European competition commissioner Neelie Kroes said on Thursday that the mooted merger between energy groups Suez and Gaz de France (GDF) would require "a couple of remedies" to meet her approval.
"In itself, we are not against a big merger" but "there need to be a couple of remedies" if the groups want to get the green light from the European competition services, Kroes told the annual antitrust conference at New York's Fordham University.
"We have opened an in-depth inquiry which clearly indicates that the operation poses competition problems," she said.
"However, that does not necessarily mean that the Commission will finally take a negative decision," Kroes said.
She went on: "We are in contact with the two companies so that they propose to us changes to their integration sufficient to restore a healthy competition on the concerned energy markets."
Suez and GDF have until Wednesday to put forward "remedies" to the European Commission which is examining problems of competition raised in France and Belgium by the proposed merger.
The Commission will then have until mid-November to authorize or ban the marriage.
The French government is proposing to reduce the state holding in GDF to 34 percent to facilitate the planned merger but the measure is opposed by the left-wing opposition, which has tabled a record 137,000 amendments in an attempt to stall the bill's passage through parliament.
The National Assembly in Paris late on Thursday suspended its work on the privatization measure and was due to resume yesterday morning, but the going was slow given the number of amendments.
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
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