Half of Austrian companies consider leaving as competitiveness nosedives
More than half of Austria’s bigger companies are said to be considering moving their business abroad, according to a new study
Economy
Latest reporting and analysis on economy.
Italy plans to restrict nascent ‘cannabis light’ industry
Italy's "cannabis light" industry risks being uprooted this year by Giorgia Meloni's coalition.
Doubling-down: EU insists ‘decarbonisation’ the key to making bloc competitive
The European Union has doubled down on its green agenda in the face of Donald Trump's US presidential election win, with the bloc's Council of the EU insisting that…
Italy PM Meloni urges EU to focus on itself after Trump’s victory
The EU must focus on setting its own house in order, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on November 8, citing tariffs, competitiveness and defence as the…
Leading German researchers fear $33 billion ‘Trump tariffs’
Germany needs to prepare itself for major problems after Donald Trump won the US presidency, a leading German economic research agency has warned.
Stock markets rally after historic Trump victory
International markets have reacted positively to Donald Trump's return as President of the United States, with numerous major indexes rallying on the morning of…
Germany’s Christian Democrats want to revive domestic nuclear sector
Christian Democrats in Germany have launched a bid to rescue what remains of the country's nuclear power sector after attempts by the Greens to eradicate the technology.
Tax fraud investigators search Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam
Investigators searched the offices of U.S.
Swedish Armed Forces oppose planned wind farms in Baltic Sea
Swedish Armed Forces chiefs have said they were concerned about plans for huge wind farms off the country's coast.
Economic liberal Lindner provokes coalition partners with free market talk
After four unhappy years shackled to a coalition of misery, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner has filed for divorce.
Russia fines Google €18 decillion for YouTube restrictions
Google has been fined an astronomical sum, exponentially greater than global GDP, for refusing to restore accounts of pro-Kremlin and state-run media outlets.
EC wants Europe to prepare for ‘greater security challenges and climate crises’
The European Commission has presented a report titled Safer Together Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness on dealing with "climate…
Czech Republic joining Italy to fight carmakers’ CO2 fines
The Czech Republic will join Italy in seeking to prevent carmakers from facing heavy penalties from next year, when tougher CO2 emission rules take effect in…
Europe’s small arms companies struggle for cash despite military spending boom
Europe's small and medium-sized defence companies are struggling to access finance needed to drive innovation and grow production lines even as demand soars due…
Antwerp diamond trade ‘faces collapse’
The centuries-old diamond trade in Antwerp is facing a severe crisis, with local traders having expressed fears that the industry could soon vanish altogether.
Lagarde: US dollar world-order here to stay as overregulation holds back EU
The US dollar world-order is not going anywhere anytime soon, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has claimed.
US tobacco giant Philip Morris to close German plants as Europeans smoke less
US multinational tobacco giant Philip Morris has said it planned to close two German factories due to falling demand across Europe.
Severe weather causes catastrophe and deaths in parts of Spain
Extreme weather conditions in Spain have cost at least 72 lives, including four children.
UK budget: Finance minister hikes taxes to highest in 30 years, boosts defence spending
Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves has announced the biggest tax increases in three decades in her first budget and pledged to boost UK defence spending.
EC rejects Poland’s plea to exclude defence spending from budget-deficit figures
The European Commission has rejected Poland’s request for defence spending to be excluded from calculations in relation to the country’s budget deficit.
Real world shows EU green policies may cause chaos
Over the past five years, the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has passed more environmental regulations than any commission in history.
EU deindustrialisation: Audi to shut Brussels factory in February 2025
German vehicle manufacturer Audi has said it would shut its factory outside Brussels by the end of February next year, media outlets in Belgium have reported.
UK budget D-Day: Finance minister Reeves looks set to light blue touchpaper
Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves is set announce what may be the biggest tax hikes in three decades in a bid to fix the country's sagging public services,…
French minister for foreign trade to challenge China over ‘political’ cognac duties
France will challenge China over its import duties on brandy, which Paris calls political and unjustified, when junior trade minister Sophie Primas visits Shanghai…
German car industry chief warns one-in-four jobs at risk in next decade
Volkswagen's recent shock announcement to cut tens of thousands of jobs, in concert with wage restrictions, was not an isolated event but part of a much bigger crisis,…
Volkswagen crisis: Tens of thousands of German jobs at risk with factory closures
German multinational car giant Volkswagen has announced dramatic austerity measures as the company struggles with declining sales and revenue.
Costs jump more than three times for Belgian ‘green’ offshore energy hub
Costs for an energy island in the North Sea, connecting offshore wind farms, have turned out to be more than three times as high as expected.
Oaktree-owned Banca Progetto placed under court administration in Milan
Italian bank under court administration for allegedly lending money to a person arrested under mafia charges
Sweden’s EV battery Northvolt lays off 840 workers as financial pressures bite
Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, which specialises in lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles, has announced it will lay off 840 people as it continues…
Poland’s defence spending forecast to hit 4.7 per cent of GDP this year
Poland's defence spending is projected to reach 4.7 per cent of GDP by the end of 2024, despite the government's acknowledgement of a revenue shortfall this year.