euro|topics - David Barroux

30/08/2008

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Barroux, David

2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Les Echos - France | 16/07/2008

The birth of a gas giant

The business paper Les Echos comments on the long-awaited merger between the French energy companies Gaz de France (GDF) and Suez: "The birth took a long time and right up to the very last moment the outcome was uncertain. But the labour pains will not have been in vain. The GDF-Suez consortium that has just been born is not a child that will first have to learn to walk; rather it is a fully-grown company on the global market - one which will wield influence in a strategic area from the word go. The shareholders who have watched the company's share capital rise by 65 percent since the fusion was announced are not the only ones to be delighted. At a time when energy prices are exploding, the merger between Suez and GDF will certainly not ... have a short-term positive impact on the monthly bills of its customers. ... Gas will be expensive, but at least there will be gas! As a giant in a world of giants, the GDF-Suez tandem will not only have a more stable pool of suppliers at its disposition, it will also be in a better negotiating position vis-à-vis titans like Gazprom. ... In the coming trial of strength between gas producers and middlemen, size is what counts. French customers ... will no doubt profit from this."

Les Echos - France | 02/06/2008

Cultivating the television landscape

France's television landscape faces profound changes. President Sarkozy intends to do away with advertising on public television without raising television licence fees. The business newspaper Les Echos argues for radical steps in place of "minor reforms": "France can achieve high-quality public programmes while at the same time allowing private channels to flourish. ... But the public broadcasters must not be robbed of their advertising revenues without being able to absorb the losses through a hike in licence fees. Otherwise the stations will be unable to achieve the desired quality. ... The same bitter facts also apply to the private channels. If you want strong enterprises, market mechanisms must be given free reign. One must not attempt to manage the private economy."

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