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After the Millers last week, it was the turn of the manufacturers of dry dog ​​and cat to be sanctioned by the Competition Authority. In a country of 8 million dogs and 10 million cats, groups Nestle (Purina), March (Royal Canin) and Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's Pet Nutrition) were sentenced to pay 35.3 million euros for cartel with their wholesalers.

According to the sages of the Rue de l'Echelle, Nestle and Mars agreed for five years (2004-2008) with their wholesalers, who then sold their stores croquettes (BHV Jardiland, Leroy Merlin, Truffaut …).

The two market leaders have imposed their resale prices, exclusive territorial or customer, thus limiting competition between them. Royal Canin had already been convicted in 2005 by Constable competition.

As for the subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, she has arranged with its veterinary wholesalers to ban the export of its products outside the Hexagon.

If Nestlé and Mars are the most heavily penalized (19 and 11.6 million fine), they nevertheless benefited from reductions of approximately 20% penalty for not contesting the facts. They also set up compliance programs to competition rules. Finally, they reorganized their distribution system and p

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Who will be the big loser of the arrival of Free Mobile? While Orange, Bouygues and Vivendi have just published their annual results and must submit his Free Thursday, the operators have their accounts.

In only six weeks, Free Mobile would have earned 1.5 million customers, according to estimates by Stéphane Richard, CEO of France Telecom. Free for now refuses to confirm.

But everyone sees what he lost. Orange said 400,000 of its customers had left for Free Mobile. Bouygues Telecom, a quarter of customers since January parties have joined Free Mobile or 134000. SFR did not elaborate, but analysts said it could provide around 300,000 customers Free Mobile.

500,000 net new subscription

It remains to evaluate clients lost by MVNOs, network operators without these, like Virgin Mobile, La Poste Mobile, Auchan Telecom, etc.. "Some of these operators have lost heavily at the start of Free Mobile. While some have reacted very quickly, it was to stop the bleeding. They have de facto acted as shock absorbers for Orange, SFR and Bouygues, "said one analyst.

MVNOs with models based on commitment and with a strong distribution network suffered the least. And NRJ Mobile, which has 90% of customer engagement in and benefits from the network of bank branches CM-CIC, has limited the damage. The operator that displays 1.1 million customers continued to win in January, before losing around 5,000 in February. "Ultimately, MVNOs may have lost between 200,000 and 300,000 customers," said one analyst.

Summing up all these figures, Free Mobile would have earned about a million customers in the market in its various competitors. The remaining 500,000 would net creation, that is to say, new subscriptions. Given its attractive price, consumers who already have a subscription and can be subscribed to the offer 2 euros (EUR 0 Free for subscribers) as a second subscription or subscription relief.

One thing is certain: the fierce competitive battle was triggered not leave room for all operators and everyone is fighting for its survival.

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Entrepreneurs can now expect to spend less time on paperwork they must complete to satisfy the administration. The National Assembly finally passed the bill Wednesday on the easing of administrative procedures despite the guerrilla led by the left. Socialist deputies and senators have decided to seize the Constitutional Council on this legislation. François Rebsamen, President of the Socialist Group of the Senate, said the referral should be made Friday.

"Francois Hollande has displayed duplicity and said on TF1 to a contractor who asked that it was essential to reduce the administrative burden on enterprises when, at the same time, François Hollande, the Socialist member of the Assembly national, and Jean-Marc Ayrault defended a motion to dismiss on the simplification of the text. Simplification is neither right nor left. It is pragmatic and expected by economic agents, "said Frederic Lefebvre Thursday, Secretary of State for SMEs, with more of the 145 measures that will be implemented in the presence of Jean-Luc Warsmann (UMP), President of the Law Committee of the National Assembly and author of the bill payday loans.

New areas

The measures apply to both the conditions of entitlement to holiday pay as procurement of low value, the secured cabinet containing all the digital business information required by the government that the 240 million ballot wages published each year. The latter, with up to 30 lines, will be simplified in several steps. The items on the Social Security taxes and social contributions will be easier to understand from the 1st January 2013. Those on unemployment contributions, pension contributions and additional pension will be from 1 January 2015.

The device of the rescript in office, which allows a company to ask its opinion to the administration, will be improved. It will be extended to new areas such as rules for calculating payroll. The administration will respond within a specified time.

Most companies only file with the court an annual report containing information that can benefit their competitors. To monitor the implementation of 145 measures, Frédéric Lefebvre install the March 19 Committee of the reduction of paperwork consisting of officials and entrepreneurs.

No wonder that the backup industry has become an issue in the presidential Since 2001, the manufacturing sector has lost over 800,000 jobs in France. Each week brings a lot of sites in need. After the textile factory Lejaby and module manufacturer Photowatt, it is the turn of the steel plant of ArcelorMittal Florange in Lorraine, put to sleep by the judgment of its two blast furnaces, to generate the anxiety … and the attention of politicians.

Francois Hollande visited Florange Friday. There promised legislation that would prevent a company wanting to emerge from a French site to block a takeover by a buyer. Filed Monday in Parliament, this bill has no chance of being passed before the elections. But its content must be dated. In detail, the text is not so coercive as that. "If there is no buyer, we will force the company not wanting to close the plant to find one," said Alain Rousset, President of PS Aquitaine and responsible for industrial matters within the Holland team.

Defensive tool

"By cons, if buyers are presented, the company can no longer refuse to cede the factory, as sometimes happens now. This is the commercial court which will then choose the buyer, "added the official, who sees the device as a defensive tool against abusive practices by companies not wanting to deliver profitable customers or technology to a potential buyer competing .

On the other side of the political spectrum, we do not share this vision. "The logic of this bill is a logical administered economy that always leads to impoverishment," Francois Fillon on Monday denounced the Salon de l'Agriculture. RTL, Nicolas Sarkozy said he preferred to act through the Strategic Investment Fund (ISF), the armed wing of the State acquires a stake in companies. "It makes sense, is to invest," said the president-nominee. Nevertheless, in the case of ArcelorMittal, the use ISP has nothing obvious, the group being held to 40.8% by the Mittal family. Similarly, the government can push, as reaffirmed by Nicolas Sarkozy, the direction to invest in the blast furnace restarts in the second half. But this is ArcelorMittal, as a private company, which will decide whether to invest, based on economic criteria.

The state could in fact intervene through Ulcos European project, focused on CO2 reductions. Through this project, a new blast furnace could be built to high performance Florange. Last autumn, the French government is committed to provide 150 million euros to this program. Commitment that Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed on RTL. Still, it must also get the green light from Brussels. The European Commission must give its opinion in October 2012. Francois Hollande had gone to discuss the subject in Brussels last November. Nicolas Sarkozy has promised to speak at the European summit later this week. But again, the project will not succeed if it is not economically viable

.

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In an interview with Le Figaro magazine, the head of state said he hopes to hold a referendum on the rights and duties of the job seekers. In the future reform that calls for the compensation of the unemployed "is not an allowance is touched passively", but the consideration for the training that will follow. "After this training, which becomes mandatory, the unemployed will be required to accept the first offer of employment corresponding to the occupation for which he has been trained," said Nicolas Sarkozy.

Already, job seekers are subject to obligations of this type. Since the Act of 1 August 2008 on the Rights and Duties of job seekers, denial of training or a job offer is indeed punishable.

According to this text, the unemployed person establishes with his counselor that employment center called a "personal project of access to employment." Specifically, are reviewed the experience of the job seeker, the type of job he seeks, his training, salary expectations, geographic preferences … All this – updated every three months – to define the contents of the famous "reasonable job offer", also introduced by the 2008 Act, that the unemployed can not refuse more than twice.

"Mini-jobs"

In case of double unjustified refusal, the unemployed person is removed from lists of employment center. The penalty is two months, during which it does not affect unemployment benefits. The same penalty applies if not responding to a summons from the employment center or refuses to develop his personal project. In case of refusal of an offer of training, the radiation is reduced to a period of 15 days. In principle, the more time passes since registration at employment center, less the unemployed may be demanding, at least in the geographical and salary plans. After a year, only paid less than the amount of compensation may be denied.

This tightening of compensation has been implemented in many European countries since the early 1990s. Germany in particular, the reform called "Hartz IV", initiated by the Schröder government since 2002, reduced the duration of benefits for job seekers to a period of 12 months, and forces the unemployed to accept all types of employment, including "mini-jobs" low paid. According to a recent report, if this reform has clearly helped to reduce unemployment across the Rhine, it also helped to increase the share of part-time jobs and impoverishing an entire segment of the population.

Radiation

In France, however, radiation for refusing reasonable offers of employment are rare. First, because the job seeker sets himself the criteria of this reasonable offer. It can also, if he wishes not occupy this or that particular position, voluntarily miss a job interview … "It would be productive to force against job seekers to accept any offer, justify one employment center. They are not motivated, quickly find themselves the way of employment center, and businesses, for their part, would not want to use us. "  

"In fact, the 2008 law has not really changed practices, confirms Tuchszirer Carole, a researcher at the Centre for Employment Studies (EEC). When she came into force, the economic crisis has changed the order of priorities, putting at the forefront of unemployment compensation, and making it more difficult proposition of job. "

Since the entry into force of the law, the number of administrative radiation has also not increased, however: last December, some 40,000 people have been de-listed employment center, against 50,000 in December 2007. Unemployed essentially excluded from compensation for failing presented at a meeting, rather than refusing an offer or training. As recalled by Nicolas Sarkozy in his interview with Le Figaro magazine, 75% of requests for training the unemployed are not met.  

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Apple announced Tuesday after the close of Wall Street that the media group's boss Disney, Robert Iger, integrate its board, now chaired by Arthur Levinson, who was one of the leading officials of the board of the group in 2005. These decisions were taken one month after the death of founder and CEO of Apple Steve Jobs. In addition, Apple has opened for the first time Wednesday discussions with advocacy groups accuse the Chinese environmental industry working for the manufacturer of computers and smartphones U no fax needed payday loans.S. large-scale pollution.

The Dell IT group released Tuesday, also after the close of Wall Street, with net income up 9% in the third quarter of fiscal offset to $ 893 million, slightly above expectations.

Qatar Airways, the first customer for the A350 XWB, the new long-haul Airbus will have to be patient. EADS, the parent of European manufacturer, announced on Friday on the occasion of the publication of the results of nine months, the factory of the competitor of Boeing Dreamliner will be the first half of 2014 rather than late 2013. The assembly of the first aircraft factory in Toulouse, will begin in the first quarter of next year and not at the end of this year. This delay will cost 200 million euros at EADS, which has set aside that amount in its accounts.

These announcements reflect "what we know today," said Hans Peter Ring, Chief Financial Officer of EADS. The band plays caution. He prefers to deliver defect-free devices instead of doing everything to meet its production schedule. The European giant draws lessons from the excesses of the A380.The announcement of the delays of the A380 in June 2006 caused a collapse of the action and the most serious crisis in the history of the company.

This decision revealed seventy-two hours before the opening of the Dubai Air Show was predictable. In June, during the Paris Air Show, Airbus announced a year and a half behind two of the three versions of the A350 XWB. Management had set the stage by explaining the weeks preceding the calendar was tense for "a very risky program."

In late September, Thomas Enders, CEO of Airbus, told the BBC: "We always start date for the final assembly of the first aircraft in late 2011. But there is no magic date. We learned a lesson simple enough for the A 380: it is useless to push sections of the aircraft on the assembly line if they are not ready. "

France Televisions will participate there in the war effort budget? MPs Gilles Carrez, chairman of the Finance Committee, and Patrice Martin-Lalande, deputy of Loir et Cher, a member of the Finance Committee and co-chair of the Task Force Internet, broadcasting and information society, the same wish if the means differ slightly.

Specifically, this is to limit the payment of appropriations made to the public company for the loss of advertising revenue due to the partial shutdown of advertising on the main branches of the group since 2009. France Televisions already committed for 2012 to increase its advertising revenue from 410 to 425 million euros but also revert to the state 28 million euros in credits not used by the public group.

But the chairman of the Finance Committee would go further.

As to give grist to G20 ministers meet farm late Friday morning in Cannes, the FAO food price index released yesterday registered a sharp decline after months of increases. It stood at 216 points in October, its lowest level in 11 months. "Prices nevertheless remained generally higher than last year and remain very volatile," says to FAO, the UN Food and Agriculture.

The fight against price volatility in agricultural commodities is precisely the heart of the priorities that the ministers of agriculture have taken in June in Paris during the holding of a special agricultural G20. These will draw Friday a first assessment of this work."The challenge for leaders is to find ways to constrain the natural volatility of the courses without mask or minimize the aggravating factors which tend to look the part of financial markets," said Didier Rousseau, expert industry the agri-food consulting firm Weave Same day payday loans. Volatility can be explained according to the expert by "the increase in global food demand, the emergence of biofuels or the occurrence of weather-related disasters."

The five commitments that will be discussed and reviewed at the G20 agricultural Cannes

• Establishing information system on agricultural markets (AMIS). Hosted by the FAO global database that aims to improve transparency and information on agricultural markets of four major crops for food security (wheat, rice, corn, soy).