Daily Archives: April 20, 2012

The biofuels sector are satisfied with the government to limit the biodiesel from Argentina

APPA Biofuels has shown today welcomed the Government’s decision to approve the assignment order production quantities of biodiesel, as it will allow Spanish industry return to the activity under conditions of competition “just and fair”.

In a statement, the biofuels division of the Association of Renewable Energy Producers (APPA), recalled that although the draft order was successfully completed all its administrative procedures in June 2011, its publication in the Official Gazette (BOE) has been delayed due to pressure against the Argentine government made.

Waiting to know the final content of legislation, APPA Biofuels has recognized that the action taken by the executive responds to a request that the sector has been calling for years.

The Spanish industry for biodiesel has claimed on numerous occasions to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism to publish the rules of allocation of biodiesel that will serve to curb unfair imports from Argentina and Indonesia, countries that tax to a lesser extent the finished product that matters raw materials used for their manufacture.

According to figures provided by the employer recently renewed in the last quarter of 2011 imports of biodiesel reached a market share of 89% in Spain.

Against this, the national industry production fell for the first time ever, falling almost 50% and placing the average rate of capacity utilization at 14%.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, today announced measures to restrict imports of Argentine biodiesel in response to the decision of the authorities of the South American country of Repsol YPF to expropriate.

Saenz de Santamaria made the announcement at the press conference following the meeting of the Council of Ministers, which has analyzed the measures it intends to implement the Executive to such expropriation.

 

The IMF calls for “an atmosphere of agreement” in expropriating Repsol YPF

The IMF director for Latin America, Nicolas Eyzaguirre, said today that the expropriation of most of Repsol YPF in Argentina is a “bilateral issue” but thought it advisable to “an atmosphere of agreement.”

“What we hope is that for the benefit of both Argentina and the region is that nationalization is given in an environment of agreement between the two parties,” Eyzaguirre said in a press conference during the spring meetings in Washington of the IMF (IMF) and World Bank (WB).

Eyzaguirre considered the expropriation of YPF announcement made ​​today by the Argentine government as a “bilateral issue” and the “decision of a sovereign country.”

The manager would not go to assess the government’s decision saying that “we are a multilateral organization,” but on Tuesday the IMF’s chief economist, Olivier Blanchard, said the expropriation of 51 percent of the shares of the Spanish Repsol YPF “detrimental to the investment environment” in Argentina.

Meanwhile, the outgoing president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, said yesterday in his press conference opening the meeting that nationalization is a “mistake” and you should watch the temptations “populist” in times of economic crises.

On Thursday, Argentine Finance Minister Hernan Lorenzino, she avoided questions from reporters about the expropriation at an event hosted by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and World Bank.

Spain restricts the purchase of Argentine biodiesel in response to the expropriation of YPF

The Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, today announced measures to restrict imports of Argentine biodiesel in response to the decision of the authorities of the South American country of Repsol YPF to expropriate.

Saenz de Santamaria made the announcement at the press conference following the meeting of the Council of Ministers, which has analyzed the measures it intends to implement the Executive to such expropriation.

In this context, the vice president noted that the Industry Minister, José Manuel Soria, has created a ministerial order is known as “biodiesel” and will be signed today and published tomorrow in the BOE.

Without going into details, the vice president noted that it is “a system of equivalent measures is to establish the circumstances in which they achieved that measure of equivalent effect when purchasing biodiesel firms with special authorization and must be located on Spanish territory or community. ”

She said “this is an action that will achieve support for those refining operations by Spanish companies or community that seeks to place them in a good position to provide such biodiesel in conditions that make it competitive.”

It is supporting the production of biofuels by Spanish companies to reduce imports from Argentina.

Last month, Spanish industry in this sector called on the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism to publish the rules of allocation of biodiesel to curb purchases considered unfair by Argentina and Indonesia, that are affecting the sector.

Saenz de Santamaria informed of the initiative on biodiesel hours after Parliament has approved a resolution that urges the EU, inter alia, to partially suspend the tariff advantages Argentine exports to enter the EU market.

Among Argentine products that have been benefiting are biofuels, soybean oil and some fruits and fish, among others.

Saenz de Santamaria stressed the importance of the resolution adopted in Strasbourg by a large majority, although the PSOE MEPs have voted against the item on the partial suspension of the tariff advantages.

“We would have liked to have had the support of some in such measures, but is welcome support from the European Parliament as a whole,” said.

The vice president stressed that the government will continue to promote diplomatic initiatives in all forums to defend Spanish interests, particularly those who are shareholders of Repsol.

Argentina says that negotiations with Petrobras for the conflict going well

Planning Minister of Argentina, Julio De Vido, described today as “on track” negotiations to resolve the conflict that arose with the oil company Petrobras for the cancellation of a grant from the Brazilian company in Argentina’s Neuquen province.

“We talked this morning with the governor of Neuquén and negotiations are well designed,” said De Vido told reporters on arrival at the headquarters of the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil to meet with authorities and with the directors of Petrobras.

The Brazilian oil company said he was surprised last month with the decision of the regional government of Neuquén to cancel a license that had been awarded to explore and exploit oil in that province in Argentina.

The Neuquén government argued that Petrobras had made investments under the contract, the same reason that the government of Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez used to justify its decision to send Congress a bill to expropriate 51% of shares of oil company YPF in the hands of the Spanish Repsol.

The Brazilian government called the decision regarding YPF Argentina as a matter of sovereignty and said he had no fears about the business of Petrobras in the neighboring country despite the history of Neuquén.

De Vido said today that his visit to Brazil is just to talk with the president of Petrobras, Maria das Graças Foster, on the business of the oil in your country and the Brazilian Minister of Mines and Energy, Edison Lobao, on other projects Brazilian investment in Argentina.

“In my capacity as auditor of YPF came to talk to Maria das Gracas Foster on how to address joint projects between the two companies,” added the Argentine minister.

Economy seeks a formula for banks to separate their property assets

The Ministry of Economy and the Bank of Spain studying the way that Spanish banks take out the toxic real estate assets from their balance sheets to manage them separately and be placing on the market, but without combining them into a “bad bank”.

This was explained today by Secretary of State for Economy, Fernando Jiménez Latorre, told reporters after closing the XIII Congress of the Spanish Association of Venture Capital (ASCRI), who added that it is an “unbinding” of these assets.

Financial institutions have already made a huge effort to bring the market value of asset prices with and once done, the process continues taking them out of balance and putting them on sale, he added.

However, he clarified that this “has nothing to do with a ‘bad bank’ or public funds,” after yesterday regulation director Bank of Spain, José María Roldán, spoke of the possibility of segregating the assets , as a third phase of financial sector restructuring.

“Roland, in a presentation to investors, spoke of being studied” unbinding “of real estate assets, and that” has nothing to do “with a” bad bank “, but is the result of the reform financial underway, stressed Secretary of State.

That’s what studies the Bank of Spain, the way banks balance sheets take out all the real estate business and manage it in a “well separated” from his banking business and that is what is known as “unbinding” has insisted.

According to industry sources, the unknown is whether the individual entities that make “unbinding” that would be the option that seems to have more possibilities, or through a property company that groups assets industry-wide problem.

Also define what kind of assets could make the balance, as some sources suggest that could be limited to soil, which is the least value is in the eyes of investors and raises doubts about the strength of the financial sector.

Entrepreneurs raise the G20 the use currencies diferents to the dollar

Entrepreneurs of the world’s major economies said the U.S. dollar should be left to govern trade and should use alternative currencies, during a meeting Thursday with the appropriate minister of the G20 in Mexico.

“The world is moving to multiple currencies and this should probably also be reflected in the name of the trade in currencies, other than (only) the U.S. dollar,” said Guillermo Ortiz, president of Grupo Financiero Banorte and former governor of the Bank of Mexico.

Some measures should precede the eventual diversification of currencies in international trade that the currencies of emerging countries like China “represent the weight” are real, Ortiz said, but gave no details on the proposal made on behalf of the B-20 (Business-20).

The meeting takes place on Thursday and Friday in the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta (West) attended by 19 Ministers of Economy and Commerce of the G20 and seven invited countries.

Investment and trade “in the last decade has become a critical aspect” to stimulate the economy, said Martin Senn, chairman of Zurich Financial Services, as translated into Spanish.

Before “the harsh environment and high pressures in the world” by the economic slowdown in Europe, employers made a number of proposals relating to investment and trade, employment, anti-corruption measures, green growth, technology and financing for development.

Specifically asked the G20 to make investment in trade a standing item on its agenda, avoid measures affecting trade and strengthen the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In food safety, Jose Ernesto Cacho, president of Mexican corn production MoH requested reforms to increase trade in goods benefit agribusiness and small farmers.

The businessman said that the great difference of subsidies and support between countries that have generated “inequities and distortions” of the market, while there is enormous potential for complementarity.

Among the participating trade ministers are that of China, Chen Deming, Turkey Zafer Caglayan Mehment, Australia, Craig Emerson, Canada, Norman Lamb and South Korea, Bark Taeho. Also attended by the Secretaries of Economy of Mexico, Bruno Ferrari, and Employment Relations in the UK, Ed Fast.

After a breakfast with businessmen who make up the B-20, the ministers discussed in work sessions on Thursday issues related to the importance of linking trade to global growth and the integration of value chains of global production and regional development of monitoring mechanisms against protectionism.

IAG closes the acquisition of the British airline BMI to Lufthansa

The group International Airlines Group (IAG), a company formed by the merger of the Spanish airline Iberia and British Airways (BA), announced today that has completed the acquisition of Britain’s BMI to Lufthansa, without specifying a price.

In a statement, IAG said today that it is expected that “BMI mainline”, which controls 10% of the “slots” at Heathrow airport, is integrated in BA, so it has begun the consultation process for the British personnel Midland International (BMI) and their unions.

IAG had already announced the purchase of BMI to Lufthansa in December in a deal valued then at about 172.5 million pounds (211.1 million at current exchange rates).

The business unit and BMI regional Bmibaby have not been sold before closing, the statement, although in terms of the purchase agreement, IAG will also procure and a significantly reduced price for them.

BMI regional Bmibaby and not part of the long-term plans of IAG and, therefore, not be integrated into British Airways, said IAG.

According to the company, IAG will examine options for the disposal of these businesses and will provide further details in due course, but it is expected that the costs associated with the output thereof, including the impact of operating them in the short term, will be offset by the price reduction.

IAG also said it will provide updated information to investors about the integration plan of BMI when reporting its financial results for the first quarter of this year on 11th May.

BMI employs 3,600 people in the UK and has destinations to European countries, Middle East or Africa.

Bmibaby flies to the airports of Belfast (Northern Ireland), Birmingham (northern England) and the East Midlands (English center), while regional BMI offers flights to Aberdeen Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow and the English East Midlands , Leeds and Manchester.

According to IAG, the agreement for the purchase of BMI strengthen its position in long-haul routes from London Heathrow, the busiest in Europe.

However, this agreement has caused discomfort to the owner of Virgin Airlines, Richard Branson, who believes there IAG monopoly case at Heathrow.

The German government will strictly monitor the fuel prices

German Economy Minister Philipp Rösler, has prepared a bill to strictly control the price of fuel and energy companies and gas stations, the newspaper reported today Süddetsche Zeitung.

The initiative, which could be approved by the German cabinet in early May, will require managers of 14,700 gas stations in Germany provide detailed information in advance about the ups and downs of prices.

They must also report the quantities of fuel who have purchased from wholesalers and the prices paid to a new “office market transparency” under the Office of FAS.

The newspaper notes that the large groups that deal with combustible energy in Germany has already expressed their criticism of the initiative, which stems from the high fuel prices and the variety of them, in some gas stations up and down several times on the same day.

“We have nothing to hide. The proposed office will be a new bureaucratic monster to be financed by the taxpayer,” he warns in the same newspaper Klaus Picard, managing the confederation of German mineralogical MWV businesses.

Picard says the initiative Rösler not lead to a drop in fuel prices, but increased them to the additional administrative work to which managers may face gas stations.

Nestle sales rose 5.6 percent in first quarter

Nestlé increased its sales to the 21,400 million Swiss francs (17,800 million at current exchange rates) in the first quarter, representing an increase of 5.6% over the same period in 2011.

The largest multinational food world today in a statement reported that between January and March recorded an organic growth of 7.2% over 2011, resulting from an increase of 2.8% real internal and an increase in prices 4.4%.

Net acquisitions resulting from reductions in capital contributed to net sales by 3%, while the Swiss franc appreciation against major currencies had a negative impact of 4.6%.

Nestlé said that with these figures for the first quarter remains unchanged, projected growth of the firm for the entire year, with improved margins and profit shares underlying the constant exchange rates between 5 and 6%.

Paul Bulcke, Nestlé CEO, said in the statement as anticipated, “2012 is confirming and challenging year as an important” because “in many developed markets consumer confidence is low.”

However, Nestlé CEO said that “conditions in most emerging markets remains dynamic and rich in opportunities for growth.”

Latin America proved to be the strongest region, with sales growth exceeding 10%, with a particularly strong business performance in Brazil and Mexico.

The IMF and World Bank open the spring meetings to criticisms of the protectionism

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) today opened its spring ministerial meetings in a context marked by the long European debt crisis, the demand of emerging countries and allegations of protectionism.

The Spanish Minister of Economy, Luis de Guindos, and fellow Argentine Hernan Lorenzino match at meetings, but there are no plans so far no meeting between them in relation to bilateral disputes arising from the expropriation of the oil Buenos Aires YPF Spanish group Repsol.

Lorenzino avoided answering questions on Thursday about the nationalization of YPF, despite being one of the themes of these conferences as both the IMF and World Bank have publicly criticized the measure.

Earlier, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, said goodbye to the multilateral institution, which in July will be directed by Jim Yong Kim, with warnings against “populism” as an excuse for protectionism in a crisis.

On Tuesday, the director of the IMF Research Department Thomas Helbling for his part claimed in the report on “Global Economic Prospects” that the Argentine government intervention “worsen the investment climate even more unpredictable and do detrimental to investment and growth. ”

The conferences of the two financial organizations are marked by a twin uncertain economic environment.

The global economy recorded a “timid” recovery “dark clouds” over the horizon, said yesterday the Fund’s managing director, France’s Christine Lagarde.

The former minister reiterated the importance of strengthening the IMF’s resources, something that both U.S. are reluctant. States. as major emerging countries, and to strengthen international supervision.

In his opening press conference, Lagarde said on the “fragility” international economy. “Blow winds of spring on the horizon but there are dark clouds,” he said.

He pointed to Europe as the epicenter of the “renewed financial tensions,” but also as an example of coordinated decision making, including the liquidity of the European Central Bank and the consolidation of the “firewall” in the euro area countries intended to prevent the spread of the Greek crisis.

“My message for Europe is to implement the reforms and further integration,” Lagarde said, citing the “serious” efforts of the Spanish authorities.

The Spanish minister, Luis de Guindos, attending for the first time at these conferences, which also draw on Saturday to hold bilateral meetings, among others, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Olli Rehn.