11/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is planning to authorise a new joint venture, Viking Cable AS, to build and run a new deep-sea high tension cable for transporting electricity between Norway and Germany. On 11 July 2000, the Commission received notification of three agreements drawn up between PreussenElektra (now E.ON Energie), Statkraft, Statnett and Viking Cable AS concerning placing the new cable. No direct link (not passing through a third country) yet exists between Norway and Germany. The Commission found that a priori these agreements do not distort competition and is therefore planning to authorise them, but before taking the formal decision, it is inviting interested parties to send in their comments. See Official Journal C 247, pp 11-12 for details.