Another snub? China’s President Xi declines invitation to Brussels
An invitation to attend a conference in Brussels to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ties between the European Union and China has been turned down by Chinese…
Trade
Latest reporting and analysis on trade.
‘EC tobacco policies will only boost illicit trade,’ expert warns
Government policies on tobacco and nicotine products promoted by the European Commission are inadvertently fuelling the illicit trade, an expert has warned
German court puts ex-Siemens executives on trial for alleged Russian sanctions-busting
A German court has decided to launch a criminal trial against two former executives of German engineering giant Siemens who are accused of violating sanctions by…
German car maker BMW reports sharp drop in profits for second year in a row
German car maker BMW has posted disappointing results for 2024 on weakening sales in China and at home.
Party’s over? Trump threatens to slap 200% tax on European wines and champagne
In response to the European Union's counter tariffs against those imposed by US President Donald Trump, Washington has threatened new taxes on European alcohol.
MEP says EU must be pragmatic while China has edge over EU billions
György Hölvényi, MEP for Hungary and member of the Patriots for Europe Group, standing rapporteur for education in the Committee on Development, reports exclusively…
EU spirits sector rattled by tariff war with US
SpiritsEUROPE, the representative body for the European spirits' industry, has said it was "extremely concerned" by retaliatory tariffs against the US.
EU to impose counter tariffs on €26 billion of US goods
The European Union will impose counter-tariffs on €26 billion worth of US goods from next month, the European Commission said on March 12, ramping up…
Huge fire off English coast after oil tanker and cargo ship collide
An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the northeastern coast of England on Monday, March 10, causing a huge fire, with authorities mounting…
‘Boycott USA’ : Consumer revolt spreads across Europe
French and Danish consumers have been turning their backs on US products, launching a growing boycott movement in protest against Washington's foreign and economic…
‘Increased defence spending couldn’t come at worse time,’ says ING think-tank
ING Economics, the think-tank of international lender ING Bank, has warned that the planned €800 billion spending spree on defence announced by the European Commission…
Passenger misery ahead: Almost all German airports to be hit by strikes
Almost all of Germany's airports will be hit by a 24-hour strike after trade union Verdi called for employees in the public sector and ground handling to walk…
German post to cut 8,000 jobs as part of cost-saving strategy
DHL unveiled plans on March 6 to cut about 8,000 jobs in Germany this year as part of a strategy to save more than €1 billion by 2027, after the logistics group…
Likely German coalition government agrees almost €1tn debt-fuelled spending spree
Parties negotiating the formation of a new German government have agreed to authorise €500 billion in new debt for infrastructure projects.
Trade wars erupt as Trump hits Canada, Mexico, China with steep tariffs
U.S.
European defence stocks soar as leaders call for major military rebuild
European leaders have been scrambling to rebuild their long-neglected militaries, spurred by the US hard-line geopolitical stance in the Eastern Pacific.
Austria’s economic crisis: GDP slump worse than expectations
Austria’s economy shrank by 1.1 per cent in real terms in 2024, it was was announced on March 3 by the country’s federal statistical bureau Statistik Austria.
EC ‘will react firmly’ to Trump’s 25% EU tariffs decision
The European Commission says it will react "firmly and immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade" after US President Donald Trump said his…
EU agrees new Russia sanctions targeting metals and ‘shadow fleet’
European Union envoys have agreed on the 16th round of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on primary aluminium imports and the listing of 73 "shadow-fleet"…
EU antitrust chief says Trump has upended Europe-US relations
The EU's competition chief says US President Donald Trump has upended the "trustful relationship" between the United States and Europe, and that Brussels should…
Trump targets EU and others in tariffs threat
US President Donald Trump has tasked his economics team with devising a plan to impose recipricol tariffs on every country that imposed duties on US imports in a…
French cosmetics industry worries it could be targeted in any US-EU trade war
The French cosmetics industry has braced for three potential outcomes as a trade war between the US and the EU looms.
Trump raises tariffs on aluminium, steel imports in latest trade war salvo
U.S.
China’s Temu, Shein targeted as EU cracks down on ‘unsafe’ e-commerce imports
The European Commission has cracked down on Chinese digital marketplace players Temu and fast-fashion retailer Shein amid a flood of cheap e-commerce imports into…
US reasserting their role as the primary superpower with breathtaking speed
As I have written elsewhere, I have always been suspicious of the idea of an emerging multipolar world order.
Tusk tries to seduce Trump with US weapons purchase proposal
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged the European Union to stay “united” and respond in a “clear and firm” way to US President Donald Trump’s warning…
Ready for an ‘abomination?’ In American history, tariffs have consequences
American tariffs? Let me tell you about those. Move President Trump’s tariffs to one side for now, we will get back to those in a moment.
Trump plays hardball on tariffs, EU plays pretend
There are few things as predictable in global politics as Brussels being caught off guard.
EU proposes bans on aluminium, video game consoles in new Russia sanctions
The European Commission proposed banning imports of Russian primary aluminium imports and restricting sales of video game consoles to Russia in a 16th package…
Europe’s biggest motorbike manufacturer may move production to Asia
KTM, Europe’s biggest manufacturer of motorcycles by sales, is mulling moving a large part of its production capacity to either India or China, according to company…