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Endesa bids can go ahead, says court
- Bids for Spanish energy group Endesa can now proceed following a Madrid court ruling on Tuesday (16 January) unblocking Gas Natural’s €21 billion offer. The bid was approved by regulators almost a year ago, but blocked following a higher bid (€29bn) from German group E.ON. The Madrid ruling means that both bids can now be considered. E.ON plans to increase its bid to €37bn.
Gazprom invests in carbon trading
- Russian energy giant Gazprom is investing in the carbon trading market through a joint venture with Dresdner Bank, a subsidiary of insurance group Allianz. Investments planned by Gazprombank, part of the Gazprom group, would be channelled into projects generating carbon credits that are traded to help meet targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
Polish told to rethink retail web regulation
- The European Commission has ordered the Polish telecoms regulator to carry out a new analysis of retail web access markets. Two months ago the Commission asked for more justification of the regulator’s plans to regulate wholesale and retail web access. The Commission believes that regulation at wholesale level would be sufficient.
Media pluralism strategy unveiled
- The Commission has announced a strategy aimed at supporting media pluralism and freedom of expression in the EU. The three-step approach comprises an analysis of member state media markets presented yesterday (17 January), an independent study on assessing pluralism due later this year and a public consultation in 2008.
Citizens satisfied with single market
- EU citizens are generally satisfied with the possibilities offered by the single market in terms of competition, range and quality, according to the results of a Eurobarometer survey released on Monday (15 January). The majority of respondents believed that increasing worker mobility would help to reduce unemployment figures. Almost three-quarters of respondents believed that travelling between member states had become easier. But only a minority of citizens considered buying financial services, such as mortgages, across borders.
Dutch Socialist MEP Ieke Van den Burg is planning to present a detailed study to the European Parliament this summer on the gaps in the European Commission’s financial services action plan (FSAP).
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