In diamond centre Antwerp, Russian gems are already shunned
Only a few weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Antwerp-based diamond dealer Thierry Tugendhaft started receiving calls from big jewellers in Paris…
Trade
Latest reporting and analysis on trade.
EC chief pushes for Western Balkans reforms over EU enlargement
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen made a four-day visit starting October 30 to North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia…
Australia-EU trade talks hit brick wall
Despite earlier optimism, Australia's trade talks with the European Union have crumbled over agriculture, with both parties putting the blame on the other side on…
Grapes of wrath: French winegrowers destroy Spanish rivals’ imports
Angry winegrowers in France blocked lorries coming from Spain and destroyed the wine they were carrying, claiming the cheaper imports are destroying the local market.
EC has ‘no comment’ on alleged Romanian EU competition-law violation
The European Commission has nothing to say about reports of anti-competitive behaviour by Romanian authorities.
Football clubs seek to test European Commission powers to regulate game-changing subsidies
Spain's top men’s professional football division La Liga has taken a complaint about France's Paris Saint-Germain team to EC referees, arguing the French club's…
Borrell aims to rebuild trust that has ‘eroded’ between EU and China
The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on October 13 that China needs to restore confidence with Western investors.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a great moment of liberation – but does it also divide Germany’s former good times from the current bad times?
The Berlin Wall was one of the starkest and most tangible emblems of the Cold War divide between East and West.
Polish currency at risk from proposed EU treaty changes, says central bank chief
Proposed Treaty change “would mean the liquidation of the zloty, the end of our national currency, the end of our independence and the end of our own monetary…
EU Formally Opens Anti-Subsidies Probe Into EVs Made in China
The European Union has formally launched an anti-subsidies probe into electric vehicles manufactured in China, setting in motion a one-year investigation that could…
European spirits sector wants EU to support growth outside continent
On September 26, the European spirits sector held its trade review for 2023.
Swiss to sell back Leopard II tanks to help Germany restock after Ukraine donations
Germany has welcomed a decision by neutral Switzerland to open the way to sell back some of its German-made Leopard II tanks to help rebuild stocks depleted by aid…
German labour market shows signs of cracking as economy struggles
German companies are thinking twice about hiring staff amid an increasingly uncertain economic environment, according to a study by the Ifo Institute.
Perhaps now isn’t the time to be waving the trade war sabre: China, EV subsidies and property market travails
The visit of Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU’s Trade Commissioner, to China and Beijing this week couldn’t come at a worse time for his hosts.
EU warns China it will be ‘more assertive’ on fair trade
The European Union’s chief trade negotiator warned China on Monday during his trip to the nation that the bloc will be more forceful in upholding fair competition…
EU-backed trade tariffs will cost car manufacturers ‘billions’
A European Union-backed trade agreement with the UK will cost the continent's car manufacturers billions, an industry group has claimed.
EU Commission preparing to recommend Ukraine membership talks
The European Union’s executive arm is preparing to recommend starting membership talks with Ukraine in earnest, offering a boost to Kyiv as it seeks to ensure…
Belgium pushing for ban on Russian diamonds
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is trying to convince the diamond industry to take the last step in removing Russian diamonds from the international market.
Zelenskyy says unilateral grain embargo ‘supports Russia’ while at UN meeting
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19, criticised the grain embargo imposed on his country by…
The EU is wide open to Chinese infiltration – and Net Zero has made it worse
In London, the last few weeks have provided a glimpse into the way in which the liberal West has been infiltrated, and to an extent is being subverted by, the Chinese…
Agriculture Commissioner Wojciechowski slams EC decision on Ukrainian grain
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski has publicly disowned the decision taken by the EC to end the embargo on Ukrainian grain for five neighbouring…
Fury in Beijing as EU announces Chinese electric-car probe
A forthcoming EU probe into Chinese electric cars entering Europe has angered Beijing, with officials and state-run media outlets lambasting the Commission for attacking…
Polish minister says unilateral extension of Ukraine grain ban ready to be enacted
Polish economic development minister Waldemar Buda said a decree for Poland to unilaterally extend the grain embargo on Ukraine beyond the European Commission’s…
Ukrainian politicians told to boycott Polish events over grain ban
Parliamentary deputy Mykola Kniazhytskyi told Brussels Signal that Ukrainian politicians will be absent from gatherings including the Karpacz Economic Forum in Poland…
Ukraine threatens to sue EU over grain-deal impasse
Ukraine has threatened to sue the European Union over a current impasse regarding the country's grain exports.
Dutch plans to ‘shrink’ Schiphol airport spurs anger and US sanctions threat
The outgoing Dutch government wants to "shrink" Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Demolition threat for UK billionaire’s luxury hotel that hosted key Brexit agreement
A five-star hotel in Surrey, England, that provided the backdrop to the signing of a key Brexit deal, faces demolition after its billionaire owner was found to have…
UK confirms three-month delay to post-brexit border checks
The UK government confirmed a three-month delay to post-Brexit border checks on European food imports that were due to begin in January 2024.
US Senator accuses American trade commission of helping EU with censorship law
A US Senator has accused the country's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of working with the European Union to help it impose its online censorship laws.
EC says any talk of extending Ukrainian grain ban ‘is premature’
The European Commission said Eastern European countries should not be discussing the extension of the current ban on Ukrainian grain.