The asparagus season, marketed fresh in between March and June, is in full swing right now. And nice surprise for consumers, prices are down sharply. At Rungis, for example, a kilo of white asparagus was worth Wednesday between 4.80 and 6.90 euros per kilo following categories. A decrease of about 70 cents on the wholesale market which is largely passed on to consumers. "Asparagus, which fell 3 euros, are selling like hotcakes, welcomes a saleswoman Hyper U at Mayenne. Customers expect it and the radius was robbed. "

The French are lovers of this ultra-fresh vegetables, many nutritional values. They consume an average of 400 grams per person per year. Overall, local shops (markets, greengrocers and convenience stores) represents more than half of the distribution channel of asparagus. Another third of the volume is up in supermarkets. The remainder is sold through direct sales, which has grown significantly.

Land formerly of Excellence asparagus in Europe, France has seen its market share erode over the years. "Germany has become the European leader since 2003, says Angelique Delahaye, president of Vegetables in France. Its production has doubled in ten years with over 90,000 tons. "And to the detriment of France, who is now the fourth largest in Europe, 18,200 tons, after Italy (44,000 tonnes) and Spain (50,400 tons). In ten years, France has seen its acreage decline of 43%, to 5,525 hectares, according to the parliamentary report coordinated by the Deputy Mayor of Agen Jean Dionis du Sejour. At the same time, the surfaces increased 64% across the Rhine, to 21,815 hectares.

Picking Sunday

This new hegemony of Germany in the production of asparagus owes nothing to chance. First, the Germans love it and there is an ancient food culture where the asparagus accommodates many meals. Then, the country is rich in deep sandy soil, very favorable for growing asparagus. Last but not least Germany, already unbeatable in the industry, is becoming the champion of competitiveness in agriculture all forms of production. "The workforce represents 70% of the cost of production of asparagus in France. Despite a recent decline in expenses, the cost of a seasonal schedule is almost twice as high at home in Germany ", says Angelique Delahaye. Currently, the hourly wage of a seasonal employer costs included, is around 10 euros. In Germany, according to the region, it varies between 4 and 6 euros an hour. Last detail, in France, "the seasonal can not pick the asparagus on Sunday, when he must harvest in high season vegetables every day," says Angelique Delahaye.

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Since Friday, the plant Fralib is occupied by its employees. A situation that is denounced by the president of Unilever France, Bruno Witvoët. "This is unacceptable in a constitutional state, says in an interview in Paris-Today-in-France. Such a coup with hooded individuals armed with baseball bats and batons, it is not of union action, it's a commando! ". The boss of Unilever France claiming the expulsion "immediate and prompt action with law enforcement" employees, has also filed a complaint for "physical threats" from the police. "From fabrications," Olivier replied Leberquier, CGT union. According to the police of Aubagne, intervened at the scene, there would have been no collision.

"Holland must keep its promises"

"Closing a plant is always a very difficult decision, Bruno recognizes Witvoët. But in some cases – including tea bags – we have overcapacity. This is justified in stopping this site ". He said Unilever has taken responsibility in the case of employees of Fralib, accepting "to add additional resources for the revitalization of the local employment" as required by justice. "Funds for creating new jobs has increased from 1 to 1.5 million euros" and "each dismissed employee is entitled to an internal transfer, pay the same conditions, in one of six other plants in France , "he said.

This new twist, the 592nd day of the conflict comes as 80 of the 103 employees still struggle, of 182 initially received their letter of dismissal. At the same time, a moving company came to do a quote on the site, and management proposed the CGT to move out of its local business, or in organizing the escorted access, for reasons of safety concerns, dismantling machinery. A scenario rejected by the union, which wants to keep the tool working on site to implement an alternative plan of recovery of activity.

Given this situation, unions are demanding the intervention of Francois Hollande. During the presidential campaign, President-elect said: "Nothing is done, nothing is guaranteed and if victory comes, I will also be at your side, President of the French Republic, to get your site live, had he launched at a meeting of employees Fralib in Paris in February. "The company is now under the control of the CGT and the Netherlands should keep its promises. His election is a ray of hope, "says Olivier Leberquier. The standoff between employees Fralib and its direction is far from over.

Presidential in major cities Paris | Leeds | Lyons | Toulouse | Leeds | Sheffield | Liverpool | Bordeaux | Lille

The UK is preparing to be the center of the world during the Olympic Games in London this summer. But within three months of maturity, the British border crossing is now turning to chaos. Heathrow Airport is at the heart of controversy because of long queues to pass checkpoints immigration. A study by the British Airport Authority said Thursday record three hours of waiting found last Monday in terminal 4. Control agents were sent into a disaster of Manchester in an attempt to streamline the situation.

Tails more than two hours were common in April, while the objectives of the immigration agency, United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), were exceeded for a quarter of passengers 23 days on the 30th of last month. The agency has set an average time of 25 minutes for European citizens and 45 minutes for non-Europeans.

The UKBA had previously sought to minimize the problem. The Immigration Minister, Damian Green, was summoned to explain to the House of Commons, went to Heathrow Monday during a quiet time and was considered "exaggerated" reports on delays. He attributed the delays to bad weather. The boss of British Airways, Willie Walsh has accused the government of "deceiving public opinion" and be "unable to cope with a major problem."

David Cameron himself has described the aftermath as "unacceptable" these delays and asked the competent authorities to act. The outgoing mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wrote to the Interior Minister, Theresa May, in indignant at "the disastrous impression in the UK" and asked him to "rectify the situation for both the Olympics and to manage the normal flow of passengers. "

Downsizing

Largest airport in Europe (and the third world), Heathrow, with 69 million passengers a year, bordering on saturation. London expects 3-5000000 more visitors during the Olympics. The engorgement of its border resulting from the conjunction of several factors.

Last fall, the agency Immigration and Theresa May had been questioned after the revelation of controls "relaxed" on arrival, neglecting the systematic verification of passports of visitors to accelerate the pace. A careful examination papers has been reinstated immediately, lengthening the time. Meanwhile, the UK Border Agency is facing a rise in traffic with fewer staff. The severe budget cuts decided by the government resulted in a decrease of 10% of its workforce since 2010, and an additional 15% could be eliminated by 2015. To make matters worse, the agency staff must go on strike next Thursday, as the entire public service, for retirement. The UKBA has announced the hiring of 80 people from this month and announced it planned reinforcements of 480 officers during the Olympics.

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A unified regional contact

There are 26 Regional Health Agencies (ARS), the cutting may not be superimposed on that of the regions. Indeed, the distribution is developed based on specific characteristics and needs of each territory.

Each ARS multi-agency previously responsible form of dispersed health policy in the regions and departments:

– DRASS (Regional Directorate of Health and Social Affairs)

– DDASS (Departmental Directorate of Health and Social Affairs)

– The Regional Agency for Hospitalisation,

– The Regional Union of Health Insurance, which includes the main plans: general system, agricultural system and RSI.

Prevention missions, organization and management

The Regional Health Agency operates both in missions to regional dimension that the most local level. These missions are twofold:

– Management of public health in the region. This control is based on safety and health monitoring (environmental monitoring, epidemics …), in coordination with the prefect.

– The organization of health care provision. The ARS is involved both with local doctors and health facilities (hospitals, clinics) or medical social (retirement homes, homes for the disabled).

Improving healthcare services

The ARS has four main objectives:

– Reduce territorial inequalities in health,

– Better access to care,

– Improve coordination between health professionals and health institutions and medical social,

– Ensure greater efficiency in health spending.

The ARS are preferred partners of health professionals and local authorities, who endeavor to promote and coordinate actions.

Controlling health expenditures in all their aspects

The mission of ARS is ultimately optimize the allocation and use of health resources. That is to make the most of every dollar of budget committed to a regional health policy.

ARS also did they have programs priority risk management (GDR). For the period 2010-2011, we find among them including transporting patients, chronic renal failure, the hospital prescriptions drugs performed in the city, medical imaging or efficiency of nursing homes (residential homes for the Elderly dependent). The diversity of these measures reflects the breadth and depth of intervention of ARS.

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The CEO of Geodis would flip-flop. According to Libération on Monday, the freight subsidiary of SNCF should ultimately maintain its takeover offer Sernam. "I say again very clearly that we have made an offer with the intention to resume Sernam. [...] We will present in court Tuesday, "assured the head of Geodis, Pierre Blayau.

These comments contrast with those held this weekend in the columns of the Sunday newspaper. Pierre Blayau there considered "not dramatic" the hypothesis of a carrier's bankruptcy. And remember that Geodis accompanied its takeover offer on two conditions.

The first, on the € 642 million illegal aid demanded by Brussels, has been fulfilled. The European Commission agreed Wednesday that the buyer does not inherit Sernam the repayment obligation. But the second, concerning the financial health of the carrier and the state of its cash, however would default. Geodis claimed that Sernam to work only for 30 to 45 days, which would require a cash of about 30 million euros.

Government pressure

Earlier in the week, Pierre Blayau, who considers the financial position of Sernam very poor, had signified to the unions that the recovery was compromised. "It made us realize that it will not be able to maintain its offer," explained Alain told AFP Wednesday Delpuech CGT carrier. According to Libération, Pierre Blayau has even said that the resumption of Sernam could "endanger jobs at Geodis."

For the newspaper, citing several sources, only pressure from the government would explain the reversal of Geodis. "The Elysee has called this weekend for Blayau maintains its offer," says a source close to release the file.

The transport minister, Thierry Mariani, has so far invested actively in this matter. The effect of the liquidation of an enterprise of 1441 employees on the eve of the presidential election is considered disastrous. The Commercial Court of Nanterre travel Tuesday its decision on the future of Sernam.

If Air Mediterranean, the French company in difficulty which had relocated to Greece part of his job by creating a local structure, is the perfect illustration of what is wrong with the management of aircrew in France, according to members of the Federation National aviation market (FNAM). Thursday, members of the employers' organization presented a dozen proposals to candidates in the presidential election.

The first of these is to reduce labor costs in the airline industry for companies based in the Hexagon. "Once a company is engaged in a third country with fiscal conditions of the country of origin, the competition promotes the competition governed by social charges and taxes lower," regrets Pascal de Izaguirre, president of the Economic Committee of FNAM. The French sailors cost 20% more on average than elsewhere in Europe, according to Lionel Guerin, President of FNAM.

To restore the French flag in the skies over Europe, members of FNAM require "a shift in the social security contribution base of other taxes and a reduction of employers' costs especially for the sailors, pilots, hostesses and stewards. " Clearly, the French companies require a social framework "harmonized" to address critical gaps between European countries. "In return, we could expand our business and create jobs," says Pascal de Izaguirre.

Maintaining night flying

Air France made its accounts if the company was based in Amsterdam, it would save 750 million euros due to the difference between the tax and benefit systems between France and the Netherlands. "The goal is to avoid seeing happen in the air what happened in the shipping industry where employment is now completely relocated," says Lionel Guerin, also CEO of Transavia, a subsidiary low -cost airline Air France. The answer candidates for this proposal is surprisingly consensual. Nicolas Sarkozy's advisers have estimated that this track orally should be studied. For his part, Francois Hollande replied in writing that "state aid and tax breaks" should go "to companies that invest in our country, who will locate their operations. However, it is clear that future developments should respect the need to balance our accounts. "

Among other proposals, the decrease in security tax, currently borne by passengers; the establishment of a European regulatory framework facing international competition to avoid the payment of state aid in favor of certain carriers, maintaining night flights, easier access to hub airports, but also investing in research to prepare energy developments.

Members of FNAM, who had already launched similar proposals five years ago, hoping this time to be heard. "At the time, Air France and other companies were going well, the price of fuel was half the price … Today, we take the alarm. In five years, we can not say that we had nothing planned, "says the chairman of TUI France.

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One hundred days after his inauguration, Mariano Rajoy faces Thursday its first general strike in Spain. "Hundred Days, hardly!" Are offended tenors of the Popular Party (PP, right), the formation of the head of government. "The strike, finally!" Meet the basics of trade unions, eager to do battle. For the past three months, government and workers' representatives to look into daggers.

In recent weeks, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), the two largest unions in the country, have organized two events before calling a general strike. The leaders admitted bluntly: it was first to count.

In the crosshairs of unions, labor market reform, adopted by decree on February 9 and described as "extremely aggressive" … by the minister of the economy itself!

Javier Doz, Head of International Relations of CCOO, summarizes the two main objections to the reform: "First, this law flexibilized layoffs and cuts costs. Second, it greatly weakens collective bargaining. "The government says it is to encourage hiring by offering less restrictive labor contracts. The argument is scanned by Doz: "Since the adoption of the decree, unemployment has continued to grow."

"A stroke of genius!"

The executive, in turn, paved the way. A short sentence illustrates this perfectly. It was in Brussels on 31 January. Mariano Rajoy attended his first European Council. Prior to opening the meeting, he met with his Finnish counterpart and brags: "The reform of labor law will cost me a general strike!" Rajoy then displays a satisfied smile. Barely a month after taking office, the standoff between the government and unions had already begun.

"A stroke of genius!" Can not help admiring Pablo López Calle, professor of sociology of work at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. "It's Rajoy himself who called a general strike! It presents the mobilization as a sign of his political identity, "he decrypts. Proof of its determination, in short.

For unions, in any case, the day will be a test. In a country affected by an unemployment rate of 23%, fear of losing his job well anesthesia claims. For several weeks, unions must also defuse a series of controversies echoed by the conservative press. A leader of UGT, for example, was accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars from the Caja Madrid, a savings bank the largest in the country. In reality, the money is paid to each member of the Board and shall be returned to the union. "This is a campaign to discredit us," considers Doz, denouncing "personal insults".

The challenges of Spain

Mistrust vis-à-vis trade unions, however, goes beyond the usual political divisions. During the demonstration on 19 February, for example, indignant movement of May 15 had joined the workers' representatives. But these indignados had organized their own parade. "Thanks for coming!" They sang at the CCOO and UGT. One way to criticize the supposed slowness of their response. "¡No representan our" ("They do not represent us!") Cried others, usually reserved for a political slogan.

Conversely, unions are wary of calls from the foot of the Socialist Party (PSOE). The leader of the PSOE, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, does not hide his strategy: "The PP has shown with the bishops (an allusion to the protests against gay marriage or abortion), we, we demonstrate with the unions." These latter, however, still marked by the austerity measures of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Socialist prime minister post. "In recent events, says Lopez, union leaders have done everything to prevent the Socialists are at the forefront." The Socialists, requinqués by an unexpected election victory last Sunday in Andalusia, intend to transform the test.

Beyond the likely battle between unions and government figures, the point lies elsewhere. Condenses into a general strike the next day challenges of Spain. On the one hand, the government Rajoy wants to kill the rebellion in the bud, establish his austerity program and ensure social peace by force of his majority. The other, the parliamentary opposition and trade union seeks to rise from the ashes.

While fuel prices going from record to record in France, a study by German GIZ revealed by Challenges, shows that the French are not the worst off. Every two years, this independent economic research firm analyzes the price of gasoline and diesel in 170 countries. The experts come to update some of the results to reflect the surge in oil prices. The barrel has indeed increased by about $ 20 since the last measurements in 2010.

According to the survey, the price differences among countries are unprecedented. Gasoline is cheaper and 112 times in Venezuela, where it costs 0.17 euro per liter, as in Turkey where it reached 1.91 euro per liter, and 88 times cheaper than in France (1.50 per liter on average).

Subsidies and taxes are the difference

To explain these price differences, GIZ identified four groups of countries. The first category includes all states like Venezuela disconnects the fuel price of one barrel of oil through grants awarded to distributors. It is only country in the top 20 oil producers like Venezuela, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria, United Arab Emirates paydayloans. The price per liter do not exceed € 0.38.

The second set also includes oil-producing countries but the subsidy policy is less aggressive. Accordingly, the fuel price is a little higher, but remains below the market price is around € 0.58 and a liter as in Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Angola or Sudan.

In the third category, however, there are countries whose tax increased the price of a liter of petrol above the market price. This is the case of the United States, China, Russia or Brazil. The fuel is sold from 0.64 to 1.04 euro per liter.

The last group consists of states where governments have established a strong fuel tax. This is true of all countries of the European Union, Switzerland, Turkey but also in poor countries such as Eritrea and Rwanda. At the pump, the price is greater than 1 euro per liter.

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Four years after the return at the helm of Jean-Paul Baudecroux, indicators of the NRJ Group are green. The station NRJ has returned to the second radio station in France and the pole made of TV NRJ 12, NRJ Paris, NRJ Hits has reached equilibrium. In 2011, NRJ Group posted a turnover of 377.5 million euros (+9.9%) and net profit of EUR 45.6 million (41.2%).

LE FIGARO. – In 2011, the results of NRJ Group rebounded. The dark years are erased?

John Paul BAUDECROUX. – This is the result of hard work on our four radio stations and our television. The sales grew faster than the market thanks to the work of our national and local advertising. Finally, careful management has allowed the net to rebound by 41%.

NRJ can it become the first radio station in France?

We aim to exceed legitimate RTL. I dream that the first radio station in France is French. NRJ collects 6 million listeners a day and all of our stations cumulative 12.13 million listeners per day. The bulk of the work of registration stations has been done and now there are some settings that will bear fruit in one year. On the station NRJ, all our slots have grown and Cauet, in the second season, capitalizing on its success. The morning of Manu made good scores and produce its full effect next season. He signed a contract for two seasons.

After seven years, the television division is finally balanced?

If the end of the year was better, the television division would have made money instead of just at equilibrium. Our channel NRJ Hits became the first music channel on cable and satellite and NRJ 12 is now the third TNT channel, behind TMC and W9 with an audience share of 3.8% on the target of 15-34 years.

Finally, you win money, why would reinvest in a new DTT channel?

Because I like to develop projects and we are not here to make financial transactions on the frequencies. As entrepreneurs, we prefer to construct heritage assets online payday loan lenders. If the Higher Audiovisual Council gives us an additional string, we will invest 110 million euros over five years. But that will strengthen our position in the advertising market. And, more importantly, it will devote our role as the fourth operator private broadcasting French. NRJ 12 already, we just launched the production of a daily French fiction whose 1st release is planned in September. The CSA has the option, giving us a new DTT channel, to rebalance the French media landscape in terms of advertising support for audiovisual production and pluralism around four main actors sound and sustainable.

You have submitted three projects announced chains but you have a preference for Darling HD. Why?

The President of the CSA and a counselor I have questioned my preference and I answered with complete transparency. But if the CSA gives us another channel, we will accept it as our three projects-My NRJ, Chérie Nosta TV and HD are all worthy projects. However, Cherie HD, feminine chain, a target audience of 25 to 49, which corresponds to that already addressed by our advertising. This will allow then to consolidate his power. Above all, we believe that our chain is the female who best meets the public expectations on TNT.

Your broadcasting subsidiary Towercast is it still for sale?

Towercast, which ensures the broadcasting of digital radio and television, thrives, conquered about 20% market share and posted strong profitability. And with the arrival of six new DTT channels in high definition, the broadcast market will continue to rise. We hope to enjoy. However, this asset is not in our heart of business and if an investor offers us a good price, I will examine the proposal.

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