Click:裝修

The European Commission recommended yesterday (27 January) that Lithuania and Malta be allowed one more year to bring their budget deficits under control, “in view of a significant worsening of the economic situation”. This would give Lithuania until 2012 and Malta until 2011 to get below the 3% permitted under the EU’s stability and growth pact. Hungary’s deadline of 2011 and Latvia’s of 2012 are to be left unchanged.

Loan to Romania

Joaquín Almunia, the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, yesterday expressed confidence that the Commission would soon be able to transfer the second part of a €5 billion loan to Romania. The Commission transferred €1.5bn in July, but a further €1bn of the loan was postponed because of Romania’s delays in adopting a 2010 budget.

Airport investigation

The Commission announced yesterday that it had resolved its doubts over Bratislava Airport’s reduction in airport charges for Ryanair in 2005-16. The Commission concluded that “the airport operator acted as a market economy investor and therefore no advantage has been granted to Ryanair”.

State aid for banks

The Commission on Monday (25 January) approved state aid to support the orderly liquidation of Bradford & Bingley and the restructuring of Dunfermline Building Society, two UK financial institutions. The approved aid for Bradford & Bingley includes a working capital facility and guarantee arrangements. The aid for Dunfermline includes a £1.5 billion (€1.7bn) subsidy and a working capital loan of £10bn (€11.39bn).

Probe into mining deal

The Commission announced on Monday that it will investigate a joint venture between BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, two of the world’s largest miners of iron ore. The Commission said it was concerned that the companies’ plan to combine their efforts to mine iron ore in western Australia could affect competition.