Spanish defence firms offer to build new fighter after FCAS collapse
The companies said prolonged uncertainty threatened not only their own expertise and resources but also the stability of their partners and supply chains.
Industrial policy
Latest reporting and analysis on industrial policy.
EU strikes deal to cut red tape for defence investment and procurement
National law could still allow exceptions to automatic approval where there was a serious risk to human health or national security.
German auto giants face deepening crisis as global rivals pull ahead
The German's challenge is combined by a broader slowdown across the global automotive sector.
Tusk government hurriedly signs scores of contracts funded from EU’s defence loan
The contracts followed the government signing an agreement for Poland to borrow €43.7 billion from the €150 billion SAFE programme.
Meloni says that gigantic EU bureaucracy is smothering industrial development
Italian Prime Minister called for greater competitiveness, simplification and the cutting of red tape.
Philip Morris International vows to transition to ‘smoke-free’ future
A visit to Philip Morris International’s (PMI) manufacturing and technology hub in Bologna offered Brussels Signal a firsthand look at the company’s ambitious…
EP backs tighter screening of Chinese and Russian investment in EU strategic sectors
The sectors covered include defence, financial services, semiconductors, telecommunications, transport and raw materials.
EU foreign affairs chief Kallas: ‘Huge defence funds but European industry not increasing output’
The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, has warned that Europe’s defence industry is not increasing production…
Korea University and Moderna have been working on mRNA hantavirus vaccine since 2023
Korea University's Vaccine Innovation Center and US biotech firm Moderna (formerly ModeRNA Therapeutics), made world-famous by its multibillion-dollar Covid-19 vaccine…
Biontech stops Covid vaccine production in Germany
German biotech company Biontech has announced it will cease the production of Covid-19 vaccines in Germany and close down most of its domestic production sites.
Belgium’s sovereign wealth funds invests in the arms sector
Belgium is making a strategic shift by investing public money into the defence industry, marking what officials describe as a “historic turning point”.
Climate protection should not harm economy, says Merz
‘Money pit’: EV write-offs of leading carmakers hit €60 billion in 2025
European and US automotive companies have had to write off almost €60 billion in investments in electric vehicle (EV) projects in 2025, according to a new study…
VW may convert car factory into Israeli Iron Dome production site
German automotive group Volkswagen (VW) is reportedly in talks with Israeli defence company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems over plans to convert a struggling German…
Losses for German automotive supplier ZF double to €2.1bn after electrification failure
German technology group ZF Friedrichshafen has reported a net loss after tax of €2.1 billion for fiscal 2025, almost doubling the €1.
McKinsey says VW should close down almost all plants in Germany
In a stark assessment of Volkswagen's (VW) ongoing struggles, international management consultancy McKinsey & Company has reportedly advised the German automotive…
Volkswagen Group to cut 50,000 jobs in Germany as profits tumble
Europe’s biggest carmaker, Volkswagen Group, has presented dismal 2025 annual results.
German industry orders plummet in January with oil prices adding to pain
Germany’s industrial sector has started weakly into the New Year.
Polish President proposes funding rearmament from central bank profits, not EU loan
Poland’s President and the head of the central bank have proposed a “sovereign, Polish” alternative to the government’s legislation to facilitate borrowing…
German industry group says country ‘permanently damaged’ as business venue
The German industry association for the metals and electronics sector, Gesamtmetall, or the Federation of German Employers' Associations in the Metal and Electrical…
Trump administration have a vision of Hamilton’s ‘American System’ economics
The Supreme Court decision striking down Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs at will has important implications…
Volkswagen mulls plant closures and drastic cuts to stop losing money
Volkswagen is facing its most severe restructuring since the 2015 "Dieselgate" scandal as CEO Oliver Blume proposes a €60 billion cost-slashing programme and refuses…
German town turns down €2.5 billion data centre project by US investor
Politicians in the German town of Great-Gerau near Frankfurt have refused plans by a US company to build one of Europe’s biggest data centres.
VW and Stellantis urge help to keep carmaking in Europe
Europe's largest carmakers Volkswagen and Stellantis have called for subsidies to keep carmaking in the EU as they struggle with challenges from US tariffs to Chinese…
Volkswagen CEO may pull plans for new US plant unless tariffs cut
The chief executive of German automotive behemoth Volkswagen Group says his companies will have to scrap plans for a new production plant in the US unless tariffs…
German steel output plunges to 2009-crisis lows
Germany’s steel sector has recorded its bleakest performance in more than 15 years, with crude steel production in 2025 falling to just 34.1 million tonnes.
Updated: Renault to start long-range military drone production at two plants
French automobile maker Renault is reportedly starting production of long-range drones for military use at two of its plants in France.
Large company bankruptcies skyrocket in Germany
The number of bankruptcy cases involving big companies in Germany sharply rose in 2025.
Under Trump, America is fulfilling its Roman destiny
At long last, in its 250th year, the American Republic has caught up with its explicitly Roman founding model.
Former head of ESM foresees drastic loss of prosperity for Germans
The former head of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Klaus Regling has warned Germans they will be facing unforeseen losses of wealth and prosperity.