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The German E.ON and Hydrocop Concessions, a small group of eight French distributors of energy, announced Monday an alliance to win the hydroelectric concessions that France decided to open to competition.

E.ON seeks to expand its presence in renewable energy since Germany has announced its withdrawal from nuclear. The group plans to spend $ 7 billion in this direction over the next five years.

At the request of Brussels, France is preparing his side to open up to competition dominated field by EDF launching tenders for the renewal of concessions of ten hydropower.

The tenders should initially be made on a case by case basis between 2010 and 2013, and the concessions to be granted between 2013 and 2015. But none of the appeals process for applications has not yet started.

"We are late," said a spokesman for the Department of Ecology, adding that the ministry was trying to recruit consultants to finalize the specifications.

The European Union has asked France to open 20% of its hydroelectric plants to competition. The concessions are to be renewed in the Alps, the Pyrenees and central France.

Hydroelectric capacity of France, which reached about 23,500 MW, is now managed by EDF – which operates 85% of facilities in the country – and GDF Suez, which has said it wants to increase its share market sector.

The French car market resumed its decline in November after a slight rebound in the previous month, the disappearance of the delayed effects of scrappage scheme imposed in particular on sales of small cars.

The new car registrations fell 7.6% last month to 179,160 units, show statistics released Thursday by the Committee of French Automobile Manufacturers (CCFA).

They were up 2.8% in October, thanks to commercial offers to individuals.

The figures quoted in November as raw data to comparable number of working days, in November 2011 that counted as 20 business days in November 2010.The decrease primarily relates to small cars. "

Of the first eleven months of the year, the French car market was down 0.3% from the same period in 2010.

And this decline 4.7% only for French manufacturers, whose share of the passenger car market stood at 56.9% over January to November, down 2.6 points compared to last year.

EARLY 2012 will be difficult

Details of sales by manufacturer confirms the continuing difficulties of PSA Peugeot Citroen, whose new car sales to individuals dropped by 15.4%, a decline twice as large as that of the market.

Antonio Borges, director of the Europe Department International Monetary Fund (IMF), has resigned with immediate effect, the Fund announced Wednesday, while the euro area hit by the debt crisis for over eighteen months.

The IMF notes that the Director General intends to appoint Christine Lagarde Reza Moghadam, Director of the current strategy to succeed Borges, effective Thursday.

This decision was welcomed by analysts who see a clear change of policy that could result in greater IMF involvement in the management of sovereign debt crisis that threatens to plunge the world economy into recession.

Exchanges in the euro area have closed down Tuesday, still hurt by the crisis of sovereign debt and the risk to the region from falling into recession.

Sign of the serious concerns surrounding the monetary union, the euro is less resistant to storm the previous day. He fell under $ 1.35 and was trading around 1.3497 dollars in late afternoon.

In the wake of the countries now in the crosshairs of the markets, Italy and Spain, whose 10-year rates and spreads (spreads) performance with Germany were strained, France saw its 10-year spread with the Germany to a new high since the launch of the euro in 1999 to 190 basis points (the nominal rate of 10-year OAT standing at 3.68% against 1.77% for the German Bund).The historical record of the spread (250 bps) above the euro and goes back to January 1990.

The Paris Stock Exchange ended down 1.92% to 3049.13 points, those in Frankfurt and Milan, down 0.87% and 1.08% respectively. The index of the principal values ​​of the euro area, the Eurostoxx 50, lost 1.32%.

Outside the euro area, London has resisted (-0.03%).

Financials (banks and insurance) (-1.4%) (-1.85%) and construction (-2.12%) recorded the largest falls in Europe and sector weighed on the stock exchanges, including in Paris.

Germany will maintain its influence within EADS, the liberal FDP members of the ruling coalition have raised their opposition to a takeover by the state shares of the aerospace group that Daimler is seeking to sell.

The automaker, which holds a 15% economic interest in EADS and 22.5% of the voting rights, is seeking a buyer for part of its participation.

In return for the lifting of the objections of the FDP, the German state will sell stakes in other companies such as Deutsche Post and Deutsche Telekom, it was said.

The reversal of the Liberal Democrats FDP, the CDU partner of Angela Merkel, will allow the state development bank KfW to buy half of the 15% held by Daimler in the European aerospace consortium.

A government source said that the automaker would retain the remaining 7.5% beyond 2013.

She said the issue of price has not yet been addressed and has no agreement is expected before July.

No one at Daimler, EADS or KfW has agreed to comment on the report.

EADS is governed by a shareholders led by the French Lagardère and Daimler.

Geniki Bank, a subsidiary of Societe Generale, said on Tuesday doubled its losses during the period from January to September over the same period of 2010 due to significant loan loss provisions and write-downs of bonds.

The Greek bank, purchased by his French counterpart in 2004, lost 617.8 million euros in the first nine months of the year after losing 304.1 million euros the previous year.

"The deteriorating economic environment has had a negative effect on the quality of our loan portfolio and, therefore, our provisions amounted to 377.2 million euros over the period," said the bank.

Geniki also reported a depreciation of 230.1 million euros in its portfolio of Greek government bonds.

The Greek economy is expected to contract 5.5% this year and the country will register a new recession in 2012, due to stringent fiscal austerity measures taken by the government, while unemployment is 16.3% of the labor force.

The loan portfolio of the Greek bank fell by 14% to 3.01 billion euros.

The participation of the General Society in the capital of Geniki increased from 53.9% to 88.4% in November following an appeal for 340 million euros to strengthen the equity of the bank.

The new car registrations in France rebounded in October, supported especially by the commercial offers to individuals, announced Wednesday the Committee of French Automobile Manufacturers (CCFA).

After declining 1.4% in September, new registrations in the Hexagon rose 2.8% last month to 176,203 units. The change means in raw data and adjusted for working days in October 2010 and October 2011 were both counted 21 working days.

The PSA Peugeot Citroën registrations fell by 4.5% in October, after -18.4% in September, while those of Renault continued to rebound with an increase of 11.3% last month.

The first ten months of the year, the French market is growing by 0.4%.

Several countries have claimed Monday the symbolic birth of seven billionth person on the planet today. The UN took the opportunity to draw attention to the challenges of population growth. In poorer countries, governments will be faced with the difficulty of finding a job in the armada of young people coming onto the labor market.

In Manila and Kaliningrad? Girl or boy? Several countries have claimed Monday the symbolic birth of seven billionth person on the planet today, the opportunity for the UN to call attention to the challenges of population growth.

See also Slide show: That's it, we are 7 billion.

The level of 6 billion was reached in 1999. The United Nations had then chosen Nevic Adnan, a baby born in Sarajevo, as representative of the six billionth human coexist on earth.This time, the UN has refrained from designating a "winner" in advance and many countries have planned to announce the lucky winner was born at home.

A Filipino, Indian or Russian?

In this game, the Philippines has been the fastest. Danica May Camacho, born two minutes before midnight Sunday in one of the poorest countries in the world, is a lovely little girl of 2.5 kg. His parents, Camille and Dalura Florante Camacho, were welcomed by UN officials who had brought a small cake for the occasion. "She is so beautiful. I can not believe it is the seven billionth person on the planet," Camille has moved Dalura in the delivery room of the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, a public hospital in the capital Philippine invaded by journalists.According to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world with 94.9 million inhabitants, of whom 54% are under 25 years.

But India, a country-continent with 1.24 billion people and by 2025 should become the most populous country by China, with nearly 1.5 billion people, has in turn announced coming into the world of Nargis. The little girl was born at 7:20 local time (1:50 GMT) for a 23 year old mother and a father of 25 years in the dusty village of Mall, in the State of Uttar Pradesh, told AFP a spokesman for Plan International, an organization caricative based in the UK.

Two Russian regions, the most eastern Kamchatka, and most western Kaliningrad, also dispute the title.

The strategic plan unveiled in December Areva could result in the elimination of positions 3000-4000 as "the worst scenario discussed in the management," writes Le Figaro Friday.

The consulting firm commissioned by Areva, the Boston Consulting Group, called for a cost reduction of 30% to weather the current period, the newspaper said, without citing its sources.

According to Le Figaro, Areva said that the terms of the plan are not yet finalized and that the "figures that circulate are not set in stone", the final version to be presented on 12 and 13 December, the newspaper said.

The group declined to comment.

A source close to the company, however, said that the figures quoted by Le Figaro were "pure speculation" at this stage."These figures are not based on knowing that the strategic action plan of the group is in progress," the source said.

Areva has about 48,000 employees including 30,000 in France and 5700 in Germany.

A union source has also told Reuters that a European group committee would be held on October 26 and 27 in the presence of Luc Oursel, the new CEO.

Appointed in June to replace Anne Lauvergeon at the head of Areva, Luc Oursel has already warned that the group could shift some investments to fit the context of the post-Fukushima, and a recovery of finances was "imperative".

He also recently told the German press that Areva planned to stop certain activities in Germany after the country's decision to phase out nuclear power by 2022.

Areva may also have to include new provisions in its accounts to meet the costs of the Finnish EPR and the decline in uranium prices and volumes expected ore group.

Around 9:45, the action Areva lost 0.27% to 21.95 euros. The group's capital is held close to 90% by the French state.

Evangelos Venizelos, Greek Minister of Finance, believes his country will be the sixth installment of the aid package agreed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund because, he says the weekly To Vima, Athens takes austerity measures required.

"As we make decisions as difficult and because the Greek people assume sacrifices as important, the sixth installment (aid) is provided," he said, dismissing the prospect of a default of Greece on its debt.

"Any discussion of a default (of payment) is either naive, (…) is dangerous," said the great financier whose remarks were published Saturday.