04 October 2006
Blog Home : October 2006 : Permalink
French and Italian firms were named as the worst culprits for paying bribes in low-income countries.
TI said its survey showed that efforts to introduce anti-corruption laws had yet to slow the problem.
"It is hypocritical that OECD-based companies continue to bribe across the globe, while their governments pay lip-service to enforcing the law," said TI chief executive David Nussbaum.
"The enforcement record on international anti-bribery laws makes for short and disheartening reading."
French and Itlaina firms pay bribes back home in France and Italy too so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to discover that they do the same abroad. This is news about as surprisng as the Pope admitting that he is a Catholic.A European Union court has rejected a claim for damages from a journalist who says he has been persecuted by the EU anti-fraud office, Olaf.
Hans-Martin Tillack was arrested by Belgian police and his files were seized after he exposed wrongdoing at the EU statistics agency, Eurostat.
He claimed damages from the European Commission, arguing that Olaf had triggered the Belgian police action.
But the court said there was no "causal link" between Olaf and his arrest.
Or, in other words, we managed to bury the papertrail well enough that he couldn't prove it. Neener Neener NeenerImports of leather shoes from China and Vietnam to Europe will continue to face steep punitive tariffs, under a deal reached by EU governments on Wednesday.
In future, imports from China will face tariffs of 16.5%, and imports from Vietnam will face a 10% levy.
The agreement is a triumph for Italy, which claims that unfair competition from manufacturers in both countries is driving its own shoe producers out of business.
But retailers have responded angrily, and claim that consumers will end up paying more for their footwear.
It seems that EU consumers - being disorganized - have far less clout and lobbying influence than manufacturers.Employers have welcomed a European Court of Justice ruling which they say will allow companies to continue to reward workers for long service.
The court rejected an appeal by health and safety inspector Bernadette Cadman that it was wrong to pay more to male staff who had been in the post longer.
Ms Cadman said that because women were more likely to have breaks from work, this amounted to sex discrimination.
But the court has left leeway to appeal in certain individual circumstances.
However in its general ruling the court said experience was an acceptable way of setting somebody's pay.
But you just have to love the final comment:The president of the European Women Lawyers' Association, Leena Linnainmaa, said that the situation could only be more equal if men were encouraged to take paternity leave.
"The fact that women take maternity leave is a great burden on their careers," she told the Times.
*Following the "Pride of lions" and "Murder of crows" I think a "Theft of politicians" is pretty accurate - at least in Europe, in the US perhaps a "Legover of pols" would be more accurate given recent news.