EU gears up for Asian summits - EUbusiness Week 322

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EUbusiness Week - Issue 322
8 September 2006
Your way through the EU information maze ==================================================

This Week's Top Stories
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1. Europe's top court scraps EU cotton aid regime
2. EU has "two months" to avoid a crisis with Turkey
3. EU lifts eurozone growth forecast to six-year high
4. French gas privatisation raises heat in France and EU
5. EU cannot guarantee absence of GM rice in European market
6. Experts urge EU to ratchet up air pollution standards

Publisher's Note
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Welcome back as the EU moves into gear with a couple of key summits. At the EU-China summit Saturday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will discuss the ending of the EU arms embargo as well as the influx of cheap Chinese textiles and shoes and claims that China's genetically modified rice has entered the European market.

Mr Wen will then move on to the ASEM 6 Summit, where leaders of 38 Asian and European countries are due to debate environment, energy and security issues. Mindful of the need to show results, leaders will hope for a bilateral trade agreement between the EU, ASEAN and South Korea, as well as some consensus on resuming the stalled WTO trade talks.
China: http://www.eubusiness.com/Trade/060907040309.l50tsf3e
Asia: http://www.eubusiness.com/Trade/060906202314.6hpd39u6

Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Europe's top court scraps EU cotton aid regime
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The EU's highest court ruled on Thursday that the EU's cotton aid regime, drawn up after difficult negotiations in 2004, must be scrapped. http://www.eubusiness.com/Agri/060907093615.36p66wwh

British working time guidelines infringe EU law: court http://www.eubusiness.com/Employment/060907092242.wnfkg15z

2. EU has "two months" to avoid a crisis with Turkey
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The EU has two months to avoid a "serious crisis" in its relations with Turkey over its treatment of Cyprus, the bloc's Finnish presidency has warned. http://www.eubusiness.com/East_Europe/060906211910.d3khi3cp

3. EU lifts eurozone growth forecast to six-year high
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Economic growth in the eurozone is racing ahead at the fastest pace since 2000, the European Commission said on Wednesday, lifting its 2006 forecast to 2.5 per cent from 2.1 per cent previously.

http://www.eubusiness.com/Finance/060906094957.n6dbmcg5

4. French gas privatisation raises heat in France and EU
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A new round in a bitter fight over French energy privatisation began in the French parliament Thursday over a plan for Gaz de France to merge with Suez, which also spotlights deep strains in European energy policy. http://www.eubusiness.com/Energy/060907102606.iakofbt8

5. EU cannot guarantee absence of GM rice in European market
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The Commission has warned that it cannot guarantee that an unauthorised strain of genetically modified rice from the United States is not present in the EU market. http://www.eubusiness.com/Environ/060831115649.dea3a28b

6. Experts urge EU to ratchet up air pollution standards
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Experts have called on the EU to toughen proposals on curbing two forms of air pollution linked to thousands of premature deaths per year. http://www.eubusiness.com/Environ/060904163221.9mp4w1s2

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Inside the EU Institutions
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Council Watch
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Ecofin: EU finance ministers are to take the pulse of their combined economy when they meet Friday, with a growing number of indications suggesting growth has passed its prime. http://www.eubusiness.com/Finance/060906031352.d47abs4c

Solana hopes to meet Iran nuclear negotiator Saturday

EU calls on Israel to free Hamas ministers  http://www.eubusiness.com/European_Council

Commission Watch
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Immigration: EC president Jose Manuel Barroso has written to the leaders of all 25 EU member states calling for more solidarity to tackle the growing problem of illegal immigration into the bloc. http://www.eubusiness.com/Living_in_EU/060907123827.s6gaf5gp

EC calls on member states to investigate CIA secret prisons

EU won't reopen Serbia talks until war fugitives arrested

Probable extra safeguards for Bulgaria on EU entry: Barroso

http://www.eubusiness.com/Commission

Euro-Parliament Watch
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Seals: Parliament on Wednesday backed a call for a ban on seal products in the bloc as a "first step" to offering the animals greater protection worldwide.

http://www.eubusiness.com/Environ/060906222345.cyu8d8wj

MEPs regret slow pace of reform in Turkey 

At September's plenary session, Euro-MPs called on the US to ensure that it offers adequate protection of European passenger data; urged improved civil protection from forest fires and flood; voiced full commitment to the multilateral approach to trade policy and suggested institutional reforms of the WTO to increase accountability; called for improved access to affordable medicines; and decided to postpone to the second September session a vote on protection of personal data. http://www.eubusiness.com/Europarl

EU diary
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8-9 Sep, Informal Economic and Financial Council, Helsinki 9-10 Sep, ASEM 6 Summit (Asia-Europe Meeting), Helsinki 14-15 Sep, Gen'l Affairs and Ext'l Relations, Brussels 18-19 Sep, Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels 20-21 Sep, Informal Justice and Home Affairs Council, Tampere 24-26 Sep, Informal Agriculture Council, Oulu 25-28 Sep, EP Plenary, Strasbourg

The Week Ahead

Long-term diary

Community
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PressZONE
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In publishing a briefing note on Statutory Audits in the European Union, FEE (European Federation of Accountants) notes that it is in the public interest if statutory audits of all companies are carried out in accordance with international standards. http://www.eubusiness.com/press/fee.2006-09-06

EU restrictions on illegal US rice imports inadequate - Greenpeace

PressZONE: http://www.eubusiness.com/press

Comment
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Commenting on our piece "Immigration divides opinion in Britain", Irene Daskalakis writes: "This is a very controversial issue but it should be of interest to all EU countries. The most important reason why Europe is facing such difficult problems with the issue of immigration, is because there has not been proper decision making at the EU level to facilitate handling and rights of immigrants. Procrastination to take a results-oriented action will augment problems, spilling into different but related issues such as EU enlargement." http://www.eubusiness.com/East_Europe/060823012803.rpwynzg8

Please note: any comments considered offensive or unsuitable will be removed immediately.

Events
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4-6 Oct, Potsdam, Germany: European Venture Market

9-10 Oct, London: European Pensions 2006

Events: http://www.eubusiness.com/events

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Other stories on EUbusiness this week
-------------------------------------
EU denies it is holding up Microsoft Vista launch 7-Sep

EU experts mull increased airport security 7-Sep

EU backs Vietnam's bid to join WTO 7-Sep

Benefits of intellectual capital reporting for SMEs 5-Sep

Romania urges EU to reward progress on adhesion goals 5-Sep

EU mulls limits to Bulgaria's membership 5-Sep

Mandelson sees WTO talks stalled till US Nov elections 5-Sep

EU lifts poultry ban in parts of Romania 5-Sep

Eurozone retail sales pick up in July 5-Sep

Five years on, Europe asserting itself militarily 5-Sep

EU receives late Polish reply on shipyard aid 4-Sep

EU seeks tax talks with Hong Kong, Singapore, others 4-Sep

IMF reforms force Europe to rethink its role: experts 4-Sep

Internet Monitor
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EU Animal Health Strategy (2007-2013) evaluation report 

2007 Baltic fish quotas proposals 

Galileo project evaluation 2002-2004 

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