Belgium’s port of Antwerp has been blocked following an oil spill, resulting in “significant disruption” to operations. The spill occurred during what’s known as a bunkering operation, when fuel is supplied to ships. No large vessels can enter or leave the port due to the spill, according to the port authority. Antwerp is among Europe’s […]
Continue ReadingFrance plans to direct a large share of its push to boost defence spending toward drones and munitions as it races to adapt to heightened threats and the risk of the US withdrawing military capabilities from Europe. A revised multi-year spending bill presented to cabinet on Wednesday aims to deliver President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge of […]
Continue ReadingThe French government will offer loans of as much as €50,000 ($57,600) to small businesses that are the most exposed to rising fuel costs in transportation, fishing and agriculture. The loans will run for 36 months and are limited to companies in those sectors that spend at least 5% of their revenue on fuel. They […]
Continue ReadingChina welcomed the first visit by European lawmakers in eight years, as Beijing seeks to stabilise relations following the lifting of retaliatory sanctions last year. A European parliamentary delegation began their trip on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing. The visit ends a long hiatus marked by the pandemic […]
Continue ReadingEurope is about to start the gas stockpiling season with key storage tanks depleted, meaning it will need to compete even more with Asian buyers to secure supplies, just as the Middle East conflict disrupts energy flows. Dutch facilities are now just about 6% full, the lowest for this time of year in data going […]
Continue ReadingGermany’s business outlook soured as higher energy prices due to the Iran war threaten to derail its nascent economic revival. An expectations index by the Ifo institute dropped to 86 from a revised 90.2 – the lowest in more than a year. That was in line with the expectations of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. […]
Continue ReadingDanes are casting their ballots on Tuesday in a general election that’s shaping up to be a vote for stability after US President Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s ruling party leads opinion polls, buoyed by her handling of a diplomatic crisis in January when Trump revived claims over the Arctic territory. […]
Continue ReadingThe European Union has unveiled a red-tape-cutting plan dubbed “EU Inc.” to boost the emergence of companies that could compete on the world stage with US and Chinese rivals. The linchpin of the European Commission’s proposal is a set of measures to allow firms to incorporate once under a single EU-wide regime and operate seamlessly […]
Continue ReadingSwitzerland’s government urged voters to reject a proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million people, warning that the measure risks harming prosperity, security and ties with the European Union. The plan would make it harder for companies, hospitals and public services to recruit workers from the surrounding bloc and risk billions of francs […]
Continue ReadingTeresa Ribera raised the alarm over how companies can “entrench corporate power” in AI markets, as her regulators pursue alleged risks posed by giants including Nvidia and Meta Platforms. “We are looking at the entire AI stack,” Ribera told Berlin’s International Conference on Competition on Thursday, referring to the set of technologies and services that […]
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