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The European Central Bank keeps its cool. Faced with signs of recession in the eurozone and while a leading European bank, Dexia, is faltering, the ECB has decided not to ease monetary policy. It has left its main interest rate unchanged at 1.50%. A level considered "low" by the Board of Governors of the Central Bank.

At its last monthly press conference as president of the monetary institution, Jean-Claude Trichet said the ECB expects inflation "clearly above 2% in the coming months," before descending. One way to tell between the lines that interest rates are unlikely to be lowered over the next two months. Inflation in the euro zone peaked at 3% in September, a point above the objective of the ECB.

Still, the market calls for a rate cut."It reflects a lower rate of 0.5", observe the economists Societe Generale. Waiting judged "crazy" in the short term by the Luxembourg member of the Governing Council of the ECB, Yves Mersch.

The case for a rate cut was not, however, rule out of hand. For if the decision was consensus among the governors of the institution, the discussions were long, admitted Jean-Claude Trichet: "There was a discusion about the pros and cons of a rate cut or a maintenance of rates. After this long discussion, which was, I would say, as thorough and comprehensive as possible, we decided by consensus to maintain the rates. "

Some analysts point to a worrying season looming disaster on the front of the activity in the eurozone."The risks to growth, was talking about last month the President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet, materialize," are economists at BNP Paribas CIB. In addition, "forecast the ECB behind sluggish growth at year end," they add online pay day loans.

Semi-surprise

The inaction of the ECB, however, is only half surprised. Jean-Claude Trichet, whose every word, in its public statements, is weighed, has not hinted in September that the ECB cut rates. Moreover, "the guardian of the euro zone will wait to act to have more evidence that inflation and growth will slow," noted economist of Nomura.

Observers expect more on a rate cut later this year. "Jean-Claude Trichet is expected to set the stage Thursday in a future rate cut in the next three months," analysts at Nomura advance.

Measures for banks

Taking note of the tense situation of European banks, the ECB launched a series of measures. It provides two refinancing operations unlimited volume of about a year in October and December. This exceptional instrument had not been asked since December 2009.

Jean-Claude Trichet also announced a relaunch of the repurchase program bonds. This will cover 40 billion euros between November 2011 and October 2012. The "bonds" are essentially backed securities real estate, and essential to the survival of many specialized banks in Europe. The purpose of all these operations is "to ensure that banks in the euro area are not limited in regard to liquidity," said French.

The ECB has also called for a recapitalization of institutions in the euro area. They must "do whatever is necessary to strengthen their balance sheets," pleaded Jean-Claude Trichet, using it for their profits, or paying wages "moderate".

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The Paris Bourse was able to string together a second consecutive increase session on Wednesday. The CAC 40 closed up 1.87% to 2949.14% points. Like him, Frankfurt and London end of respective increases of 3.23% and 1.02%. Milan won 2.69% and 2.70% Madrid.

But these sharp increases conceal a very strong tension that dominated the entire session, enhanced by the excitement of Wall Street in the afternoon. The indices have been a roller coaster, changing direction at the rate of market rumors regarding the euro area.For example, one on a veto of Austria to strengthen the European support fund, has reduced the CAC in the afternoon, before being denied and allow a rise in prices.

Operators have reacted strongly to all new they had prior to the call for debt in Athens tonight, between the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They expect this meeting to real progress on the issue of Greece's debt.

The Polish Finance Minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, has poured oil on the fire by stating that Europe was "in danger". Conversely, José Manuel Barroso has played the appeasement card confirming the presentation of a study on options for the creation of Eurobonds, desired by the market mechanism guaranteed online personal loans.Pending possible support more concrete, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in turn referred to a strengthening of Chinese investment in Europe.

Side values, the banking sector has best illustrated the nervousness of investors. Despite degradation by Moody's debt of Societe Generale and Credit Agricole, and the maintenance of a negative watch for BNP Paribas, the banks had continued to rebound early in the day. But the trend was reversed late in the session. Finally, BNP Paribas 3.93% drops to EUR 26.90 and signs the worst performance of the CAC. Societe Generale lost 2.88% to 17.38 euros (the share was still over 8% in half an hour of closing). Crédit Agricole manages to stay in the green of accuracy (1.22% to 5.21%).

Areva decline (-2% to 20.58 euros) despite the announcement by the BBC of an order of over one billion euros by EDF (3.20% to 19.98 euros).Michelin, which maintains its targets for 2011, gaining 5.13% to 46.49 euros.

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Denis Olivennes set the course. The boss of Europe on Monday announced a desire to place the station "lasting beyond 10% of total audience," where its predecessor, Alexandre Bompard, always assured that "we had not set a target Hearing ". A Europe which ended the 2010-2011 season to 8.7% of the audience, did not exceed the symbolic threshold of 10% audience from January to March 2010. For Denis Olivennes, yet it is the "natural area" where Europe has to change 1. Currently, a play in which division France Inter (10.2%) and NRJ (10.7%). "It's a marathon not a sprint," said Denis Olivennes.

If the owner of the station, also at the head of information division of Lagardère Active (Europe 1, Sunday Journal and Paris Match), is given three years to reach its goal, it is pressed to do so."We need to increase advertising revenues and those from diversification. It provided funding for our programs, "commented Denis Olivennes. In the first half, Europe 1a indeed registered a "slight decrease" in advertising revenues. But advertisers have been attracted by the new schedule in September, reassured the control group low fee payday advance.

This new grid wants to "reconnect with the deep roots of the station." "Europe is a television station whose spine is the information which has the characteristic good humor," analyzed Denis Olivennes.Simple translation on the air: the three appointments of information of the day – the morning, afternoon and evening Europe – are interspersed with two "beaches of entertainment," in the late morning and afternoon.

New site info

Eager to improve its image among listeners as advertisers, Europe has become an an "opinion leader". It is the mission entrusted to Arlette Chabot, director of information of the station. "The information needs to be a reference to Europe, as its independence," she said. To strengthen its position as the standard for information, will also launch a Europe in mid-October a "pure player" of information, facilitated by a dedicated team of journalists. It will be fed content from other sites in the group, its own content and production of Internet users.

Partially back on the device exemption from overtime? This is one of strong measures to which the Prime Minister would consider as part of austerity measures he is about to announce Wednesday. In any case, it would have given Monday to Jean-Claude Mailly, general secretary of FOR, it has had a long line as part of budget preparation for 2012. "Francois Fillon told me that his services reflected on an application of exemptions from whistle to the level of overtime done," says the secretary general of TF. In other words, the relief granted to businesses would be decreasing with the number of overtime worked.

Such a reform would be a way to go very smoothly on a system condemned by unions but emblematic of the early five-year term of Nicolas Sarkozy.It would also bring hundreds of millions of euros in state coffers – the contribution holiday costs more than three billion a year to Social Security – without too much strain on the purchasing power of employees. It is ultimately the only confidence that François Fillon was permitted. "It was not for him to test a range of measures," says one of his advisers. Most of the time, the Prime Minister has therefore merely listen to what his interlocutors have to say.

"Protecting Growth"

Jacques Voisin was the first to meet Sunday with the prime minister. The chairman of the CFTC asked François Fillon that the measures he is about to take are "consistent with the growth and equitable" and they have no "impact on employment and social minima ".Jean-Claude Mailly for its "push" two major points in his eyes: "the preservation of public services and the protection of collective action," such as tax benefits to the issuance of food stamps or the implementation of complementary health.

In his meeting, François Chérèque for his part stressed "the need to implement measures of social support to employees and businesses to avoid blockage of the economy." The leader of the CFDT has once again required the creation of an additional tax bracket for the highest income or the conditioning of exemptions from VAT and social security to the requirements on employment and wages.The Prime Minister, who undertook to study these proposals, agreed that it was "important to protect growth, small businesses and employment, and support the most disadvantaged," reports the CFDT, which "oppose any questioning of social benefits for savings."

After discussing the budgets of social security and local authorities, François Fillon has finally confirmed Laurence Parisot, the president of MEDEF, it would be "very attentive to SMEs and business conditions."

While the competition is fiercer than ever on the mobile phone market, after the battle of VAT and before the arrival of Free Mobile, Bouygues Telecom has decided to strike a blow. The group on Monday launched B & You (pronounced in English "and you bi"), a new brand in its own right, only distributed on the Internet, but in return offers two packages very aggressive.

B & You offers calls, SMS, MMS and unlimited Wi-Fi 24 hours 24 to 24.90 euros a month. A second formula, to 36.90 euros a month, adds more internet access 3G + (up to 500 megabytes).

Packages actually aggressive, which puts B & You among the cheapest in the market. Note however that these prices are for offers "naked", that is to say without subsidized mobile phone operator.Clearly, the customer will keep their old phone or pay for its new mobile "full price", or about 600 euros for a iPhone4 example. This is the cost of the mobile operator itself. The offer is therefore suitable for consumers who do not want to change mobile. Another advantage for the customer is not forced to embark on a period and is free to change operators at will.

The offer is cheaper for the customer because it is more economical for the operator: exit the costly call centers, stores, everything is online only. In case of failure? The client manages to find the answer through the forums, or returns its mobile mail through a relay package.Left to make do with an old mobile in the meantime.

The new brand, which is both very highly participatory and community, offers subscribers a Web site, a forum, a blog, a space on Facebook and Twitter, where they can submit their problems, provide advice , vote for or against future offers, etc..

"This is the mobile phone 2.0," said Caroline Lehericey, Director of B & You. "Our goal is the generation Internet, users tend to be young, on the lookout for low prices, very comfortable with technology and reluctant to need help."

Create the break in the patterns of market

This new brand, which is managed by the communication agency DDB, functions as a start-up independently. It has of course the network of Bouygues Telecom.The operator Bouygues Telecom, meanwhile, retains its identity, with its network of stores, its service, its consumer hot lines, etc..

It is a flagship project for the group, working for months on this project top secret, under the code name "U2". Inventor of the package in 1996, the first unlimited offers all operators with Neo and the fixed-mobile convergence with ideo, Bouygues Telecom hopes to re-create the "break" in the habits of the market.

Conservative, the company does not communicate sales targets. She claims to have created a brand responding to an emerging need that may develop in the future. And if B & You start with two mobile offers, nothing does it markets tomorrow as the Internet box.

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The numbers are staggering. In Germany, the financial damage caused by cyber crime amounted to 61.5 million euros in 2010, according to figures released Thursday by the criminal police and the Federation of high tech Bitkom. This is equivalent to an increase of 66% over the previous year. As the United States, the FBI estimated the cost of crime to some digital $ 560 million in 2009. A world-wide, according to McAfee, cyber crime would have generated some 1000 billion in 2008, about 1.64% of world GDP for that year. Remains that, without minimizing the scale of the scourge, these figures are perplexing.

Many experts give little credence to these studies because most of them emanate from computer security specialists. For the record, other than McAfee is the world number two antivirus software.In addition, "less than 10% of companies report having experienced cyber attacks," said Jean-Paul Pinte, senior lecturer in strategic intelligence at the Catholic University of Lille. According to the specialist risk management and cyber terrorists of enterprises affected societies fear the bad publicity due to media coverage of cyber attacks.

Jean-Paul Pinte, "we know nothing of the legacy and financial losses suffered indirectly." He added: "If an attack is to relieve a company of sensitive information, loss of data will generate multiple costs, such as loss of competitiveness, or the upgrading of security."

"Hard to get a comprehensive view"

Director of the National Security Information Systems (Anssi), Patrick Pailloux abounds in this direction."When a site is the victim of an attack, he takes as an example, it is first blocked, causing a shortfall. Then we must add additional costs to set up a hotline strengthened. "And on the practices of industrial espionage initiated via the Internet," How can we measure in terms of losses that a competitor could steal ?, "asks the director of Anssi. Clearly, "it is difficult to get a comprehensive view of the problem," says he.

Despite these criticisms, these figures are held up to each event on Cybercrime. However dated, the estimated one trillion dollars of McAfee is authoritative. Last May, it appeared even in the "reminder" of the fourth Parliamentary Forum on Information Society in Geneva, on the initiative, among others, the United Nations.Trompe-l'oeil, the text quoted a source stamped Europol, the pharmacy police intergovernmental European Union, which actually refers to the numbers … the software publisher.

If governments do not hesitate to chopping these impressive figures, it is often necessary to legitimize, but costly reinforcement of their agencies against digital piracy. Or clear, make the pill easier to swallow from taxpayers. In January, the UK has estimated that cyber attacks cost him a whopping 27 billion pounds per year (32.2 billion euros) in a government study.An amount (by far) greater than the harm claimed by the United States … A few days before making public figure, London has announced the release of 650 million pounds over four years to "strengthen its cyber security "…

International cooperation in the war-horse

Without waving the national figures, France is no exception, as evidenced by the announcement of piracy Bercy in March. Patrick Pailloux it was for the state to "lead by example" to encourage companies to report piracy they wipe. The Director of Anssi said that 150 computers were then infiltrated by hackers to steal documents for the French presidency of the G20. "We were able to counter the threat," he goes on, noting that thirty experts have been mobilized for two months to "clean up" more than 130,000 positions in the Department.A communication that is timely, since Anssi plans to double its workforce (360 employees) by 2013.

Such methods may be distasteful, but experts and politicians agree: there is no time to waste on the face of digital crime. "For a long time in France, we thought that hacking and computer intrusions were not really dangerous, says Jean-Paul Pinte. But now we know that it's become a real business, and that the threat can come from anywhere: a simple USB key, hard drives or even photocopiers, which, connected to the Internet can become the target of hackers ".

Therefore, international cooperation, which requires significant resources, is "a priority," insists Patrick Pailloux. And for good reason: "90% of attacks are international," says the director of Anssi.In the columns of The Tribune, Laurent Wauquiez, Minister for European Affairs, recently recalled that a hacker "can be installed in Latvia, while in France to intervene through a Canadian site." He even considers urgent that Europe adopts "a kind of cyber-FBI-backed Europol" to stem the digital crime. And one last statistic to shoot, ensuring that "a user of thirty lost money in Europe over the last year" due to a hacker.

Businesses, prey selection

Having surveyed 45 U.S. companies in 2010, the Ponemon Institute found that on average, the financial damage caused by hackers and data theft was $ 3.8 million.Like that of McAfee, this figure is to be taken lightly, as though Ponemon shows his independence, his study was commissioned by ArcSight, a specialist in digital security. However, it appears that large groups are increasingly being targeted by hackers. Since the beginning of the year, the list of companies or institutions that have suffered cyberattacks has continued to grow. Sony has suffered more than ten attacks since mid-April, leading to theft of confidential data of more than 1 million customer accounts. Recently, Sega has had the same misfortune: the editor of the series of Sonic hedgehog found in mid-June have been stolen names, email addresses, birth dates and passwords of almost 1.3 million customers on its servers.Google or Citigroup also suffered cyber attacks.

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While the crucial talks between government and private creditors of Greece continued the last few hours across Europe, they rose sharply in Paris. Reportedly, the French Treasury and financial institutions have agreed on the night of Friday to Saturday on a proposal that they hope to win their European partners now. Important first step, a highly anticipated meeting of the IIR (International Institute of Finance), which groups 400 banks worldwide, will be held on Monday in Rome.

It will be remembered, European governments have launched negotiations Wednesday with the holders of Greek debt. They are seeking a contribution of banks, insurers and other pension funds to the tune of 30 billion euros, backed by a new extension of Europe and the IMF to Greece.So far, the proposal on the table was simple: the voluntary, private creditors agreed to reinvest in due proportion the debts repaid by Athens over the next three years in new loans Greek to 5 years. It is the "rollover". However, private capital, especially German, had requested that these new loans are guaranteed in one way or another by Europe. But Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, refused this demand, which is to transfer the responsibility of the public an additional part of the burden.

Hence the impasse. The problem for private financiers, is to pay a state that nothing says it will be out of trouble in five years, the plan has expired. Of course, under pressure from governments, banks and insurers could be convinced.But specifically, if the process is not perceived as voluntary, rating agencies may raise the flag of the "default" and the plan falls overboard because the ECB can no longer accept sovereign debt and stigmatized in the refinancing of Greek banks cash advance no fax.The French proposal is a parade, making the "rollover" both more attractive and relevant to them and to Athens, by lengthening maturities.

New loans to 30 years

In addition to the original proposal, a working group led by BNP Paribas, in fact, imagined an alternative, opening the opportunity to reinvest only 70% of amounts received in connection with the Greek borrowing fell 50% are allocated to Greek new loans issued this time in 30 years as to 20%, they are placed on what the financial call a "zero coupon", ie a fund invested in securities of high quality self-reinforcing through then cumulation of interests: the piggy bank somehow secures new borrowing Greek, as would have government guarantees.According to the discussions, these borrowings could be long carry an interest rate equivalent to that of Greece pays vis-à-vis its "rescuers" public, with the addition of a variable interest rate likely to be linked to an economic indicator Greek, such as GDP.

In any case, this alternative would yield less per creditor only 50% returned to the Treasury Greek but is likely to attract more people. And above all, by providing funding for 30 years, she pushes the horizon in part refunds for Athens. The French solution began circulating in the corridors of the European Council on Friday. "We received an initial favorable response," says a close case.

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The very demanding certification labels for timber such as the FSC would they about to be marginalized by European legislation is less restrictive? Some pose the question today. Ardent proponents of the regulation adopted by the EU is no shortage of arguments to suggest otherwise.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) was established in 1993 after the Earth Summit in Rio. It offers large forest operators to comply with a specification very strict on environmental issues, social and economic return for obtaining a quality label could make a difference on the European market. It now comprises some fifteen million ha in tropical forests, including five for the Congo Basin and almost three for the Republic of Congo alone."But today, Europe is imposing a traceability system which is only legal and therefore much less stringent than the certification systems," warns Dr. Clotilde Ngomba, the coordinator of the forest fund Basin Congo.

Launched in 2003, the European program that meets the acronym FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade process) "aims to curb the production and trade in illegal timber," says Alain Pénelon, regional adviser for COMIFAC (Commission Central African forests). With a goal involve the largest number of forest holdings. "We had reason to push the FSC large farms," ​​says Mark Benedict, director of the firm Terea, "but it is very restrictive and very expensive and small businesses can not follow him installment payday loans. FLEGT system is intended for them. "The World Bank, the loss of value due to illegal logging accounts for more than 10 billion dollars and the loss of revenue for governments, 5 billion.

Legality encouraged

The main measure of FLEGT aims at establishing a partnership between Europe and a producer. It specifies the criteria to ensure that timber imported into Europe is of legal origin. It provides traceability, verification systems … "The implementation of a FLEGT agreement may take three or four years," said Alain Pénelon. Such a delay until October, Parliament ratified a new law prohibiting the arrival on European soil or wood products from illegal logging. "This will be the operators in Europe to ensure this," said the specialist.This regulation will apply March 3, 2013.

"I do not think there is a risk of competition between the two systems," he says. "The same mechanisms are highly complementary," insists Emmanuel Heuse support of FLEGT Democratic Republic of Congo. "These two systems must grow together," he adds. Optimists hope that the first step then bring FLEGT timber operations to proceed towards certification. Over the legality will be encouraged, more forest will be protected. It is urgent: despite improvements since 2000, tropical deforestation is very high. It is 5.4 million ha per year, equivalent to the area of ​​Costa Rica.

The damage is done. Although the cucumber is more pronounced as carrier of the bacterium E. Slayer coli (EHEC), the bill is very heavy for the French vegetable growers. Consumers stay still images as well as tomato salad and a time alleged by Germany.

"Nothing in a week, we estimate our losses to 3 million euros," said Friday afternoon at Figaro Angelique Delahaye, president of Vegetables in France. She just finished consolidating losses estimated at national level by some 3,000 growers of cucumbers and tomatoes. "We're going to report these figures in the service of the Ministry of Agriculture in the context of the experts meeting in Brussels next Tuesday," she says.

Half of the losses on the production of cucumbers and half the tomatoes."We lost earlier this week a program to supply 500 600 tons of tomatoes to 1.10 euro per kilo from the German central purchasing or 550,000 to 660,000 euros less," says Pierre Diot, president of the AOP (Association producer organization) cucumbers and tomatoes, producer Mordelles, west of Rennes.

Brittany produces half of the tomatoes of the Hexagon, 30% from the Deep South and the rest of the Nantes region. "After a week of total absence of trade in vegetables, we are angry because we have no alternative but to destroy our production," said Louis Vinet representing growers Nantes, tripling affected free business cards.

Salads down 20%

However, it is too early to assess damage on sales of salad, vegetable of which the French are especially fond of this heat – they consume nearly 7 pounds per year -."The production is spread among a multitude of gardening and it is more difficult to gather the numbers," says Angelique Delahaye.

The only certainty in Rungis, Ile de France, the second producing region of the Hexagon salads, "salads sold volumes dropped 20% in a dynamic market, however, except of course the cucumbers fall of 80%," says Michel Lemelin, president of the union of wholesale fruit and vegetable market of Rungis.

In this difficult context, French producers can always relativize their misfortune by saying that the situation is worse elsewhere. Particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish Federation of Producers exporting fruits and vegetables (FEPEX) estimated losses on Tuesday "to about 200 million euros per week" for the entire sector, citing a "domino effect" affecting other Spanish products."All fruits and vegetables were impacted by Spain. Fortunately in France strawberries, zucchini, eggplant and continue to sell, "relativize Angelique Delahaye.

To break this cycle, the European Ministers of Agriculture are scheduled to meet around 17 June in Luxembourg for a special meeting on the subject.

"Showcase in progress": the furniture is brand new still empty, but they already enthroned in the midst of the post office. Ready for mobile phones to be sold by the group on 23 May.

By embarking on the phone after so many others, with its offer Mobile Post, the group plays big. It is 2.4 million subscribers by 2016. But the battle looks tough because the market is already very competitive, so that all operators are preparing for the arrival of Free early 2012.

La Poste, which is expected on very competitive rates, will have to hit hard to differentiate, while operators have all forms of small entry-level starting around 7 euros a month, and they have put in place, under the leadership of government, "social tariffs" with 40 minutes and 40 SMS communications for less than 10 euros a month."The Post has dangled an attractive price. We will be vigilant that they are really, "says one at Bercy, worried that competition benefits the consumer directly.

This launch is also a gamble in terms of management. Because after asking the factors to help the transition to DTT, it will have to train postmen to sell mobile phone. Not so simple!