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Volkswagen ruling
- The European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday (23 October) that a German law protecting carmaker Volkswagen from takeovers is illegal. Shareholders were barred from exercising more than 20% of voting rights, even if their stake in the firm was larger. The ruling opens the way for luxury carmaker Porsche to take control of Volkswagen. Porsche currently owns 31% of Volkswagen.
Microsoft moves on
- Microsoft announced on Monday (22 October) that it will not contest further a 2004 European Commission antitrust ruling. Last month the European Court of First Instance rejected Microsoft’s appeal, backing the Commission’s decision to fine the software giant €497 million and to order changes in its business practices.
French online betting
- Petter Nylander, the chief executive of betting company Unibet, was arrested on Monday at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on a European arrest warrant issued by France in connection with proceedings filed against Unibet in 2006 by the French gambling monopolies Française des Jeux and PMU. French gambling laws restrict foreign companies. On Tuesday, the case was dropped. French Budget Minister Eric Woerth is to discuss liberalisation of the French online gambling market with Charlie McCreevy, the European commissioner for the internal market, on 6 November.
Counterfeiting accord
- Peter Mandelson, the European commissioner for trade, announced on Tuesday plans to negotiate an anti-counterfeiting agreement with major trading partners, including the US, Japan and Korea, aimed at strengthening global co-operation and establishing new international norms.
Scanning law delay
- The Commission will announce tomorrow (26 October) a four-year, postponement of the physical agents directive, which is partly aimed at curbing exposure to electro-magnetic fields. Radiologists feared that it would have restricted use of MRI scanning, commonly used in the detection of diseases of the central nervous system, the liver, pancreas and heart, as well as for brain and breast cancer.
Economic rankings
- The World Economic Forum’s competitiveness rankings, released today (25 October), puts Germany fifth, Sweden fourth and Denmark third. The US and Switzerland lead in first and second place respectively. Chad ranked bottom. Germany was ranked top for the quality of its infrastructure and the sophistication of its business sector. Denmark and Sweden were praised for their macroeconomic environments and efficient institutions.
Meglena Kuneva, the European commissioner for consumer protection, is to announce intensified checks on toys by national customs authorities in the run-up to Christmas.
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