France cautious as EU freezes tariff response
The 90‐day tariffs suspension by US President Donald Trump offers Brussels only a temporary, fragile reprieve – “not good news” but “less-worst news”…
Economy
Latest reporting and analysis on economy.
Estonian navy detains Russia-bound oil tanker in Baltic Sea
The Estonian navy detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker on an EU sanctions list on Friday, accusing it of sailing illegally without a valid country…
Gold shines as uncertainty reigns
As global financial markets remained in disarray following US President Donald Trump's tariffs announcements, gold has soared to new heights.
Trump suggests linking tariffs negotiations to US troops in Europe
US President Donald Trump has indicated he is open to connecting tariff negotiations with the presence of US troops in Europe.
Azerbaijan warns EU it could sell its gas elsewhere
Azerbaijan will not sell more gas to the European Union without concrete guarantees, the country's President Ilham Aliyev has said.
China, EU must oppose tariff ‘bullying’, Xi tells Spanish PM
President Xi Jinping told Spain's prime minister on April 11 that China and the European Union must join together in defending globalisation and opposing "unilateral…
Can Europe buy all its energy from the USA? Trump’s pitch meets reality
In the greater picture of his trade wars, Donald Trump pushed a bold idea: Europe should buy all its oil, gas and coal from the USA. It is a loud, daring proposal.
EU and Beijing to seek deal on minimum Chinese electric-car prices, drop tariffs
The European Union and China have agreed to look into setting minimum prices on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) instead of tariffs imposed by the EU last year,…
French court shuts down wind farm over death of golden eagle
A court in the French city of Montpellier has ordered the shutdown of a wind farm for one year following the death of a rare bird.
German defence industry applauds new coalition agreement, but most others are unimpressed
Representatives of Germany’s private sector are doubtful about whether the incoming government would be able to revive the country’s languishing economy.
Trump’s tariff pause focuses trade war on China, markets bounce
US President Donald Trump's stunning decision to pause most of the hefty duties he had just imposed on dozens of countries brought relief for battered global stock…
Would Trump defend Taiwan?
President Trump’s tariff bombshell is more than simply a historic economic decision with geopolitical consequences on the side, as second-order effects.
Russia indirectly hit by US-EU trade tensions as volatility spikes, expert says
The huge wave of US tariffs imposed on almost every country except Russia, and the trade negotiations that stemmed from it, have hit Moscow's energy interests and…
“Stupid and wrong”: Climate activists in Poland target Smolensk air disaster monument
Just one day before the 15th anniversary of a tragic air crash in which Poland’s then-president, his wife and numerous other state officials perished, activists…
Trump’s tariffs: Europe must realise quality not just price can win US customers
I always found the story behind the “Made in Germany” label interesting.
French minister: ‘Tariffs threatens jobs, companies should suspend US investment’
French Minister for Industry and Energy Marc Ferracci has warned that jobs in key industrial sectors were at risk due to the new tariffs imposed by the US President…
EU wary of becoming more dependent on US energy imports
Brussels poured cold water on US demands for increased energy imports on April 8, saying it was both unrealistic and undesirable for the 27-member bloc.
Devilish? EU-China relations after Trump’s tariffs surrender Europe to the despot Xi
Donald Trump has unleashed a trade tempest that has got the EU scrambling.
Ice-cold calm needed on tariffs and not journalists’ urge to report ‘war’
Perhaps the most sensible thing said in the hysterical particle-accelerator that was world opinion following President Trump’s announcements on tariffs came from…
Spain’s economy minister pushes Mercosur deal against backdrop of US tariffs
Spain's economy minister Carlos Cuerpo has said he believed the European Union would speed up the Mercosur trade negotiations with South America as the world struggled…
European critics say US tariff calculations ‘overly simplistic’
During his "Liberation Day" tariffs speech, US President Donald Trump presented a chart detailing those imposed on almost every country.
Ukraine aims to ‘align’ with US on minerals deal in talks this week
Ukraine will send a team to Washington this week to move forward with negotiations on a more expansive draft for a minerals deal offered by the United States,…
EU seeks unity in first strike back at Trump tariffs
European Union countries will seek to present a united front in the coming days against US President Donald Trump's tariffs, likely approving a first set of targeted…
France pushes for ‘economic patriotism’ in face of Trump tariffs
Eric Lombard, France's economy minister, has called on French companies to show "patriotism" in the face of the worldwide customs duties announced by US President…
‘Too much sun’ could cause black-outs, Belgian electricity grid operator warns
Belgium's grid operator Elia has warned that the country could face blackouts - due to an excess supply of solar energy.
Trans-Atlantic trade tensions show signs of destabilising NATO
NATO allies have scrambled to preserve unity as a growing US-European Union trade dispute threatened to overshadow efforts to boost military spending.
EU courts Central Asia in quest for critical raw materials
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said Brussels was eyeing a new Silk Road — this time lined with lithium and rare earths.
Majority of Germans ‘want return to nuclear power’
A majority of Germans have said they were in favour of a return to nuclear power, two years after the last of its 17 nuclear power plants was switched off.
‘Just 17% of EU hydrogen project pipeline expected to materialise by 2030,’ say UK analysts
Research from the UK-based Westwood Global Energy Group, a leader in energy market analysis, has shown that less than a fifth of the EU’s hydrogen pipeline would…
EU pauses corporate reporting, worldwide companies not yet under Brussels’ thumb
On April 3, the European Parliament ratified a decision to stop the clock on scheduled corporate reporting and compliance requirements – most notably the Corporate…