German defence industry says it will need government help to reduce dependence on China
German arms producers will need help from the government if they are to reduce their dependency on Chinese materials and still be able to compete with U.S.
Industrial policy
Latest reporting and analysis on industrial policy.
Growing concern at EC ‘power grab’ on defence procurement
Pushback is growing among European Union Member States against funding common defence procurement through fresh joint-debt, with Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands…
France to allow farmers more pesticide to protect sugar output
French sugar beet farmers will be allowed to use more pesticide this year due to a high risk of attacks from an insect carrying a disease that ravaged crops in 2020,…
The rise of the command economy: French defence minister ‘may force firms to make weapons for Ukraine’
French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said he was prepared to use his powers to requisition industrial capacities or impose priorities to weapon makers to speed…
Germany’s The Left calls for four-day working week
Germany’s Die Linke - The Left - outlined an “ambitious” plan for German workers; the introduction of a four-day week on full pay being one.
Full-fledged American isolationism would be devastating – for its own interests, first and foremost
In his farewell address George Washington urged his compatriots and their descendants to restrict America’s involvement in the world and avoid entangling alliances.
No more pacifism for an EU that gears up for war
The European Commission presented its first industrial defence strategy on March 5, along with a €1.
Germany and Italy scupper EU law on company liability for supply-chain human-rights abuse
Germany and Italy torpedoed a European Union law at the last minute that would have made companies liable for human-rights abuses in their supply chains - such as…
EU looks to take pressure off Member States over debt
European Union Member States and MEPs have struck a preliminary deal to ease the bloc's stringent fiscal rules, giving governments more time to reduce debt and incentives…
Usti nad Labem holds up Czechia’s first high-speed railway
Usti nad Labem, Czechia
Germany grinds to a halt as transport workers apply the brakes
Bus and tram stations across Germany have been at a standstill, disrupting millions of commuters and travellers as 90,000 public transport workers were called out…
French farmers to lift blockades after Government caves in to demands
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a string of concessions regarding French farmers in response to their mass protests.
German companies begin four-day working week experiment
Some 45 German companies have made a radical change; their employees will be able to work one day a week less for the same salary.
EC leaves Amazon/iRobot merger no room to manoeuvre
An organisation representing Europe's technology industry has expressed anger after the European Commission pulled the plug on a proposed merger between US firms…
Death metal in a mining town, Arctic Nest’s Arctic dreams, and industrial uproar: stories from Kainuu
Kainuu, Finland. With just under 40 thousand people, the town of Kajaani is the biggest town in the sub-arctic region of Kainuu.
German house-building industry faces ‘bleak’ 2024
This year looks set to be “exceptionally weak” for residential construction in Germany, according to the Institute for Economic Research (ifo).
German Industry chief says AfD ‘is harmful to the future of our country’
The president of the Federation of German Industries says AfD is bad for business.
Tired of rising energy costs, Michelin and Goodyear to pull out of Germany
The "rapid" deterioration of the market outlook in Germany has led to Goodyear shutting two plants, one in Brandenburg and one in Hesse.
Western sanctions put Russia at risk of ‘economic collapse’, Kremlin admits
Russia faced the possibility of economic "collapse" as a result of sanctions imposed on it by the West, the Kremlin has said.
Two in three German companies relocate abroad amid energy chaos
Two out of three German companies have at least partly relocated their operations abroad because of Germany's ongoing energy chaos, says consultancy firm Deloitte.
Munster welcomes EU Cohesion support for enterprise
Local politicians from Munster and other southern localities of Ireland have welcomed a new EU supported program to boost enterprise in their regions.
Berlin’s state-owned companies have investment surge
Berlin's state-owned enterprises witnessed a remarkable resurgence in investment, reaching levels not seen since the post-reunification era.
Regional automobile alliance seeks EU support for industry transition
The second annual meeting of the Automotive Regions Alliance (ARA) held in Pamplona highlighted the urgent need for additional European Union (EU) funding to sustain…
EU to extend ‘Champagne-style’ protections to European crafts
The European Union is to extend 'Champagne-style' protections to unique crafts and industrial products.
EU Regions form alliance to boost semiconductor production
The European Committee of the Regions, in collaboration with the Free State of Saxony, has introduced the European Semiconductor Regions Alliance (ESRA), a political…
One-third of German businesses relocating over ‘green’ agenda
Almost a third of businesses operating in Germany are moving operations out of the country in response to its “green” agenda, research has found.
Belgium: while French-speaking jobless refuse work in Flanders, employers look for manpower abroad
New figures show how wide the gap between Dutch-speaking Flanders and Francophone Wallonia is in Belgium.
Breton brags about new German chip factory as businesses leave EU in droves
European Union internal market tsar Thierry Breton has lauded the announcement of a new €15 billion microchip factory in Dresden, Germany, as dozens of other companies…
Germany records 6 per cent drop in meat production
Germany has seen a 6 per cent drop in nationwide meat production so far this year, the country's Destatis central statistics office has revealed.
European industry is disappearing. So be it? Not so fast. Brussels Commissioner dismisses view of former top economist
Brussels Commissioner Margaritis Schinas has distanced himself from Pierre Régibeau, the European Commission’s former chief economist.