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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.

One of the most cost-effective forms of marketing today is the business card. It is an inexpensive, easy to use, and usually welcome advertising medium.

Wall Street opened the session down Tuesday in response to the announcement of lower growth than expected in the third quarter in the United States.

The growth of gross domestic product (GDP) was U.S. lowered the third quarter to 2.0% annualized, according to the second estimate published Tuesday.

These figures are "in line with the general economic malaise that we see in the world," said Michael Mullaney of Fiduciary Trust.

In early trade, the Dow yielded 0.24% to 11,519.15 points.

The European Commission estimates that the pooling of borrowing countries in the euro area could quickly alleviate the current crisis. The counterpart would be a strengthening of fiscal discipline. The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso (here at a press conference in Brussels April 13, 2011)

The European Commission Wednesday will propose the creation of eurobonds, a system seen by its promoters as a means of achieving sustainable solutions to the debt crisis, but that divides Europeans and has as its corollary a strengthening of fiscal discipline. In a "Green Paper" seen by AFP, the European Commission considers that this pooling of borrowing countries in the euro area could "rapidly reduce" the current crisis.

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.

The option of separate market activities and those of major European banks of deposit will be thinking in Europe, announced Thursday the EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier, without going so far as to directly question the universal banking model.

This model, championed by French banks BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and Credit Agricole and its major European competitors, is already under pressure in the United States and several European countries, like Great Britain.

"The logic is to identify risks and to face risks at the right level, adequate safeguards," said Michel Barnier at a press conference.

"Is it necessary to go further and move from the segregation of risk and prudential measures to separation, as I see in the report suggest Vickers in the UK or as the Americans wanted to do?"

"I'm not closed to the idea of ​​separation (…) Before going further, I want us to objectively verify all the advantages of separation and the negative effects this could have," he said.

He then observed that the universal banking model, which predominates in Europe, played no role in triggering the financial crisis in 2008 and, in the same way, no model of the Atlantic had not preserved the United States in this crisis.

European officials working on these topics were then clarified that the Commission would not go head on universal banking model but would seek to ensure that the risks inherent in the business market are treated "totally sealed "to protect the activities of deposit.

THE CENTER OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

In France, the idea of ​​separation of deposit banks and investment banks – or at least a separation of these types of activities – already among the themes of the presidential campaign.

It is defended not only by the Socialist Party, favorite in the polls, and the left parties but also, on the other side of the political spectrum, the National Front.

The project of the PS in 2012 and states that "we must return to a strict distinction and separation of banking activities of deposit and financial activities," an orientation also defended by the candidate Francois Hollande.

Two of his relatives, former Economy Minister Michel Sapin and the chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Assembly, Jérôme Cahuzac, recently told Reuters support the separation of deposit banks and investment..

French banks, supported by the Bank of France, for their part do not want to hear about this separation.

François Villeroy de Galhau, the network manager at BNP Paribas France had declared the end of September that such a separation would have been of no help when the financial crisis of 2008.

He wanted to show that Northern Rock in Britain was a purely retail bank while Lehman Brothers in the United States was only one bank and investment.

The French Banking Federation was not immediately available to comment on what Michel Barnier.

The Dexia share has been extremely turbulent Monday afternoon at the resumption of trading on the Stock Exchange after the announcement of the terms of the dismantling of the banking group, which includes a nationalization of the Belgian branch.

At 3:35 p.m., title, suspended since last Thursday, was spent in the green and gained 8.52% to 0.900 euro, in a volume of about 22 million pieces, after resuming its listing to 2:38 p.m. on a loss of 29% and have dropped to more than 36%.

Before the suspension, the share price to 0.845 Euro.

With speculation about his difficulties, Dexia saw its stock drop about 45% since September 28 – session that followed a board in which had been considered the possibilities of strengthening the Group's balance sheet.

This represents a $ 1.3 billion market capitalization that has vanished in a dozen days.

Monday morning, after a board of about noon, the bank approved the nationalization of the Belgian operations, and the principle of a sale of the Luxembourg subsidiary and backing activities financing of local authorities in French Caisse des Depots (CDC).

The trade deficit of France in August fell to 4.967 billion euros from 6.363 billion euros (revised) in July, the implementation of major aerospace contracts, causing a sharp rise in exports, according to data CVS / CJO published Friday by Customs.

Five economists polled by Reuters on average expected a deficit of 6.2 billion euros, with estimates ranging from -5.7 to -7.0 billion.

The deficit for July was announced in early September to 6.460 billion euros.

"Deficit reduction is entirely due to the transport sector," reads the statement.

The accumulated balance in the trade balance since 1 January amounted to -48.560 billion euros, against -33.184 billion in the first eight months of last year.

Exports FOB data CVS / CJO came out to 37.420 billion euros in August against 35.265 in July.

Imports rose to 42.387 billion euros from 41.628 billion in July.

In August, France sold its 16 Airbus reported 1.345 million euros against 20 in July to 1.183 million.

The New York Stock Exchange finished up 1.68% Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial 30 183.38 points to 11,123.33 winner. The S & P-500, wider, took 20.94 points, or 1.83%, to 1164.97.

The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 46.31 points for his side (1.83%) to 2506.82.

Ecology-The Greens Europe calls for repeal of the 64 oil and gas exploration permit in France after the removal of three allowed by the government. A manifestation of anti-shale gas in the National Assembly, 10 May 2011.

Pascal Durand, spokesman for the European Greens-Ecology (EELV), on Wednesday asked for the repeal of the 64 oil exploration permits in force in France, ironically on the cancellation "surmédiatisée" permit for three gas shale by Nicolas Sarkozy. The head of state said Tuesday, in a speech in Alès (Gard), there would be "no exploitation of shale gas in hydraulic fracturing" in the south of France, as Government had announced the previous day.

"As it stands, clearly we must stop all" even permits aiming of conventional oil or gas, and not just the gas and oil shale and other unconventional gas, told AFP M . Durand. The repeal of all permits would mean the abandonment of all the research for oil and gas in France, including the coast of Guyana where just made a discovery.

Of the 64 permits currently in force in France, 49 relate to conventional oil and gas, and 15 concern the so-called non-conventional oil: the three that will be canceled in the shale, four for oil shale and the eight coal gas, according to the Department of Energy.Yet according to the Government for 61 permit still valid, "the owners have no plans to search for gas and oil shale or have renounced to be limited to conventional fields." On coal gas, the holders have waived all hydraulic fracturing, which is prohibited by law.

But according to Mr. Durand, the holders of licenses, even those who say the conventional target, may have other purposes. "(…) It is likely that there are fictitious applications," he said. "So there is a real danger, it is not at all reassured about the nature of the current permit. We must allow time to investigate and verify," he argued.

Hypothesis rejected at the Ministry: "We can not do anything quietly, either a conventional drilling or a fortiori of hydraulic fracturing.There are statements of work and there is a prefecture government control anyway so it's not possible to do so in secret. "" All the less the sly as hydraulic fracturing, these are very heavy interventions ", argued an expert from Bercy AFP. Mr. Smith nevertheless praised the cancellation of three licenses," illustrates the need for citizen mobilization "and" fieldwork associations " . But "it is far from won," he said.

The bank denies a report in the daily Libération, which amounts to 25 billion euros the amount of toxic loans granted to local authorities. Dexia release accused of selling to local governments 25 billion euros of toxic loans.

Dexia bank said Wednesday as "unacceptable" an article published by Libération on toxic loans sold by such bank to local communities. The newspaper, citing "a confidential document to Dexia," the amount of loans taken out toxic amounts to 25 billion euros. "Erroneous and truncated data have been used for this article that calls into question the competence and integrity of Dexia employees and elected officials and administrative officers of local authorities, which is unacceptable," said the bank in a statement."Not only the challenges but Dexia reviews all legal consequences to give to defend the interests of its employees and its customers," she adds.

According to the bank, "the article likens improperly structured credits to 'toxic loans' and reported that fanciful figures do not reflect reality." According to Liberation, 5500 local governments and public institutions have signed French toxic loans between 1995 and 2009. The bank contends in particular that "it is totally unfounded and irresponsible to suggest that 'thousands of French municipalities are bankrupt because of the structured credit underwritten by Dexia".Dexia also disputes the number of the additional cost of these loans valued at 3.9 billion euros, "unfounded" and denied as having "captured the towns."

"At the initiative of local communities"

Loans "were made in response to tenders issued on the initiative of local authorities who asked explicitly, often accompanied by external consulting firms," ​​said she. The toxic loans are considered more speculative and riskier to the family of structured products. These have varying degrees of risk on a scale of 1 to 5. The toxic loans represent the highest risk, rated 5.They are based on variable interest rates, indexed values ​​as highly volatile exchange rate fluctuations, differences in interest rates or a barrel of oil, which can decrease or increase in significant proportions and impossible to master.

For its part, the Royal Commission on toxic debt, created in June, entered the heart of the matter by addressing the situation of Saint-Etienne, a city whose mayor, Maurice Vincent, was one of the first to denounce the dangers of such financial products. "The Audit Office estimates that one hundred the number of communities affected by toxic chemicals," recalled Maurice Vincent before the commission. "For my part I consider that there should be 200 if we take into account hospitals and housing associations."Maurice Vincent also reminded the court ranged between 7 and 12 billion euros the amount of toxic loans, a total stock of 160 billion euros.