Explore the heart of Spain’s olive oil powerhouse
Andalusia, Spain. Spain is the world’s top producer of olive oil. It is estimated to be responsible for about 20 - 40 per cent of global production.
Trade
Latest reporting and analysis on trade.
Tankers continue Red Sea run despite Houthi rebel raiders
Oil and fuel tanker traffic in the Red Sea was stable in December, even though many container ships have rerouted due to attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi militants,…
What would Napoleon do? Brandy trade war breaks out between EU and mean-spirited China
China said it will investigate brandy products in containers containing less than 200 litres from the EU, without naming any companies
EC insists it has not screwed up wine-labelling rule change
The European Commission has left a bad taste in the mouths of vintners after publicly insisting it has not botched the implementation of new European Union wine-labelling…
Spot container shipping rates soar 173 per cent on Red Sea diversions
Short-term rates for container shipping between Asia, Europe and the US are climbing on reduced capacity caused by the ongoing threats to cargo vessels in the Red…
Polish farmers to resume blockade of Ukraine border crossing
Polish farmers will resume their blockade at the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine from Thursday as they say they have not received a signed assurance from the…
Red Sea terror attacks could undo fight against Eurozone inflation, experts say
Terror attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes could reverse recent efforts to curb inflation in the European Union, economic experts have said.
Germany should levy Ukraine ‘solidarity tax’ to fund war, says top economist
Germany should implement a Ukraine "solidarity tax" to fund Kyiv's war against Russia, a senior economist has said.
EU should tap €80 billion rescue fund to help Ukraine, Rehn says
The European Union should prepare to tap a little-used €80 billion rescue fund to support Ukraine’s war against Russia as the flow of money from both sides of…
China turns up Heat on trade with rare earths tech curbs
China will halt the export of a range of rare-earth technologies, potentially making it harder for the US and its allies to bolster Western supplies of strategic…
EU targets Russian diamonds with track and trace scheme
The European Council has adopted a 12th package of economic and individual restrictive measures against Russia, targeting its diamonds for the first time.
Houthi attacks start shutting down Red Sea merchant shipping
Shipping in the Red Sea is grinding to a halt with oil tankers idling and container vessels rerouting around Africa as violence linked to the Israel-Hamas war threatens…
Sweden to make aid conditional, ‘not a human right’
Sweden’s minority Government, supported by the Sweden Democrats (SD), is coupling their foreign aid programmes to the willingness of countries to readmit their…
Cameron the convert now ‘delighted’ at Brexit benefits
In what many may see as a dramatic U-turn, David Cameron, the former UK Prime Minister who bet his career on Brexit and lost, said he is now "delighted" at the benefits…
Finland seizes trains from joint venture with Russia
Finland's state-owned railway company VR said it had seized four trains that it co-owned through a joint venture with its Russian counterpart, Russian Railways (RZD),…
Russia food and agriculture exports boom
A near-record Russian harvest, augmented by grain from occupied areas of Ukraine, is making Moscow a dominant player in international food markets
Spain’s Calviño beats EC’s Vestager to take European Investment Bank crown
Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister and economy minister Nadia Calviño has beaten European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager for the top job at the European Investment…
Xi warns top EU chiefs not to regard China as a ‘rival’
The European Union has received what seems to be a warning from Chinese President Xi Jinping for the bloc not to view his country as a “rival”.
G7 leaders agree to ban imports of Russian diamonds from January next year
As part of efforts to limit Moscow's income from precious stones and to support Ukraine, the Group of Seven (G7) countries will ban imports of Russian diamonds from…
UK to rejoin EU’s Horizon science programme, irritating Brexiteers
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's post-Brexit UK is to rejoin the European Union's Horizon science programme, set to become an associate country to the scheme…
Macron slams latest EU-South America trade-deal talks
Trade negotiations between the European Union and the Latin American Southern Common Market, or Mercosur, seem to be going badly, with French President Emmanuel…
Slovak truckers to start Ukraine border crossing blockade, joining Polish protests
Slovak road hauliers were set to start blocking the country's border with Ukraine on Friday, pledging an almost total shutdown of the crossing for trucks until the…
Committee of the Regions calls for the future strengthening of EU Cohesion Policy
Local politicians of the European Union got a head start on discussing the bloc's Cohesion policy this week.
Economic losses pile up in Ukraine as Polish truckers protest
Weeks of road blockades by Polish truckers protesting at the border will reduce Ukraine's overall imports by about a fifth in November, and could cost Kyiv one percentage…
EU should embrace influx of ‘free’ Chinese electric cars, says economist
The European Union should celebrate the influx of "free" Chinese electric vehicles into the bloc, a senior German economist has claimed.
Slovak truckers threaten Ukraine border blockade from December 1
Slovak truckers are threatening to block the country's main border crossing with Ukraine from December 1 unless steps are taken to limit competition from Ukrainian…
EC claims Austria must have EU permission to pass laws protecting cash
Austria is required to gain the permission of the European Union before it passes any laws regulating the use of cash in the country, the European Commission has…
Wielkopolska’s rural renaissance: EU funding transforms villages
The Wielkopolska region has been transformed by regional funding from the European Union.
Central Europe’s truckers call on EU to end transport deal with Ukraine
Road haulage organisations from Central Europe have called on the European Union to end a transport agreement with Ukraine that they believe has led to unfair competition…
EU court rules Netherlands must change pension laws restricting early withdrawal
The Netherlands must amend its pensions law after a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.