Essent adds further $1 billion problem to Dutch unbundling

A week after the work councils were reported of potentially planning protests against unbundling, Dutch power supplier Essent has repeated its claim that it will be hit by $1 billion in claims if the network is unbundled. However, these pronouncements show no sign of derailing the government's push to pass a law forcing the separation of the networks business by 2008.

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EU food labeling: what's in a name?

Despite opposition from cheese producers in Denmark and Germany, the European Court of Justice has awarded Greece the sole right to the 'feta' name for its cheese. While the legislation will certainly help Greek feta retain its traditional qualities, rival products have been on the market long enough for consumers to continue buying generic feta-like cheeses regardless of their name or origin.

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EULAR: Roche and BMS target RA market

By presenting new data at the rheumatology conference currently being held in Amsterdam, Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb are hoping to encourage uptake of their recently approved rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Although the data illustrates the addition of valuable new treatment options, an increasingly competitive market is set to limit the impact of Rituxan and Orencia in this indication.

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European energy: Dutch are full of gas

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European energy: eBusiness goes Dutch

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European power market: absence of regulator could impede progress

France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have signed an agreement to integrate their electricity transmission systems. This deal is being hailed by some as the first step towards a fully integrated European wholesale market. However, the lack of an independent, comprehensive regulator may slow movement towards this goal, and towards facilitating cross-border trade.

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European utility supermajors circle the Dutch market

Europe's big utility players are converging on the Netherlands, as highlighted by a series of deals in recent days involving the likes of Centrica and E.ON. Datamonitor's Salman Wasti argues that with a government driving the unbundling of the major Dutch players, and a market whose competitiveness is second only to the UK, we have certainly not seen the end of the M&A spree yet.

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EVN: eastern expansion thwarted

Austria's EVN put forward the highest bid for Slovakia's power distributor ZSE, but it was rejected in favor of a lower offer from E.ON. Although EVN is now appealing to Slovakia's government to have the decision overturned, it should brace itself for further disappointment: German giants such as E.ON have a great deal of clout in ex-Communist Europe.

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Excite/Chello: will the jilted Dutch bride thrive alone?

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Express delivery: western Europe set for growth

The coming five years are set to be a boon for providers of express delivery services in Europe. During this time the sector will grow by 33% in the major Western European markets, double that of standard parcel delivery services. Although the B2B segment continues to dominate, business to consumer (B2C) services will experience faster growth as mail order and Internet shopping expand.

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