest.

The Romania natural gas-fueled cogeneration plant represents the first of a planned group of 15 combined heat and power (CHP) plants that will be installed at Coca-Cola Hellenic’s facilities in 12 European countries.    » read more »

IRESSA (Gefitinib) receives marketing authorization for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Europe

01 July 2009 -- AstraZeneca announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for the oral anti-cancer drug, IRESSA for the treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating mutations of EGFR-TK (epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase) across all lines of therapy. The authorisation is based on a submission package including two pivotal Phase III studies comparing IRESSA with chemotherapy, IPASS and INTEREST.    » read more »

Says China’s export quotas, taxes are illegal trade barriers that hurt U.S. manufacturing workers

Washington, D.C. (Jun. 23) -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today gave strong support for a new World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute filed by the United States and European Union, challenging China’s export restrictions on key raw materials and minerals used in manufacturing.

The U.S. and the EU have requested WTO consultations with the Chinese government regarding export restrictions placed on a variety of raw materials and minerals, including bauxite, coke, zinc, silicon metal, silicon carbide, fluorspar, yellow phosphorous, magnesium and manganese.    » read more »

BRUSSELS, June 22, 2009 – Photovoltaic solar electricity is poised to become a significant and competitive supplier to the European electricity market, concludes a comprehensive study conducted by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) with the strategic management consultancy A.T. Kearney.

The SET For 2020 study (www.setfor2020.eu) explores different deployment scenarios: Under business-as-usual conditions, photovoltaic power should supply between 4% and 6% of Europeans’ electricity needs by 2020. However, photovoltaic power could supply as much as 12% of EU electricity demand by 2020 – up from less than 1% at present – if more favourable conditions are established by European policy makers, regulators and the energy sector at large.    » read more »

Murray Demands Halt to Illegal, Unfair Airbus Subsidies in Letter to E.U.; Calls subsidies "trade-distorting," "completely unacceptable," and "a major step in the wrong direction"

June 16, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Ambassador John Bruton, head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the U.S, expressing deep concern over reports that Airbus is seeking $5 billion in additional launch aid from four European Union countries, and urging an end to Airbus subsidies.    » read more »

OSLO, NORWAY—June 16, 2009—GE Oil & Gas, a world leading company in oil and gas advanced technology equipment and services, today announced that it has been selected by BP to conduct two initial engineering studies for the Foinaven oil field, for subsea processing and power-from-shore systems respectively.

The initial engineering studies, which will involve obtaining accurate data for field development and its technical and commercial feasibility, represent a continuation of work already completed by GE Oil & Gas to support BP in developing the Foinaven field for future production enhancement. The target completion date for the initial engineering studies is the third quarter of 2009.    » read more »

Tillerson outlines need for cooperation, long-term thinking and technology innovation to meet increasing energy demand while reducing emissions

June 16, 2009 -- GRONINGEN, The Netherlands -- The 50th anniversary of the development of the Groningen field, Europe’s largest natural gas field and one of the greatest energy discoveries in history, provides valuable lessons in teamwork, technology and long-term thinking required to meet the current energy challenge, Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), said today.    » read more »

TEWKSBURY, Mass. and PARIS, June 15, 2009 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) in cooperation with KONGSBERG (Norway) has been selected to fulfill Finland's medium range air defense missile system requirements with the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS).

"We look forward to working with the Finnish Defense Forces to provide Finland with the finest medium range air defense system," said Pete Franklin, vice president, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' National & Theater Security Programs. "I am confident that this relationship will be as fruitful and enduring as our relationship with KONGSBERG and the Norwegian Air Force."    » read more »