Sir, The EU has always been a major investor in China since the country adopted its reform and opening-up policy, ranking behind only Hong Kong and Japan. By October 2009, actual investment from the EU in China totalled US$67 billion, and European investors have set up 31,573 ventures in China. EU investment in China is [...]

Sir, The revision of the EU’s Animal Experiments Directive is reaching a critical point, with the EU Council meeting on 14 December to discuss the proposals Animal experimentation is an issue which attracts a great deal of public concern. A recent opinion survey in the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy and the Czech Republic found [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘Lower phone tariffs kick in across EU‘: Congratulations to the European Commission for forcing mobile phone companies to reduce roaming charges within the EU, but what about the rest of the world? Last week I was in India, where local mobile companies charge Indian consumers about 1 paise per second = ~1.5 rupees/minute [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘EU innovation ‘manifesto’ turns spotlight on funding and skills‘: The idea of expanding the ‘scale and ambition’ of the European Union’s structural funds towards strengthening investment in research and knowledge is in itself excellent and necessary. However, one must be careful to make sure that the structural funds are invested directly in science [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘EU hails ‘new era’ as Lisbon Treaty goes into force‘: The Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community (alias the Lisbon Treaty) entered into force on Dec. 1st, 2009 [1]. Choosing an emblematic timing, on Nov. 30th – on the eve of the Lisbon [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘Alcoa halts Italian plants after EU electricity ruling‘: European Union taxpayers must welcome the news here that its money is being used to subsidise big industry! The reference here puts it plainly: the EU executive has ruled that the ”preferential electricity tariffs offered to Alcoa by Italy for aluminium smelters in Sardinia and [...]

Sir, In response to Dr. Orlin Vushkov’s letter ‘Young people: Do not go back to Bulgaria‘: Young people, (Bulgarian or not), do come to Bulgaria and bring your wildest ideas and projects! Don’t forget to bring your stubbornness, your patience, your endless creativity and unwary flexibility, too! Dr. Vushkov: please do not doom your own [...]