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Ruyter, Karin de
4 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Nuclear waste the biggest risk
The catastrophe in Japan has fanned debate over nuclear energy across the world. However there is more to the issue than the safety of power plants, warns the daily De Standaard: "Almost every government now promises that it will 'learn' from the events in Japan. That is fair enough, and perfectly understandable. But at the same time the catastrophe in Japan threatens to confine the discussion about the pros and cons of nuclear energy to the potential damage from 'incidents' like natural catastrophes, plane crashes or terrorist attacks. Although potentially very risky, such incidents are not very likely. The largest safety risks from nuclear energy come not from such occurrences but from nuclear waste. This waste is a reality, not a probability. And more than a half century after the first nuclear reactors went into operation, we still have no idea what to do with it."
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More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Catastrophe, » Global, » Japan
Fortis shareholders must accept bank sale
The shareholders of Fortis Bank have agreed to the sale of the company to the French bank BNP Paribas. At the general meeting, shareholders opposed to the sale threw their shoes and cups at the bank's managers while shouting down their opponents. According to the daily De Standaard the unhappy shareholders were spurred on by their lawyer, Mischael Modrikamen: "Modrikamen did a disservice to the image of lawyers yesterday. His appearance was a disgrace to the profession. As a lawyer he must argue his case with legal reasoning, not with incitement and threats. As a lawyer he must also accept that all Fortis shareholders have a say in the future of the company, and he must accept the result of their democratic vote. And if he's not willing to accept that, he can try to bring the matter to court. But a general shareholders' meeting is not a public tribunal."
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More from the press review on the subject » Banks, » Belgium
Sale of the state-owned Fortis Bank too risky
The Belgian government is currently weighing up whether it should sell the crisis-ridden Fortis Bank to the French bank BNP Paribas. The daily De Standaard writes that the poor terms of sale warrant the state's holding on to the bank: "Economists could not agree in recent months on whether this risk is one our country can bear, above all because [the banks] Dexia and KBC are still not in the clear. But the terms BNP Paribas has offered recently mean that Belgium's risks are at least as high with a sale as if the state retains ownership. Whatever decision the government takes, the shareholders of Fortis Holding who prevented the sale to BNP Paribas last month and in so doing brought on the new round of negotiations can pat themselves on the back. Because who will profit from the new negotiations apart from the lawyers? ... The Belgian taxpayers are now faced with even higher risks and possible losses than they already were."
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More from the press review on the subject » Financial Markets, » Belgium
A powerless bystander
The daily De Standaard writes on the role of the EU in the credit crunch: "The basic idea behind the European Union is and remains the creation of a single economic location. With its many rules and guidelines, Europe is omnipresent in financial and economic life. The individual member states are bound hand and foot in their economic policies. Either Europe does not allow something, or Europe demands something. But now, in the midst of the worst financial crisis in decades and with the looming threat of economic derailment, all of a sudden Europe has no answer. Europe's role in the current crisis is that of a powerless bystander. And that will not strengthen the faith of the average citizen in Europe's construction process."
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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Belgium
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