February 21, 2011
Sir, Mr. Brian Ricketts’ letter, in response to your article on EU financial support to the Sostanj coal power plant in Slovenia, needs rectification. Mr. Ricketts is wrong to write that there is no public funding for the planned 600 MW Sostanj power plant. The European Investment Bank (EIB) itself is a public EU institution.… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
February 15, 2011
Sir, Regarding ‘Oettinger plans energy roadshow amid doubts on EU communication‘: It is commendable that Mr Oettinger is getting into the energy (roadshow) business, with the aim of linking up the companies that will build infrastructure and renewables with those masters of the universe, the European and global finance community. Last week I attended a… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
Sir, Regarding ‘EU subsidies fuel controversial coal plant in Slovenia‘: Your headline of 2 February 2011 suggests that a new coal-fired power plant in Slovenia is, in some way, ‘subsidised’ by the state or by the EU. This is misleading: there is no public funding of the planned 600 MW Šoštanj power plant (TEŠ Unit… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
Sir, The total cost of EU regulation on SMEs is estimated at 123.8 billion euros or 3.5% of EU GDP. It takes each SME on average seven hours a week to comply with this administrative burden. The European Commission’s own figures show that 44% of SMEs consider themselves as operating in an over-regulated environment. Partly… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
February 14, 2011
Sir, Not until the EU starts trying not to copy and think ‘out of the box’ will the innovation might of the EU be released. All that we predominantly do in the EU is copy, as the article underscores. That was fine for the Japanese and the Chinese when they were beginning their economic cycles,… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
February 8, 2011
Sir, Studies indicate that there is no correlation between corporate research and development spending and profitability. Indeed it can divert money from other investments that a company needs, and that can of course be fatal. Sometimes, however, it prevents companies disappearing which otherwise would not have survived. Specifying the wrong indicators will mean mis-allocation of… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
Sir, Regarding ‘Britain hosts ‘innovation summit’ with EU Nordic member states‘: Despite all the rhetoric from the UK government this notion that they will help companies in the UK develop green technologies is an absolute farce of major proportions. Most of the ‘green’ developments we have seen promoted in the UK have been those proffered… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
February 7, 2011
Sir, Regarding ‘EU team sent to Greece to curb ‘alarming’ refugee flow‘: Cecilia Malmström stated recently “I invite Greece to continue working to enhance the humanitarian situation of migrants and asylum-seekers”. While Greece is certainly to blame for its government finances, attempting to scapegoat it for the current flood of illegal immigrants across the EU… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
Sir, Regarding ‘Lendarduzzi: ‘Women can rescue the economy‘: I wouldn’t even know where to start with this given the depth of sexism it represents. While it purports to espouse gender equality, it does nothing of the sort: it rejects classic male sexism that stereotypes women’s inability to perform the same jobs/functions, while embracing female sexism… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
Sir, There is an issue that encapsulates the struggle for a new Europe. It combines issues of environmentalism and biodiversity, and seeks to replace the present institutional failure with a new paradigm, where centralism is replaced by regionalism, with greater elasticity, while simultaneously slashing the subsidies that are currently supporting counter-productive and unpopular policies. The… » read more
Posted by Letters to the EurActiv editor
