Unlike Meta, Google signs EU AI Code of Practice but warns it could ‘cripple EU tech ambitions’
US tech giant Google has agreed to sign the European Union’s new AI Code of Practice.
Category
Economy
Latest reporting and analysis on economy.
Mercedes-Benz profits plunge
German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz suffered a huge drop in profits in the first half of this year, down by 55.8 per cent.
Ryanair says dropping three French airports over ‘harmful’ tax
Irish airline Ryanair said on July 30 it was dropping three French airports over a "harmful" tax hike on air tickets and urged Paris to change course.
Investors dump wind-power projects in northern Sweden
Investors are trying to dump northern Swedish wind-power projects, citing an "absurd" market that was losing almost all value.
Who will pay for US tariffs?
Despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that “Europe will pay,” evidence suggests US businesses and consumers will be footing the bill for the newly agreed…
Italian police roll up massive illegal tobacco factory
In a significant blow to organised crime and illicit trade, Italy's financial police has uncovered one of Europe’s largest illegal cigarette production plants.
US tech firms could leave EU over DSA, Republican lawmakers warn
US tech giants will abandon the EU if the Digital Services Act (DSA) is not amended, three members of a visiting Republican congressional delegation told Brussels…
Export-oriented Belgium badly needs free‑market reform, reports warn
Even while Belgium's economy remains focussed on exports, its internal market suffers from excessive regulation, fragmented governance, and blurred public‑private…
As Bulgaria enters the euro, Greece’s pricey tragedy calls for caution
Welcome, Bulgaria, to the eurozone’s arena.
Tariff in EU-US deal ‘burdens’ German carmakers: industry group
The 15-per cent tariff that the United States will apply to exports of cars from the European Union as part of a new deal "burdens" Germany's carmakers, an industry…
US flattens EU: Brussels is too weak to be a pole in a multipolar world
The trade deal on July 27 between America and the European Union was disastrous for Europe. The Financial Times described it as “the EU to Trump’s steamroller.
Is an ‘uneven’ EC-US tariffs deal better than no deal?
After tense negotiations with the US, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emerged from a last-minute meeting in Scotland with a preliminary trade…
Hit by strong euro and tariff war, Germany’s Puma sees sales plummet
German sportswear group Puma slashed its 2025 outlook after an 8.3 per cent drop in second-quarter sales, which gave it a €135 million quarterly loss.
No progress in EU-China talks as tensions mount
EU-China talks stalled this week amid growing global tensions and an unwillingness to compromise on either sides.
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…
Volkswagen profits collapse amid US tariffs and electric-vehicle disappointment
Germany's auto giant Volkswagen has reported a 36.3 per cent drop in its net profits, citing US tariffs and ongoing struggles with its electric vehicle strategy.
German environmentalists obtain court injunction suspending construction of Polish container port
A regional administrative court in Warsaw has granted an initial injunction suspending the construction of a Polish deep-water container port near the German border…
Investors hope for EU-US deal after Japan secures concessions
Markets have rallied because investors said they believed the European Union may now get a Japan-style deal with the US — after Tokyo secured major concessions…
European Commission says Northvolt losses ‘in line with expectations’
European Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné has said that money lost on Swedish battery developer and manufacturer Northvolt fell within budgetary bounds.
Netherlands scraps ‘unrealistic’ 50GW offshore‑wind energy target
The outgoing Dutch Government said it would cut back its ambitions to build new wind farms in the North Sea.
German Government to cut ‘green’ air travel tax
Germany's Federal Government said it wanted to reduce the aviation tax, a controversial "green" carbon tax.
Poland strikes oil in the Baltic with biggest find in its history
A Canadian company exploring potential energy deposits off Poland’s Baltic coast has announced the largest oil discovery in Polish history together with billions…
Baltic States ‘pay €90K’ to host US influencer IShowSpeed in tourism PR blitz
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have each reportedly spent €30,000 to host US influencer and internet star Darren Jason Watkins Jr.
In holiday hotspot Greece, barely half the population can afford a week off
Greece has remained one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations but, for many Greeks, a full week of holiday has become financially out of reach.
EU issues new sanctions on Russia after Slovakia signs up
The European Union approved its 18th package of sanctions against Russia after months of diplomatic wrangling, with Slovakia having blocked the package due to concerns…
China’s export surge may be ‘frontloading’
China’s recent export surge may not reflect strength but urgent necessity.
Russian universities train students to outwit economic sanctions
The Kremlin-backed curriculum for Russian public universities and private institutions now trains students to outwit economic sanctions.
EC quietly reveals proposal on Tobacco Taxation Directive
Under the looming shadow of negotiations over the European Union’s next long-term budget, the European Commission has quietly released a proposal to overhaul the…
Irish Government to delay alcohol labelling until 2029
Ireland's controversial alcohol labelling, which was set to be introduced in 2026, is likely to be pushed back to 2029.
EU budget talks at stalemate before they’ve even begun
The European Commission's newly proposed budget is so "confusing" that it might get rejected.