European Parliament targets Big Tech with new cross-border tax
A new European Union legislation could give the bloc the ability to tax Big Tech companies including those with no physical presence inside its borders.
Economy
Latest reporting and analysis on economy.
X fined 5 million euros in Spain over cryptocurrency ads
Spain's securities regulator said today it has fined social media platform X five million euros for failing to comply with rules governing the advertising of financial…
Irish media regulator targets X on suspicion of EU rule violations
Ireland's media regulator said it was investigating Elon Musk's social network X on suspicion of violating European Union rules by failing to let users appeal its…
Italy, France and Belgium carry most worrying debts in EU, top bank says
Italy, France and Belgium have the most concerning debt-sustainability outlooks in the EU, according to the latest study published by the National Bank of Belgium.
Farmers not convinced EC simplification rules will simplify
Farmers in the European Union are not convinced by simplification of the rules promised to their sector by the European Parliament, Council of the EU and MEPs.
Austria appeals to EU’s top court to drop ‘sustainable’ label for nuclear energy
Austria will ask the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the EU’s highest court, for help in its fight against the official classification of nuclear…
Ukraine anti-graft agency raids energy sector as standoff escalates
Ukraine's anti-corruption agency said today it was conducting large-scale raids targeting the country's energy sector -- an operation that comes after months of…
Ryanair CEO calls Austrian Chancellor ‘lazy’ in aviation tax row
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, has lashed out at the Austrian government.
MEPS and industry divided on ‘centralised’ tax on multinationals
Members of the European Parliament and representatives of industry are still divided on a European Union law proposal aimed at making major international companies…
EC sends experts to reassure Belgium over use of frozen Russian assets
Belgium, home to Euroclear — an international central securities depository that holds most of the frozen Russian assets — is demanding firm guarantees before…
German exports to US rebound after tariff-driven declines
German exports to the United States rebounded in September after months of decline following the introduction of US tariffs, helping drive a bigger-than-expected…
Hungarian PM Orbán in Washington for high-stakes meeting with Trump
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has landed in the US for his latest meeting with President Donald Trump.
EU ‘can’t become a Chinese assembly line’
The European Union must close its doors to countries, especially China, that take advantage of the bloc's lack of domestic industrial protection, says a senior EU…
No effect as yet from Russian LNG transhipment ban
European Union ban on re-exporting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) via ships operating outside the bloc has so far failed to reduce overall imports of the fuel.
Berlin to plant €3bn-worth of trees using national infrastructure funds
The city government of Berlin has announced plans to plant more than 500,000 new trees throughout the German capital by 2040.
‘Follow our laws, not European elites’: US attorneys urge Big Tech to defy EU sustainability rules
A coalition of 16 US State Attorneys General has warned some of the country’s biggest companies, including Microsoft, Google and Meta, not to comply with the European…
Too big to fail? Saving Ukraine would cost Europe almost $400 billion
In the history of ideas around war and strategic confrontation, there are strokes of genius, grave mistakes, and everything in between.
Human welfare or lower emissions? Pick one
The recent deviation of Bill Gates from strict green orthodoxy must have come as a shock to Europe's eco-elites.
NGOs want aviation, shipping and industrial fishing companies to lose multi-million euro tax breaks
Environmental organisations are urging European governments not to sign off on a law that, they say, would let some of the most polluting industries keep their tax…
Canada with Belgium follows US investing in new nuclear reactors in EU
Canada is following the US in promoting a new generation of nuclear reactors in Europe.
Ukraine detains ex-powergrid chief on fraud suspicion
A former Ukrainian state energy operator chief suspected of embezzlement was ordered to be kept in detention by a Kyiv court today, stoking fears of political interference…
US pharma tariffs push EU chemical firms towards defence investment
Following the US decision to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals, more European Union chemical and industrial firms are turning their focus towards the defence sector.
‘Uncompetitive EU green rules’ push bloc’s industry to outsource more
Stricter environmental regulations in the European Union are making it harder for domestic companies to stay competitive.
Belgium ‘will not suffer blackouts like Spain’
“There’s no need to worry about our country’s energy security,” said Belgium’s energy minister Mathieu Bihet.
Green Policy suckers slowly turning into sceptics
Here we go again. The annual COP climate jamboree kicks off next week. And each year, the climate moguls decide to meet somewhere ever more jarring.
France, Italy have higher debt than Ukraine, IMF says
European Union economic powerhouses France and Italy carry higher debt-to-GDP ratios than Ukraine, according to new International Monetary Fund (IMF) data.
Half of EU consumers fooled by ‘sustainable’ financial labels
More than half of everyday investors in the European Union are being misled by financial products labelled as “sustainable”, new data show.
Two in five German industrial companies plan job cuts in 2026
Sentiment in Germany’s industrial sector is at rock bottom with more than 40 per cent of companies planning to reduce their workforce in the coming year.
Farmers and MEPs lobby against latest agriculture reforms
Farmers and MEPs say the European Commission’s plan to return parts of European Union farming policy to national control is “a misstep”.
EU to police open source software
The European Commission wants to make software "safer" for users via rules that would also apply to open source software.