German Chancellor on Sunday called President-elect Francois Hollande to congratulate him on his victory and invite him to come to Berlin, according to Pierre Moscovici. German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday urged President-elect Francois Hollande to congratulate him on his victory in the presidential election and invite them to come to Berlin, told AFP the campaign manager of the Socialist Pierre Moscovici.

"Merkel has called him to congratulate him on his election. They had a first exchange and agreed to work together on a Franco-German relationship that is strong and the service of Europe," said Mr. Moscovici. "Merkel has invited him to come to Berlin, which he did soon after his inauguration," he added.

Johnson & Johnson received the green light Thursday from the European authorities to buy the Swiss manufacturer Synthes medical equipment for some 21 billion (about 16 billion euros), an operation that will boost its segment of orthopedics.

This is the largest ever acquisition by J & J.

To view approved by European competition authorities, the U.S. group had agreed to sell its European business in the area of ​​trauma.

In a statement, the European Commission stresses that the merged entity will continue to face several strong competitors.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon, has validated this weekend's decision to notify Thales a contract worth several billion euros for the modernization of tactical radios of the French armies, writing Le Figaro Tuesday.

The contract, three to four billion euros over 22 years, involves the renewal of 33,000 radio systems used by the military, the paper recalls.

The Ministry of Defence had agreed but of Economy objected to the notification of an important contract in its presidential campaign. Matignon has ruled.

A stronger financial barrier is needed globally to guard against a possible new episode of the debt crisis in Europe, said Thursday Christine Lagarde , Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), adding that the IMF needed more resources.

"A barrier higher global will complete the 'circle of protection' of each country. IMF help. But to be as effective as possible, we must increase our resources, "she said

. Christine Lagarde hopes to advance the agenda of means the IMF at the meetings between the IMF and World Bank planned next week

. "(…) the greatest risk threat is the resurgence of turbulence in bond markets and financial in Europe. "

The U.S. Treasury announced Friday that CEO compensation of three major companies that received aid during the financial crisis "exceptional" remain frozen for the second ; me straight year.

The decision applies to executives of AIG, the automaker General Motors and the credit institution Ally Financial, three groups that received a total of 135 billion dollars that have not paid off.

Over the period 2007-2009, public authorities have provided $ 68 billion (52 billion euros) to AIG, 50 billion to 17 billion to GM and Ally Financial to help them avoid bankruptcy. 

The Treasury said the direct remuneration of 69 other leaders of the three companies would be reduced by 10% over their 2011 level.

Four other major companies that received a bailout from public funds during the crisis have since repaid the aid: Bank of America, Citigroup, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial.

The dissatisfaction in the opinion by salaries and bonuses received by executives of these companies was such that the Obama administration has created the post of "supervisor" in charge of oversee their compensation policies.

The Treasury statement does not specify the identities of the leaders of AIG, GM and Ally Financial affected by frost this year. But it is certain that the CEOs of these three groups will receive, despite the austerity displayed, wage and salary supplements comfortable.

The CEO of AIG and should reach $ 10.5 million including the "stock options", one of Ally Financial 9.5 million and that of GM 9.0 million, according to documents released by the Treasury .

The number of resale properties totaled 858,000 last year, according to solicitors. 21,000 or more than the previous record in 2006. But activity in the former will fall in 2012.

There has never been so many resales of houses and apartments in France than in 2011. With 858,200 transactions recorded by notaries, up 9% from 2010, the former real estate market hit a record high. The previous record for the last 12 months studied, was 837,000 in mid-2006, said the lawyers at a news conference. However, we should distinguish between the province and the Ile de France

For if the sales regions have reached a good level ever with 710,000 transactions, the capital region, she was "merely" of 148,200 operations, is far from the record of 167,400 set in 2005.  

This level of activity on the property market may seem somewhat old paradoxical as prices continued to soar last year, including Paris. It is partly explained by the desire of many owners to sell before the higher taxes on capital gains real estate, intervened in early February 2012, on second homes and rental accommodation. The end of the loan (PTZ +) in the former planned in late 2011 also prompted the first-time buyers to rush their proposed acquisition. But this device has funded about 300,000 operations. As many advantages that will boost the property market more this year …

The year 2012 should be much less favorable. Notaries predict a total of transactions between 700,000 and 740,000 in the former, a drop of 15% to 20%, predicted Bazaille Pierre, president of real estate notaries. And especially as the mortgage, both in the former than in the new, earlier this year saw an apocalyptic France.Selon the Banque de France, the amount of housing loans granted in February was the lowest for 32 months, a fall of 41% compared to January and by 49% compared to February 2011.

The Housing Credit Monitoring / CSA assesses in turn the decline in the first quarter to 36% over the same period last year. To the point that the economist Michel Mouillart is very pessimistic in the absence of new tax incentive schemes. "We will have a drop in business markets, including the market of the former, as no one ever has seen," he warns. With what effect on prices? He is careful not to indicate.  

This strong demand in any case continued to push the prices up in 2011, at least in the past three quarters permiers, find notaries. Prices of old apartments have increased by 6.5% in France in 2011 compared to 2010 but decreased slightly over the last three months of the year. The largest increase was recorded in central Paris (+14.7% year on year but the increase was only 0.2% last quarter). But big cities like Lyon and Bordeaux, recorded increases of almost 9%. For homes, the increase was more pronounced in the Ile-de-France (+5.7%) than in the provinces (1.3%).

The reforms adopted by Portugal to consolidate its public finances are on track and the country should be able to borrow again in the markets in 2013, as planned, said Tuesday the Europe Commission ; enemies.

Portugal received last year for a bailout of 78 billion euros over three years of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund after seeing its rate 'market borrowing to rise to an unsustainable level of debt for the country, whose growth is affected by low competitiveness.

This aid package was not fully reassured investors, some fearing that Lisbon does not follow the way of Greece requesting a new bailout that could mean losses for creditors of the private sector. 

"The program (reform) is broadly on track. Fiscal adjustment in 2011-2012 was remarkable in every respect, "said the third report of the European Commission on Reforms in Portugal ……. The

.. payment of a portion of the money promised by international creditors is dependent on compliance by the Lisbon reform objectives, subject to close monitoring EU, IMF and European Central Bank

. "Portugal fully complies with its contract," said, in the condition of anonymity, a European official who attended the presentation of the report

. Asked whether Lisbon could have need a second aid plan in case it would be impossible to borrow on the markets, he was optimistic

.. ……. "We feel that this plan is sufficient. But that's another question whether Portugal will be able to convince the markets, "he said

." At the moment, we estimate that the program is ongoing and that Portugal should be able to return to the markets in 2013, "said the European official, noting that the yields of Portuguese paper have already begun to decline secondary market

. The bond yield fell to ten years to 11.8%, against 17.4% in late January ..

……. The EC nevertheless warned against "the continuing risks and challenges", including a possible rise in unemployment to above expectations, 14.4% for 2012. The unemployment rate reached a record level of 15% in February, according to Eurostat data.

While Portugal is experiencing its worst recession since the 1970s, the government expects economic contraction of 3.3% this year and a 0.3% growth in 2013 .

The cloud of explosive gas that has formed around a platform of Total off Scotland after a leak on a well has forced Shell to evacuate its turn Tuesday staff of two neighboring facilities and the French oil group does not exclude take some six months to repair the leak.

Growing concerns about the platform for Elgin-Franklin, both in terms of production losses or possible repair costs of the site, drove the share price of Total which ensures that the leak has not so far had a significant impact on the environment.

This is not the opinion of Frederic Hauge, head of Bellona, ​​a leading advocacy group for the Norwegian environment closely following oil exploration in the North Sea. 

Considering it "the pit of hell", he concluded that "the problem is out of control".

The gas leak on Elgin-Franklin formed a cloud dense enough to be visible to other platforms in the North Sea. Shell has decided to suspend, as a precaution, to drill on one of them.

Action Total recorded the biggest drop in the CAC 40 Tuesday, yielding 5.96% to 38.56 euros, its lowest levels in the last three months. The title accuses its sharpest decline since December 2008 and saw its capitalization blend of six billion euros.

Total, by far the highest weight of the ACC, led the index in Paris, which ended down 0.92% while the European sector index of oil and gas gave up 2.37%.

At this stage, investors are more concerned about the impact of leakage on the group's production and its consequences on the environment and the prudent play while waiting to get an idea pre Cise of the magnitude of the disaster.

"Investors apply the precautionary principle in a situation still uncertain, in memory with the recent accident that affected BP," said Romain Burnand, co-director of Moneta Asset Management. 

PLAN "IN THE DAYS TO COME"

The explosion and sinking and the Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico, eleven had died in April 2010. Some 4.9 million barrels of crude oil had leaked from the Macondo well, drilled on behalf of the "major" British Petroleum. After the disaster, BP had lost more than 52% of its stock value in less than two months.

"With the memory of Macondo, the market remains very nervous about this kind of news until the problem is not quantified," said one trader.

"This event will impact Total's production and creates a risk of pollution-limited at this stage but not yet identified," he added, noting that the group had not yet de ; cided the best way in its handling of the incident.

Total has indeed explained explore all possible options to address the leak, including drilling a relief well.

"There are two options for intervention. One is to drill a relief well, which could take about six months. The other is an intervention on the platform to seal the well (…) what would be a faster option, "he told Reuters David Hainsworth, safety manager, health and environment at Total Exploration & Production UK

. "We plan to decide on a course in the coming days," he added

. "Early indications are that there is no significant impact on the environment and the use of dispersant is not necessary at this stage ", then announced in a statement Total

." A surveillance aircraft confirmed the presence of iridescence in the vicinity of the platform. They are drilling muds and / or products associated with the light gas with a volume currently estimated at 30 m3 "added the group

. ALSO

DOWN MARKET TECHNIP

addition to mobilizing 10 to 20 engineers, Total has engaged the services of Wild Well Control, a company that occurred during the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010

……. Technip .. The title has also dropped in the Paris Stock Exchange, closing down 3.17% to 6.151 euros while some respondents evoked rumors that the responsibility of the oil services group , who built the platform for production of Elgin and Franklin fields, could be initiated. 

"The platform that Technip has built for the Elgin-Franklin field is PUQ, platform type production TPG500. But Total said in a statement that the leak was located on one of the two platforms well ", but said a spokesman for the group in an email to Reuters …. Total

….. halted production and evacuated personnel on site (238 people) after the gas leak Sunday …… The platform

… previously produced nine million cubic meters of gas per day, equivalent to 3% of UK production of natural gas and than 60,000 barrels per day of light crude

. The environmental consequences of leakage of natural gas condensates are much less severe than of oil spills, has informed the British Minister of Energy. 

An exclusion zone of sea and air, however, was declared around the platform, said Total.

European shares rebound slightly sketched at the opening Monday as investors buying on the cheap after a week of consolidation, but the market, cautious, then returned to downward.

The Paris Bourse opened with a gain of 0.4% before falling to 3466.20 points (-0.29%), while the Eurostoxx 50 index was down 0.31%.

In Frankfurt, the DAX yields 0.18% while the FTSE London is 0.13%.

The action Havas jumped 9.38%. The group presented a proposed acquisition of 12% of its capital to reduce the discount on the stock exchange and optimize its financial structure.

Technip has been awarded by BP and its partners a contract to develop subsea infrastructure project in the UK North Sea for about $ 600 million, gained 2 , 6%.

For its part, PSA Peugeot sells 0.5% while employees of the French manufacturer and subsidiary of General Motors' Opel prepare to battle the bodies on the alliance the two carmakers.

The publication of the German Ifo index of business climate (0800 GMT) should set the tone of the session. "Germany is crucial for Europe and a strong figure (…) show that the lackluster environment in Europe does not affect business," Judge Joe Rundle, head of training at ETX Capital.

Cameron Peacock, market analyst at IG Markets, caution remains in order.

Union leaders at Opel-Vauxhall European subsidiary of General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroen will hold talks in April to forge an alliance against the two groups and defend employment, said Friday the European Metalworkers Federation (EMF).

Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug, Opel, and Jean-Francois Kondratiuk, PSA, are due April 18 in Brussels with other union representatives to a preparatory meeting before another meeting the end of April which will be attended by delegates from all European sites.

The meeting will be chaired by Ulrich Eckelmann, general secretary of the GEF. Its objective is the creation of a permanent entity that can speak on equal terms with the directions of the two groups.

"The current strategy of the two automakers is to play their respective sites against each other. By creating this alliance, they can increase their scope and include all production sites in this competition, "said Wolf Jäcklein, a member of the GEF ….

….. "We need to step beyond our individual companies and defend us all against this tactic is the key." .. Leaders

…… Opel will present next Wednesday on the supervisory board of the European subsidiary of General Motors a project involving the closure of two plants in Europe to reduce by about 30% production capacity, officials said several sources informed of the discussions within the company. 

PSA Peugeot Citroën, the new French ally GM meets Friday a European group committee three weeks after the announcement of the merger between the two groups, while unions' s question the social and industrial benefits of the project.