EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: In a 15 month investigation, the EU found that that the Chinese government was significantly subsidising its coated fine paper industry by giving cheap loans, allocating land below market value and granting various tax incentives which are illegal practices under WTO rules. After this first-ever anti-subsidy proceeding launched by the EU against China, the EU has imposed definite countervailing duties ranging from 4% to 12% on this high quality paper imported from China.
EU News: The future development of the EU's many agricultural regions could be at risk if the proposed reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy do not redress the serious imbalances in the current system and ensure continued support for the many small & medium-sized farmers & producers who make up the majority of the EU's agricultural sector.
This was the warning from local & regional representatives last Thursday following the adoption of three opinions at the Committee of the Regions' plenary session in Brussels.
EU News: 78 proposals for large-scale demonstration projects involving innovative renewable energy & carbon capture & storage (CCS) technologies have passed the Member State stage of the NER 300 programme and have been submitted to the European Investment Bank (EIB) under the EU's "NER 300" programme, the world's largest demonstration programme for such technologies.
