BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s transport chief said Tuesday he was considering forcing airports to provide airlines with a minimum level of infrastructure support during severe weather, such as this week’s snowstorms.

European Union transport commissioner Siim Kallas made his comments after more than 3,000 flights were canceled across Europe Monday, according to flight authority Eurocontrol.

BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Europe set itself new
fuel-efficiency targets for vans on Monday, aiming to cut fuel
bills for small businesses and curb emissions of gases blamed
for climate change.

The move plugs a gap that was left when Europe agreed some
of the world’s most ambitious efficiency targets for cars in
2008, forcing Asian manufacturers to follow suit in what many
see as a global technological revolution. [ID:nLDE6A928N]

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) – A year-long European Union
investigation into biofuels has concluded that their green
credentials might be partly compromised by indirect
side-effects, which should be tackled, EU officials said.

The multi-billion-dollar industry fears barriers will be
further raised against unsustainable biofuels from food, but the
long-awaited European Commission report, due next week, will
stop short of proposing any new actions.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s conservation-minded fishing chief won a partial victory on Wednesday, convincing fishing nations to forego some short-term profits in 2011 to help rehabilitate over-exploited species such as cod.

But Britain appeared to have succeeded in diluting plans to halve the catch of cod in Scottish waters, possibly weakening efforts to protect the main species used in the traditional fish and chips meal.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The EU’s fisheries chief is considering blocking Icelandic fishing vessels from landing some catches in European Union ports in a row over mackerel that threatens Iceland’s bid to join the bloc, an EU source said.

Iceland, which suffered heavily with the collapse of its banking system, started talks earlier this year on joining the 27-country EU, which it hopes may bring greater stability and financial security.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission unveiled plans on Wednesday to clamp down on speculators in commodities and combat insider trading and manipulation of gas and power markets as it sought to catch up with Washington’s tough regime.

The two sets of blueprints were unveiled separately by the EU’s financial services chief, Michel Barnier, and its energy commissioner, Guenther Oettinger.

BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Germany and other European
coal-mining countries looked set on Wednesday for a victory over
environmentalists by securing an extension of coal subsidies
until 2018.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive, had proposed in
July that the coal mining industry should only get four more
years of state aid before subsidies are phased out in 2014, the
sixth such extension of state aid since 1965.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s energy chief launched a clampdown on Wednesday against insider trading and market manipulation in wholesale gas and power markets.

Energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the new rules for 2012 aim to prevent companies from withholding energy capacity to force up power prices in a market estimated to be worth around 500 billion euros ($660 billion) per year.

BRUSSELS/LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – Europe’s energy chief
will this week reveal plans to clamp down on potential market
abuse by traders in gas and power markets from 2012, EU
documents show.

A team of 15 market monitors would be handed extensive
powers to collect market data and act on manipulative behaviour,
and would be based at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy
Regulators (ACER) in Slovenia.
“The rules governing energy markets are insufficient to
ensure their stable and orderly functioning,” says a leaked
draft seen by Reuters on Monday.

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) – Europe’s energy chief will this week reveal plans to clamp down from 2012 on potential market abuse by traders in gas and power markets, EU documents show.

A team of 15 market monitors would be handed extensive powers to collect market data and act on manipulative behavior, and would be based at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) in Slovenia. “The rules governing energy markets are insufficient to ensure their stable and orderly functioning,” says a leaked draft seen by Reuters on Monday.