German unemployment tops 3 million for first time since 2015
For the first time in 10 years more than 3 million Germans are without a job.
Industrial policy
Latest reporting and analysis on industrial policy.
Rise in German bankruptcies shatters hope for quick economic revival
The number of companies in Germany filing for bankruptcy has unexpectedly jumped to its highest value since at least 2018.
French fighter jet maker slams Belgium’s decision to buy American planes
Belgium’s decision to expand its fleet of US-made fighter jets has provoked strong reactions in France, amid ongoing EU–US trade tensions and concerns over Europe’s…
US battery producer Lyten to take over remnants of bankrupt European competitor Northvolt
Californian battery start-up Lyten has agreed to buy the remaining assets of Northvolt, a Swedish battery manufacturer.
Setback for German industry as new orders unexpectedly fall in June
Order intake for the German manufacturing sector has unexpectedly fallen, according to data published by the Federal Statistical Office.
EC gives €3M to workers after US tyre factories in Germany close
The European Commission will release more than €3 million to support 915 workers affected by US multinational Goodyear’s closure of one tyre plant and partial…
Intel cancels multi-billion euro chip factory in Germany
US technology giant Intel said will not move ahead with a controversial €30 billion chip factory in the German city of Magdeburg, as part of a new cost-cutting…
US pharma in Ireland drives eurozone output surge
Eurozone industrial production jumped 3.7 per cent year-on-year in May, according to July 16 Eurostat data.
German corporations promise ‘psychological’ economic boost: €300 billion investment by 2028
Several large German corporations have joined forces to boost investment in Germany’s ailing economy.
EU’s boost in GDP military spending ‘may not fuel economic growth’
Europe is spending more on defence than it has in decades, yet most of that money may simply leave the continent.
Almost three million Germans are unemployed as economic slump drags on
As Germany’s economic malaise persists, the number of unemployed people has climbed by 7 per cent in June compared to a year before.
ArcelorMittal cancels German ‘green’ steel projects and shifts focus to France
International steel giant ArcelorMittal said it would no longer pursue plans to “decarbonise” its German steel mills.
EU’s defence chemicals shortage ‘exposes further dependency on China’
Europe's shifting ties with Asia have aggravated its growing defence production crisis, as shortages of key chemical inputs including nitrocellulose threaten to…
Ireland’s economic data ‘distort eurozone outlook as growth cracks emerge’
Ireland’s industrial production fell by 13.7 per cent in April, reversing a sharp 14 per cent surge in March.
Belgium, Germany hit hardest by huge drop in chemicals industry activity in EU
Belgium and Germany have borne the brunt of a sharp downturn in Europe’s chemicals industry. The sector has been shrinking fast;
China widens industrial lead over Europe but figures not straightforward
China has pulled ahead of Europe in terms of factory output but the numbers, and what they mean, were not as straightforward as they may look.
German economy forecast to grow in 2026 after three years of dismal results
According to the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research and the Kiel Institute Summer Forecast report on June 12, German economic growth was set to accelerate…
UK multinational’s boss warns half of Antwerp industry set to vanish
Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of UK multinational chemicals and energy giant INEOS, has warned that half of the industry located in Antwerp, Europe's second-largest port,…
‘Stop flood of incoming steel,’ EU industry begs Brussels
The steel industry has issued a stark warning in Brussels, urging the European Union to take decisive action against surging imports of cheap metal.
OECD surprises with predicted return of Germany as Europe’s growth motor
In its new economic outlook, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an international NGO comprising 38 primarily Western countries, has…
German industrial giant Thyssenkrupp to be ‘virtually dissolved’
Germany's iconic industrial group Thyssenkrupp will be broken up and turned into a financial holding no longer producing steel.
German steel giant Thyssenkrupp sees profits tumble
German steel major Thyssenkrupp released disappointing quarterly results May 15 on the foot of weak European steel demand.
A 10% rise in electricity prices could kill 1 in 50 manufacturing jobs, say ECB economists
Economists from the European Central Bank (ECB) have calculated what they said was the detrimental effect of lasting high electricity prices on European employment.
European car-giant chiefs say EU’s ‘disastrous’ regulations crippling business
The European car market was said to be in great peril because of "green" overregulation from Brussels, killing the industry.
Critical Medicines Act: Europe’s big idea risks being ‘just another layer’
While the European Commission’s proposed Critical Medicines Act was welcomed for aiming to strengthen supply chains, member state officials and industry experts…
Volvo plans cost cuts of €1.6 billion and staff reductions
Swedish automaker Volvo Cars has announced a cost-cutting initiative worth 18 billion Swedish krona (€1.
European arms suppliers set to miss out on EU defence budget surge
Foreign weapons and defence technology makers seem poised to cash in on Europe's defence boom, side-lining the continent’s own industry despite soaring military…
‘French defence industry at increasing risk of malicious action,’ warns intelligence agency chief
A rise in both online and physical attacks has threatened France's defence industry, according to Général Philippe Susnjara, director of the French Government’s…
Situation ‘alarming’: Germany lost 120,000 jobs in manufacturing sector in 2024
In its latest job report on March 31, Germany's Federal Employment Agency (BA), announced that German industry lost around 120,000 jobs in the last 12 months.
German business demands CDU and SPD coalition talks focus more on economy
Representatives of more than 60 German business associations have signed a joint letter to the leadership of the German Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)…