BRUSSELS (07/27/2000) - The European Commission announced Thursday it will
recognize the U.S. so-called "safe harbor" principles as representing adequate
protection under the European Union's data privacy directive. Similar decisions
were also announced for data privacy regimes in Switzerland and Hungary, the
Commission said in a statement.
BRUSSELS (07/26/2000) - Proposed U.S. legislation that would prohibit certain
foreign telecommunications companies from acquiring U.S. businesses is illegal
under international trade rules, the European Commission said Wednesday.
Business-to-business online marketplaces are becoming a new area of concern for European Commission competition authorities.
The European Commission downplayed Monday its concerns over draft U.S. legislation that would prohibit the takeover of U.S. firms by any foreign company in which the foreign government owned more than 25 per cent of the shares.
Plans for a light regulatory framework for the European Union telecommunications sector were unveiled by the European Commission yesterday, with the aim of increasing competition, improving services and reducing prices.
BRUSSELS (07/11/2000) - The European Commission Wednesday will unveil its
proposals for eight new pieces of legislation that represent a dramatic
revision of the regulatory framework for telecommunications across the European
Union, an EU official who asked not to be identified said Tuesday.
BRUSSELS (07/07/2000) - Microsoft Corp. has withdrawn its request with the
European Union for authorization of its planned investment in U.K. cable
operator Telewest Communications PLC, the European Commission announced Friday.
The European Parliament rejected the current system of U.S. data privacy protection Wednesday, contending that it does not represent the adequate level of protection required by European legislation, because the system of "safe harbor" principles is not yet in place in the U.S.
BRUSSELS (07/05/2000) - The European Commission revealed Wednesday that it will
rapidly move to register its ".eu" address as a top level domain name.
BRUSSELS (07/05/2000) - Microsoft Corp. will submit new proposed concessions to
the European Commission Wednesday in the hope of overriding the Commission's
concerns about the company's planned purchase of a 29.9 percent stake in
Telewest Communications PLC, a U.K. cable operator, according to a company
executive.
The European Commission is expected Wednesday to take Spain to the Court of Justice over national rules which effectively block foreign companies from taking control of privatized companies by way of so-called "golden shares."
The European Commission has opened infringement
proceedings against Germany and the U.K. for failing to implement a key
telecommunications liberalization directive introducing carrier pre-selection
across the European Union, the Commission announced in a statement Thursday.
It will take the European Commission until the end of
this year to complete an ongoing investigation into possible antitrust
violations by the credit card industry, a Commission spokesman confirmed
Thursday.
Hoping to promote the safe use of the Internet, the
European Commission Thursday announced financing for 10 new projects in the
field.
The European Union, in principle, has approved a
proposal to adapt copyright protection to fit the requirements of the Internet,
an EU spokesman said today. Last month, EU ministers delayed voting on the
proposal due to lack of agreement on the necessary level of protection.