As Trump arrives, Macron hints NATO spending target is too low
The French president warned Europe should prepare for a U.S. withdrawal from Europe.
Subsidy
Escalate to de-escalate: How the world will deal with Trumpโs trade offensive
The Americas, China and Europe have developed playbooks to react to the aggressive tariffs that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is threatening. Retaliation is inevitable.
Polandโs opposition PiS party faces financial squeeze
The party says the failure to pay its electoral subsidies could land the finance minister in jail.
Polandโs PiS appeals for help in state subsidy case
The National Election Commission rejected PiS’s financial report for 2023.
The post Polandโs PiS appeals for help in state subsidy case appeared first on Euractiv.
Greenlandโs leader wants independence from Denmark as Trump hovers over Arctic island
โIt is now time to take the next step for our country,โ Greenlandic Prime Minister Mรบte Egede says in hinting at 2025 referendum.
Olaf Scholzโs business pitch to Brussels sparks election mudslinging
German Chancellor appeals to the EU executive to slash regulation and support industry with subsidies โ only to be accused by his conservative opponents of stealing their policies.
Relax Elon โ the EU isnโt an immediate threat to Starlink
The IRISยฒ system will beam encrypted high-speed broadband internet back to governments, spies, militaries and remote regions.
Trump 2.0 will hurt planet, open door for Americaโs green rivals: EU climate chief
In an interview with POLITICO, Teresa Ribera said Donald Trumpโs expected climate withdrawal presents an opportunity for others to boost their clean industries.
EUโs new agriculture chief seeks more funds for small farmers
Christophe Hansen seeks changes to blocโs multibillion-euro farm subsidy scheme
Letโs work with farmers, not against them, says new EU agri chief
Christophe Hansen says his new vision for agriculture and food will be โdifferentโ and exclude โeat it or dieโ targets.
Romaniaโs presidential front-runner is all about farmers
Far-right independent Cฤlin Georgescu is trying to capture rural voters with fascist tropes.
Competition poses the toughest test for climate chief Ribera
Climate expert Teresa Ribera’s second job policing subsidies and deals is real head-scratcher with some big political risks.
EU shrugs off Trumpโs threats to scrap green handouts
Trump may cut Europe out of Americaโs subsidy splurge, but EU industries aren’t seeing many benefits yet anyway.
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.
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.
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.
Business groups pitch โprofoundโ change in EU trade and industrial policy to shore up competitiveness
โThe EU cannot win a subsidy race with the US and China,โ the groups says, as the EU currently โlacks the fiscal firepower to outspend its global competitors.โ
Czech cops level charges in megabucks toast EU fraud case
Local media reported that a baking business linked to controversial former PM Andrej Babiลก is involved.
Czech government under fire over solar subsidy cuts
The governmentโs decision has also raised concerns among Czech environmental NGOs.
Republican electric car attacks crash into Democratsโ closing message
In Michigan, New York, Montana and elsewhere, Republicans have seized on Biden administration electric vehicle policies.
Meet Elon Muskโs man in Washington
The SpaceX billionaire is forging new ties with a federal telecom official who could help funnel billions of dollars to his company if Trump is elected.
The Brief โ German industry crashes Habeckโs subsidy party
โHouston, we have a problem,โ Wolfgang Groรe Entrup, the head of Germany’s chemical industry association VCI, warnsย Habeck.
Boost EU research spending to โฌ220B or lose against US, China, experts warn
A new report cites areas where the EU is lagging behind its rivals, and recommends a spending boost.
UK should engage more with China, says minister
Britain has had a fraught relationship with Beijing in recent years.
Greta Thunberg detained at fossil fuel subsidy protest in Brussels
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among scores detained on Saturday after staging a sit-in protest demanding an end to EU subsidies for fossil fuels.
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.
Harris, Trump take an America First tone on dockworkersโ strike
Foreign shipping companies that dominate seaborne trade draw bipartisan criticism as U.S. ports grind to a halt.
Draghi report on Europeโs competitiveness falls short
While well-received in Brussels, the question of what exactly the common debt should finance, and how it would foster innovation, has been sidelined.
EU betting on India and Vietnam for chips
Looking to be less dependent on China and Taiwan, the West is keen to have alternative suppliers and are pushing at an open door with New Delhi and Hanoi.
China and EU seek to avoid trade war with talks on minimum EV prices
Negotiations on electric-vehicle duties run into overtime after failing to reach a resolution last week.
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.
Driving on empty: The German government has few options to help an ailing car industry
Economy Minister Robert Habeck will meet with carmakers โย but he has few weapons to stave off a car industry crisis.
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.
Bidenโs envoy to Hungary lashes Orbรกn over Trump, Russia, China ties
It’s time for other NATO allies to handle Budapest “unflinchingly” as it sides with Moscow and Beijing, US ambassador said.
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.
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.
Apple, Ireland lose โฌ13bn sweetheart tax deal case in victory for EU’s ‘tax lady’
EU judges definitively ruled in favour of the European Commission’s finding that low tax bills paid by the tech giant were an unlawful subsidy.
Margrethe Vestagerโs legacy faces day of reckoning in Apple and Google rulings
The EUโs top court rules on final appeals of Appleโs state aid payback and Googleโs first big antitrust fine.
Secretive Draghi is echoing Soviet Union restructuring
Like Gorbachev’s Perestroika, the report from the former ECB chief could herald a change of historic proportions. It’s far less innocuous than it sounds.
Germany’s postponed microchip plant projects cast doubt on the merits of subsidies
Announcements of semiconductor plant openings have stepped up in recent months in the country, encouraged by an unprecedented subsidy effort. But several of these projects have stalled, against a backdrop of crisis for manufacturers.
Barรงa fans fail in court bid for EU to probe Messi transfer
Top EU court says supporters can’t demand the European Commission investigate any unfair subsidy to French football clubs.
The plan to save European farming
Five things you need to know about a report on the future of farming presented to Commission chief von der Leyen.
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 holds off on EU brandy tariffs as subsidy spat drags on
Beijing moves to de-escalate trade tensions after the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
China begins anti-subsidy investigation into European dairy imports
Inquiry into eight EU countries is latest chapter in hostility between Beijing and EU over tradeChinese authorities have launched an anti-subsidy investigation into European dairy imports, in the latest sign of escalating trade tensions between Brussel…
China targets EU cheese and milk in anti-subsidy investigation
China has initiated an anti-subsidy probe into dairy products imported from the European Union, once again placing the blocโs agri-food sector at the forefront of trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels.
China hits back at electric vehicle tariffs with probe into EU dairy
Beijing claims Europe is creaming off fat profits from oversubsidized cheese.
China launches anti-subsidy probe into EU dairy products as trade spat escalates
The tit-for-tat anti-subsidy probe is seen as a response to the EU’s tariffs on imported electric vehicles.
Von der Leyen rings in chipmaker TSMCโs Dresden plant as EU greenlights German โฌ5bn subsidy plan
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended the official groundbreaking ceremony for Taiwanese firm TSMC’s Dresden plant on Tuesday (20 August) after the institution she heads announced a โฌ5 billion state aid scheme for the facility – a…
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.
Italyโs budget mess leaves earthquake-stricken towns in limbo
The subsidy program that Rome can’t afford is a crucial part of efforts to piece shattered lives and towns back together.
Meloniโs head-on collision with Italyโs only carmaker
The prime minister is pressing the heir of the once mighty Fiat to make more cars in Italy.
Macron meets Musk, worldโs top executives amid political turmoil and Olympics
French president will use the occasion to pursue his charm offensive among foreign investors.
Industrial policy emerges as key battleground for the EUโs economic MEPs
Committee chair Aurore Lalucq worries about competition from the US and China โ while others fear a subsidy free-for-all.
To do: 6 thorny issues lurking in MEPsโ inboxes
From creating an EU-wide money market to protecting kids online, POLITICO looks at what lies ahead for lawmakers.
How to stay sane and clean in the Brussels machine
Money, power, attention: Youโll need a strategy to stop Eurobubble high life from sullying your soul.
Germany awards โฌ200m green hydrogen subsidy to UAE-linked firm
The German hydrogen funding vehicle H2Global has contracted an UAE-linked firm for a quarter million tonnes of hydrogen for โฌ200 million, to be delivered from 2027.
Priests, patronage and power: Polandโs Tusk goes after his political enemies
The new Polish government is unleashing prosecutors and special commissions to hold its predecessors to account.
Germany embarks on โradical changeโ to finance renewables
A government compromise in Berlin envisions radical changes to the countryโs renewables subsidy approach, alongside creating the foundation for back-up power plants to underpin the coal exit.
Von der Leyen urged to shield EU hydrogen industry, with focus on electrolyser producers
The designated European Commission president is being heavily lobbied by the European hydrogen industry to ringfence the EUโs upcoming โฌ1.2 billion hydrogen subsidy auction to favour EU producers.
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.
EU rebuffs threat of Beijing probe, stands by foreign subsidies law
The European Commission has dismissed China’s announcement that it could launch an investigation into the EU executiveโs alleged misuse of anti-subsidy legislation, saying the framework fully respects business confidentiality rules.
China wants EU tariffs on EVs gone by July 4 as talks resume
(Adds background, quotes from analysts) By Joe Cash and Ryan Woo BEIJING, June 24 (Reuters) – Beijing wants the European Union to scrap its preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by July 4, China’s state-controlled Global Times reported, afte…
Hungary is flirting with China โ at what cost to the EU?
Budapestโs friendly ties with Beijing run contrary to Brusselsโ de-risking efforts.
China-EU consultations launched on electric-vehicle subsidy probe
Chinaโs Wang Wentao and EUโs Valdis Dombrovskis agreed to start the consultations in a video call on Saturday.
China-EU consultations launched on electric-vehicle subsidy probe
Chinaโs Wang Wentao and EUโs Valdis Dombrovskis agreed to start the consultations in a video call on Saturday.
Why Washington Is Waiting on โSuper Marioโ
The former Italian prime minister is preparing to issue a sweeping report on economic competitiveness that sets up Europe to take on China โ and America.
Prague court will seek to lift immunity of newly elected MEP
The Supreme Court in Prague is preparing to ask the European Parliament to lift the immunity of newly-elected MEP and ANO (Renew) party member Jana Nagyovรก, who is implicated in the subsidy fraud case along with ANO leader Andrej Babiลก.
Political pork: China probes, Spain scrambles
Madrid is already squealing as Beijing launches anti-dumping investigation of EU pork.
China opens tit-for-tat anti-dumping probe into European pork
(Recasts and adds trade figures in paragraph 8, further details and context throughout) By Joe Cash BEIJING, June 17 (Reuters) – China has opened an anti-dumping investigation into imported pork and its by-products from the European Union, a step that …
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.
EU rebuffs Chinese businessesโ allegation of misconduct during anti-subsidy probe
“This is a targeted, fact-based investigation, and we assessed all information provided by the interested parties in an objective manner,” the Commission’s trade spokesperson told Euractiv.
China says it โreserves the rightโ to file WTO suit over EU car tariffs
Beijing, June 13, 2024 (AFP) – China said Thursday it “reserves the right” to file a suit with the World Trade Organization over planned new EU tariffs on imports of its electric vehicles.”China reserves the right to file a suit to the WTO and take all…
EU threatens new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles
The European Union said this week it would slap additional tariffs of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric cars from next month after an anti-subsidy probe. Beijing said Thursday that it “reserves the right” to file a case with the World Trade Organiz…
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.
BREAKING NEWS: EU Commission announces preliminary tariffs up to 38% on Chinese EVs
The EU will put additional tariffs on electric cars produced in China, the European Commission announced on Wednesday (12 June), as preliminary result of a anti-subsidy investigation showed prices being distorted by Chinese state support.
EU to slap extra tariffs on Chinese electric cars in a bid to close competition gap
The European Commission’s anti-subsidy inquiry into Chinese electric vehicles has been described as one of the most consequential of its kind.
Chinese exports threaten Europe even more than the US
Biden is right to heed working class voters in Pennsylvania. The Continent, which has even more to lose from a second China shock, better start listening to its workers too.
Brussels gives conditional approval for โฌ1.7bn German coal exit subsidy
The German government announced on Tuesday (4 June) that it has received approval in principle from Brussels to allocate subsidies worth โฌ1.75 billion to coal major LEAG but with the payout of one-third of the sum contingent upon future power and CO2 p…
Ursula von der Leyenโs secret climate crusadeย
Has the European Commission president given up on her green agenda going into a possible second term โ or is she just biding her time?
EU executive may announce Chinese EV duty only after election
Highly sensitive announcement could now come ahead of next monthโs G7 summit.
Germany and France push for mega-deals in competition overhaul
Still smarting from the veto of the Alstom-Siemens deal, Paris and Berlin want Brussels to focus on forging champions.
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.
A beginnerโs guide to the EU election
373 million voters are eligible to choose 720 MEPs in the Brussels bubble. This is how the election works and why it matters.
โCrystal clearโ that Europe needs a Starlink-like secure satellite program, says space boss
“We have to have a secure connectivity program,” said the European Space Agency’s director general.
Germany accused of playing favourites with โฌ1.7 billion support for freight rail
The European Commission has given green light for a โฌ1.7 billion German subsidy scheme to support shorter freight trains in competition with road transport, which is expected to mainly benefit state-owned DB Cargo.
Chinese solar firms pull out of tender after EU anti-subsidy probe
Two bidders for Romanian photovoltaic park withdraw a month after Brussels launched investigation
Hungary cashes in on its friendship with China
China is Hungary’s No. 1 foreign investor, and Budapest is powering ahead in EV production.
Europeโs new anti-subsidy weapon is powerful but hard to control
The EU foreign subsidies regulation is looking to score some notable hits
Macron meets Xi: Two emperors on the edge of two warsย
Amid arguments over electric cars, cognac and Ukraine, the French presidentโs dinner with Xi Jinping may not be much fun.ย
EU says information from three Chinese EV makers insufficient
The European Commission has warned three Chinese electric vehicle makers that they have not supplied sufficient information for its anti-subsidy investigation, according to two people familiar with the case.
Xi Jinping to visit France, Hungary and Serbia amid EU trade tariff row
Chinaโs president arrives as EU anti-subsidy investigations and tensions over espionage, Ukraine and Taiwan continueChinaโs president, Xi Jinping, is to visit Europe next week for the first time in five years, in a tour that will take in the unlikely t…
EU pulls its gun on China
The EU is accelerating its crackdown on what it sees as Beijing’s unfair support for companies that undermine European rivals.
Parliament gives final nod to loosen green requirements for farmers
The European Parliament gave its final green light on Wednesday (24 April) to changes to some environmental conditions for receiving payments under the bloc’s subsidy scheme, which are expected to come into force by June, after member statesโ approval.
Rushed rollback of EU green farming rules triggers dismay
The bloc’s notoriously complex legislative process can apparently be simplified โ when it comes to farmers, that is, and when an election is around the corner.
Former head of Czech presidential office charged with EU subsidy fraud
The Czech prosecutor has charged the former head of the Czech presidential office, Vratislav Mynรกล, with subsidy fraud and damaging the financial interests of the European Union.
Industry bosses to EU: Help us level up in the global green tech race
As elections near, industry bosses argue the EU needs to create the right conditions to build a competitive green economy.