European Union

$7.5 million investment since 2006 adds significant technology and equipment in EMEA

Dusseldorf, Germany, May 12, 2009 -- AT&T* is expanding its pan-European Disaster Recovery resources with the addition of increased technology, equipment and manpower. With its planned investment this year, AT&T will have invested $7.5 million since 2006 to extend its disaster recovery resources in the EMEA region, as part of an ongoing programme.    » read more »

April Ford sales down by 7.4 per cent versus 16.5 per cent industry decline

COLOGNE, May 12, 2009 – Ford continued to increase its European market share last month, both for the month of April and for the year-to-date, further consolidating its position as the No.2 best-selling car brand in Europe.

With 120,000 vehicles sold, Ford's total vehicle market share in April rose by 0.9 percentage points to 9.0 per cent. April year-to-date share was 9.3 per cent, up from 8.7 per cent in the same period last year.

The industry overall declined by 16.5 per cent in April (19 main European markets). In contrast, Ford sales decreased by only 7.4 per cent, with 9,600 fewer units sold than in April 2008.    » read more »

2009-04-28 -- DETROIT – The United Kingdom Listing Authority has approved a prospectus to be published by General Motors Corporation in certain jurisdictions in the EU for GM’s exchange offers and consent solicitations in which GM is offering to exchange 225 shares of its common stock for each 1,000 U.S. dollar equivalent principal amount (or accreted value as of the settlement date if applicable) of its outstanding notes of each series set forth in the prospectus and is offering to pay, in cash, accrued interest on such notes from the most recent interest payment date to the settlement date.

In respect of the exchange offers for the notes issued by General Motors Nova Scotia Finance Company, GM is jointly making the exchange offers with GM Nova Scotia.    » read more »

Virginia strengthens participation in Germany's "Transatlantic Climate Bridge" in global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote community energy planning, and promote low-carbon technologies

April 28, 2009 -- RICHMOND -- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine and Germany's Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Sigmar Gabriel, signed a bilateral Joint Declaration at the German Embassy today that commits each government to the common goals of combating the effects of climate change, achieving greater energy efficiency, collaborating on energy research and development initiatives, and developing a more climate-friendly economy. This is the second bilateral climate change agreement signed by Governor Kaine.    » read more »

More Farms in Europe, North America Using Organic Waste to Generate ‘Free’ Onsite Power

JENBACH, Austria--23 April 2009-- With the international community seeking to expand the development of different types of renewable energy, more farmers in North America and Europe are using GE Energy’s ecomagination-certified Jenbacher engines to generate onsite power from biogas created from converted animal waste and other agricultural organic materials.    » read more »

Brussels, Belgium - 04/22/2009 - Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group’s EU Marine Programme, issued the following statement in response to the European Parliament’s vote today in favour of stronger control of the EU fleet.

“Today’s vote by the European Parliament reinforces the need to reverse the damage due to overfishing, such as decreased fish stocks and fewer fishing jobs.

“Annually, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is valued at an estimated €10 billion worldwide, and contributes substantially to overfishing and the depletion of marine resources. In EU ports, and for the EU fleet, there is currently no coherent or effective control.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 04/22/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today applauded Senator John Kerry’s (D-MA) introduction of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (companion of legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Madeline Bordallo of Guam) on the day before the EU Fisheries Ministers consider a new Plan of Action for Sharks that covers all European Union Member States’ waters.

“Sharks, the top predators in the marine environment, are rapidly disappearing from the world’s oceans,” said Joshua S. Reichert, Managing Director of the Pew Environment Group. “We are hopeful that this week’s events mark a turning point where governments around the world will take concrete steps to stop the widespread killing of these animals.”    » read more »

Antwerp Facility Lowers Operating Costs and Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions

March 23, 2009 -- ANTWERP, Belgium -- ExxonMobil today inaugurated its newest high efficiency cogeneration plant at its Antwerp refinery in Belgium. Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat or steam used for industrial processes. In addition to generating 125 megawatts, the new plant will reduce Belgium's carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 200,000 tonnes per year, the equivalent of removing about 90,000 cars from Europe’s roads.    » read more »

GE’s ‘6F’ Natural Gas Engines Increase Output up to 10% and Electrical Efficiency up to 1% in Pilot CHP Plants in the Netherlands

JENBACH, AUSTRIA -- March 16, 2009 -- GE Energy is introducing a next-generation, ultra-efficient Jenbacher ‘Type 6’ gas engine to help European Union (EU) member states comply with a directive to install new industrial, commercial and residential cogeneration systems that boost energy efficiency while reducing local fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.    » read more »

Initiates partnership on renewable energy and job creation

March 5, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today joined Denmark's Minister of Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU), initiating a partnership between the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy and the state of Michigan to explore development and share experiences in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and job creation.    » read more »

February 24, 2009 -- Ukraine's political infighting and tensions with Russia threaten its path to stability and integration with the West, warns a new Council Special Report. "A more divided Ukraine would be less able to formulate a coherent foreign policy course with which the U.S. government could engage; it could even be driven to reorient itself on a more Moscow-focused course," says report author Steven Pifer, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center on the United States and Europe and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.    » read more »

February 11, 2009 -- “Ensuring reliable access to Eurasia’s energy at a reasonable price is among the most crucial strategic imperatives for Europe and, by extension, for Europe’s allies in the United States,” finds a new Council Special Report, Eurasian Energy Security. The report, authored by Jeffrey Mankoff, adjunct fellow for Russia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), addresses Europe’s overreliance on Russia as an energy supplier and proposes solutions to mitigate and eventually free Europe from its vulnerability in the energy sphere.    » read more »

Brussels, Belgium - 02/05/2009 - The Shark Alliance is celebrating today’s release of the European Commission’s Plan of Action for the Conservation of Sharks which sets the stage for sweeping improvements in European Union (EU) shark fishing and protection policies.

The Plan aims to improve information about shark fisheries, end shark overfishing, pay special attention to threatened shark species, and close loopholes in the EU ban on shark finning (the wasteful practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea). The EU Shark Plan includes actions at national, EU and international levels.    » read more »

September 01, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - "I welcome the results of today's emergency summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. The EU made clear, as I have repeatedly insisted, that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected, that Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states must be rejected, that the six-point peace plan of August 12 must be implemented in its entirety, and that Georgia must be given substantial humanitarian and economic assistance.    » read more »

15 May 2008 -- A House of Representatives committee has voted down attempts by Republicans to restore more than $200 million for a planned U.S. missile defense system in Europe. A final decision on funding must await House and Senate votes on separate versions of a more than $500 billion defense authorization measure for 2009, and negotiations to resolve differences.

The Bush administration wants to place 10 land-based interceptor missiles in Poland, and a related radar installation in the Czech Republic, as a NATO defense against potential ballistic missile launches on Europe, with a focus on potential Iranian threats.

The plan is controversial, and has increased tensions with Russia, which views the future system as a threat, and has faced opposition from congressional Democrats.    » read more »