Brussels, 20 March 2012 – The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of parts of Bominflot Bunkergesellschaft für Mineralöle mbH & Co. GG by Marquard & Bahls AG, both of Germany. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns because it would not significantly alter the market structure.

Minister of Economic Affairs Jyri Häkämies welcomes environmentally aware international investors in the Finnish mining industry.

Brussels, 19 March 2012 - The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of animal feed producer Hendrix, currently part of Nutreco, by the Dutch agricultural commodities and feed producer Forfarmers. The Commission found that the transaction would not raise competition concerns because of the limited market position of the merging parties and the presence of sufficient competitors on the markets concerned.

Brussels (19th March) – The European support for the reforms and strengthening of the bilateral cooperation will be the main topics of the visit of Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle to Algeria on 19th-20th March. "Since my last visit in May 2011, the relations between Algeria and the EU made important progress," he said before leaving Brussels.

Dear Bundespräsident,

In the name of the entire European Commission I should like to offer my warmest congratulations on your election.

Your election comes at a time of historic challenges for Europe. Overcoming the government debt crisis and the competitive pressure of globalisation poses a serious test for us all, but especially for the citizens of Europe, men and women alike. If we are to master the economic and social challenges of the 21st century, European cohesion and solidarity are essential.

Finnish start-ups MetGen, Numcore, Pegasor and Ultranat have the potential to grow into major Cleantech companies.

Four Finnish cleantech start-ups have been selected among the ten finalists of the Nordic Cleantech Open, a business competition aiming to identify, upgrade and display the top 25 early stage cleantech companies in the Nordic region each year. The Finnish companies selected by a jury of influential representatives from multinational companies and venture capital are MetGen, Numcore, Pegasor and Ultranat.

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on 19 and 20 March. It will be chaired by Mrs Mette Gjerskov, Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. Commissioners Maria Damanaki and Dacian Cioloş will represent the Commission at the meeting. Fisheries issues will be dealt with on Monday and Agriculture issues on Tuesday. Over lunch on Tuesday, ministers will discuss CAP Reform issues related to the 1st and 2nd Pillars.

More and more foreign companies are discovering Estonia as a provider of share services functions, writes Äripäev.

So far foreign companies have transferred to Estonia mainly production jobs because of cheaper prices, but now also whitecollar jobs are moving to Estonia, with one IT company going to to move its backoffice operations to Estonia later this year.

When choosing a location for its financial centre for shared services, Estonia was on top of the list for the Finnish manufacturer of lifting equipment Konecranes.

The number of persons employed decreased by 0.2% in the euro area1 (EA17) and by 0.1% in the EU271 in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the third quarter of 2011, employment decreased by 0.2% in both zones. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

New funding to kick start employment creating projects in Merseyside, the £30m Chrysalis Fund, was officially launched in Liverpool today. Leaders from Liverpool and across the North-West, as well as Fund’s board members, representatives of the European Investment Bank and advisors came together to announce details of the £30m fund aimed at investment in commercial property and regeneration projects across Merseyside over the next three years.

The opening of the Northern sea routes will create major opportunities for the exploitation of natural resources in the Arctic areas.

Climate change is melting the permanent ice in the Arctic region, opening the way for commercial sea traffic in the Arctic Ocean and the search for underwater riches. It is estimated that as much as a quarter of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas resources are located in the Arctic areas.