Hereโs whatโs new in the EU-Mercosur trade deal
POLITICO brings you the new elements of Europeโs trade deal with South America struck last week.
Dumping/Duties
Europe in the line of fire as Trump threatens trade war with China
Trumpโs punitive tariffs would put Brussels under pressure to cut a defensive deal to fend off a glut of Chinese exports.
Franco-German fight over South American trade deal threatens EU rupture
Ursula von der Leyen granted the wish of her native Germany by flying off to seal an accord with the Mercosur bloc. France, which fiercely opposes the deal, is in uproar.
Ireland wants a new government in time for Trump
As Irish election winners tussle for positions of power, Donald Trumpโs January 20 inauguration adds a sense of urgency in Dublin.
โA shot at the bowโ: Trump puts trading partners on notice
For now, the financial markets are taking the president-electโs tariff threats seriously, if not literally.
ย Trumpโs trade team lay the groundwork for massive new tariffs
Preemptive efforts to counter expected criticism of tariffs signal an even greater shake-up on trade during Trumpโs second term.
UK: We can be pals with both Trump and the EU
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he wants “good relations with all of our allies” โ and wonโt get into Trump tariff carve-outs.
Brusselsโ global infrastructure plan isnโt challenging Beijing โ itโs relying on it
EU-funded projects abroad are being built by Chinese companies.
China sues the EU over EV duties
Beijing hits back after Brussels imposed definitive duties of 8 to 35 percent on Chinese electric vehicle imports.
China complains to Prague about EU duties on EVs and asks for help
Beijing has made it clear that it does not accept Brussels’ decision against Chinese carmakers.
Britainโs heading for a showdown with Donald Trump on China
The Labour government insists itโs not going soft on Beijing โ but hawks are concerned.
EU opens probe into Chinese e-commerce platform Temu
The Commission will look into whether the Chinese e-commerce company has failed to crack down on illegal products and addictive designs.
EU-China staring match on EV duties will continue โ even after they take effect
China has been unwilling to acknowledge that it heavily subsidizes its industry.
French minister to confront China over โunacceptableโ retaliatory tariffs in Shanghai
France is callijng for a negotiated solution to put an end to the tit-for-tat trade escalation.
China wonโt like the sound of commissioner hearings. Hereโs why.
China will be everywhere in the EU’s policymaking machinery for the next five years. Expect more turbulence ahead.
Taiwanโs ex-President Tsai will visit Brussels next week
Her trip comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei, while the EU-China trade war flares up.
Germanyโs economy goes from bad to worse
Economy Minister Robert Habeck confirms that GDP is set to contract for the second year in a row.
China slaps provisional duties on EU brandy in retaliatory trade strike
Beijing’s move mainly targets French luxury cognac brands.
You could kill the EU, says France. No, you could, Germany replies.
Macron and Scholz clash again over how to counter protectionist America and Chinese power.
Mission Impossible: Germanyโs bid to kill EU duties on Chinese EVs
Germany has one last chance to overturn the tariffs at a vote by member countries. But getting the required blocking majority looks to be out of reach โ and would be without precedent.
EU country vote on Chinese EV duties delayed
Vote planned for Sept. 25 will now slip, diplomats say, ahead of crunch talks between Chinese and EU trade chiefs.
Chinese trade boss comes to Brussels on Donโt Tax My Car tour
Whistle-stop tour of European capitals by Wang Wentao could end in a tough gig when he meets EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis.
Volkswagen is the anti-Tesla and China is to blame
The German carmaker faces a triple threat from China, a lagging EV transition and labor worries.
We donโt want your EVs, Brazil tells EU as trade talks hit crunch time
Attempt to fend off influx of Chinese electric vehicles puts chances of EU-Mercosur trade accord at the November G20 summit in doubt.
EU rejects Chinese proposals to avoid duties on EVs
Offer of price floors or volume caps would not offset the injury caused by Chinese subsidies, European Commission says.
Vance would have asked for new electors instead of certifying 2020 election results
Trumpโs current running mate said Pence โcould have done more.โ
Donโt expect Britain to copy EU and American tariffs on Chinese cars
The UK is mulling an alternative strategy to its allies that could lead to a surge of imports of Chinese EVs.
China decides not to impose tariffs on EU brandy
Announcement will come as a relief to French cognac makers.
China hits back at electric vehicle tariffs with probe into EU dairy
Beijing claims Europe is creaming off fat profits from oversubsidized cheese.
Elon Muskโs Tesla gets lower EU duties on made-in-China EVs
The win for the U.S. mogul comes amid fraught relations with the EU.
How California Democrats learned to stop worrying and love Kamala Harris
The vice president has united her home stateโs political class behind her and, for now, silenced the doubters.
The MEPs who actually matter
Here are 11 EU lawmakers to keep your eye on in the new term.
Scholz joins shaky chorus of world leaders sticking with Biden
Heads of state have been peppered with questions at this weekโs NATO summit in Washington about Bidenโs age and mental acuity.
EU firms up duties on Chinese EVs, skirting Berlinโs pressure
By cementing the duties, Brussels is holding its ground against Chinese โย and German โย opposition.
Tesla received EU inspectors last week at its Chinese factories
Such an inspection could result in Tesla getting a lower duty than the average of 21 percent on Chinese EV-makers.
German ministers dash to China in bid to escape retaliation over EV duties
Transport Minister Volker Wissing calls duties a โdestructive approachโ on third visit by a government leader in recent weeks.
Draghi backs French-style trade, industrial policy
Higher trade barriers, more subsidies, and bigger European companies, are all part of the solution.
EU presents China with clear way to avert EV duties โ good luck with that
Beijing would have to overhaul its subsidy-driven export model to meet European Union demands.
Top Chinese official visits Brussels next week amid trade tension
EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles are expected to feature prominently in the talks.
China threatens to challenge European EV duties at WTO
European Commission on Wednesday unveiled plans to impose duties of up to 38.1 percent on electric vehicle imports from China.
EU shocks China with EV duties of up to 38 percent
Beijing has threatened to retaliate against European aviation, farmers and spirits makers if Brussels targets its electric vehicle makers with punitive tariffs.
Germany launches 11th-hour bid to avert trade war with China
Germany wants the EU to set tariffs on electric vehicles at a low level to avoid severe retaliation from Beijing.
EU executive may announce Chinese EV duty only after election
Highly sensitive announcement could now come ahead of next monthโs G7 summit.
Is the EU already in a trade war with China?
Even if they aren’t yet, things could soon get nastier as Brussels’ investigation into Chinese electric vehicles nears its conclusion.
French cognac makers: Donโt make us collateral damage in EU-China trade row
The French cognac industry says it’s being held hostage to an EU trade probe into Chinese electric vehicles.
How MEPs make millions on the side: Legal advice, speeches and Covid cures
Fresh filings by European lawmakers show many hold outside jobs.
Does the EU have what it takes to fight China on green tech?
If you arenโt sure what the difference is between an anti-subsidy probe and an investigation into foreign subsidies, we’ve got you covered.
Intensive pig farming hogs scarce water in drought-hit Catalonia
Europeโs top pork-producing region is ground zero for intensive systems that devour scarce water and cause nitrate pollution.
Revealed โ the next Brexit headache on the Irish border
The U.K. and EU are planning separate systems to tax carbon-heavy imports, prompting familiar fears about the impact in Northern Ireland.
Mexico cuts diplomatic ties with Ecuador after raid on embassy in Quito
Mexico’s president called the raid ‘a flagrant violation of international law.’
Confused Irish voters reject bid to rewrite constitutionโs view of women and family
Bid to dump 1930s-era language fails as public dismisses proposed amendments as too weak and open to messy court fights.
Infighting is tearing apart DCโs key bulwark against Putin
The Helsinki Commission is hobbled by claims its Republican director has made against his Democratic-appointed predecessor (and vice versa).
Is a womanโs place in the home? Ireland is poised to decide.
A vote to axe sexism from Ireland’s constitution is in the balance amid pushback from left and right.
Donโt trash European recycling
Step change in EU plastic recycling rates is possible โ but only if the European Commissionโs Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation prevents waste from third-party countries from counting against EU recycling targets.
10 ways a second Trump term could be more extreme than the first
From nationwide abortion bans to classroom culture wars, assaults on climate science and political weaponization of the military, his return to the White House could make Trump 1.0 seem tame.
UKโs Kemi Badenoch challenged over Canada trade claims
The government says discussions with Canada are continuing.
Can Trump pay? What if he doesnโt? Hereโs what to know about Trumpโs massive civil judgments.
Heโs now on the hook for nearly a half-billion dollars across three civil cases. These are the rules for when and how he must pay.
Poll: Overwhelming majority of Americans think Biden is too old for another term
The presidentโs allies continued to push back against that notion.
Brussels backs Ukraineโs duty-free access to EU until June 2025
Caps put forward on sugar, poultry and eggs as farmers protest against Ukrainian competition.
Probe opened into Latvian MEP accused of spying for Russia
Tatjana ลฝdanoka denies the allegations, saying she has never been associated with the Russian Security Service.
Belgiumโs Didier Reynders walks fine ethics line in top job campaign
Reynders’ boss, Ursula von der Leyen, set out rules telling commissioners to make a clear distinction between their activities on the campaign trail and day job.
Frustrated farmers slam EU โtechnocratsโ who โcall the shotsโ in Brussels protest
Dozens of farmers protest in front of the European Parliament as demonstrations grow across the continent.
Trump criticizes White House for Houthi strikes
Washington has been under intensifying pressure to respond to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Belgian PM faces high-wire act in China as EU, Taiwan fears intrude
Alexander De Croo will seek to balance national and EU interests during his trip to Beijing โ amid strained trade ties and tensions around Taiwan’s presidential election.
Biden wonโt accept defense secretaryโs resignation if offered
The president is not considering sacking Lloyd Austin, officials say.
China retaliates in EU trade row by launching liquor probe
Beijing hits back three months after European Commission started investigation into subsidies for EVs made in China.
The latest Tory worry: Chinaโs grip on solar power
Conservative MPs fear Britain is leaving itself overly-reliant on Beijing as it tries to shift to clean power.
Chinaโs EV overcapacity will get worse, von der Leyen warns
European Commission chief also sheds light on Taiwan shortly before EU-China summit in Beijing.
Biden seeks to calm relationship with Xi amid global crises
President Joe Biden will use a long-delayed meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to try and stabilize ties with Beijing.
EU-China summit penciled in for December 7-8
China to host first bilateral summit in four years as EU industry chief lobbies for greater market access.
Tesla is furious itโs not in EUโs Chinese subsidy probe. Hereโs why
US carmaker is China’s biggest exporter but itโs been excluded from the probe, meaning it could be hit by duties based on state aid doled out to its competitors.
Green MEP faces re-selection battle amid bullying claims
German Green MEP Manuela Ripa is ‘shocked’ by allegations in an anonymous letter to her party.
Trump co-defendant pleads guilty in Georgia election case
Part of the plea deal for Scott Hall, a bail bondsman who breached election equipment, requires him to testify against other co-defendants.
German carmakers โafraidโ of China retaliation, economy minister warns
Robert Habeck admits Franco-German divide on EU anti-subsidy probe against Chinese electric vehicles.
How China schooled the West on climate change
Brussels is launching a trade probe into Beijing’s EV subsidies. But China still leads the race to go green.
What you need to know about the EU investigation into Chinese e-cars
Brussels would have to decide whether to impose provisional tariffs within 9 months of kicking off the investigation.
EU risks trade war with China over electric vehicles
The probe puts the EU on course for a battery battle with Beijing.
Von der Leyen hits China with electric vehicle subsidy probe
‘Europe is open for competition. Not for a race to the bottom,’ says European Commission chief in annual address.
Vienna seeks to calm Selmayr โblood moneyโ furor
EU envoy faces European Commission rebuke for confronting Austria with difficult truths.
Trumpโs return strikes fear into the heart of Brussels
The Republican frontrunner is threatening to impose across-the-board import tariffs if heโs re-elected. EU negotiators are already freaking out.ย
China should come clean on vanishing minister, top EU official says
Brussels’ outgoing Asia chief tells POLITICO that Beijing needs to open up on the disappearance of Qin Gang.
โฌ1.8B worth of fraud in EU in 2022, watchdog says
Anti-fraud agency says there was a 7 percent increase from 2021.
Putinโs war is slowly destroying Europeโs breadbasket
Ukraine has kept producing and exporting grain despite the Russian invasion. How much longer can that go on?
31-year-old Boris Johnson aide gets plum place in the House of Lords
Johnson’s spokesperson is now Baron Kempsell of Letchworth.
UK cuts Kingโs funding โ because heโs coining it from offshore wind
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the cut reflected ‘the unexpected significant increase in the Crown Estateโs net profits from offshore wind developments.’
Police raid MEPโs house as Qatargate corruption probe widens
Maria Arena was not questioned before but she’s now the focus of police searches in the sprawling investigation.
Top EU court whacks Poland on judiciaryโs lack of independence, again
Latest ruling adds fuel to the rule-of-law fire between Warsaw and Brussels.