City Brussels Financial News

By Jan Strupczewski

By Jan Strupczewski

BERLIN (Reuters) — The United States hopes Europe will take similar measures to its Inflation Reduction Act to drive a «race to the top» on support for green technologies, a senior U.S. official said in Berlin on Tuesday ahead of economic talks with German counterparts.

The Financial Times reports Tuesday morning that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), along with other European carmakers exporting from China, will be part of a probe by the EU into whether the country's electric vehicles industry is receiving unfair subsidies.

The European Union’s executive arm is blocking leading U.S. online travel agency Booking from acquiring Sweden’s flight booking provider Etraveli Group

A top European Union official says the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, is the biggest source of fake news and urged owner Elon Musk to comply with the bloc’s laws aimed at combating disinformation

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and other European car manufacturers that export vehicles from China to the European Union (EU) will be included in the EU's investigation into whether China's electric vehicle industry is benefiting from unfair subsidies, according to the Financial Times.

Beijing on Monday that tough security laws and a more «politicised» business environment have left European companies struggling to understand their obligations and questioning their future in China. China's refusal to condemn ally Russia for its war in Ukraine also poses a «reputational risk» for the world's second-largest economy, Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said in a speech at Beijing's Tsinghua University. He said transparency and openness were «a winning strategy in the long run», at a time when trade tensions between the European bloc and China are mounting. «China is navigating a challenging transition from an investment-led economy to a broad-based economy,» he said. «For this it needs to remain open.» Dombrovskis's four-day trip, which kicked off Saturday, follows a report by the EU Chamber of Commerce that showed business confidence was at one of its lowest levels in years. It also follows Brussels' decision to launch a probe into Beijing's electric car subsidies. The investigation could see the EU try to protect European carmakers by imposing punitive tariffs on vehicles it believes are unfairly sold at a lower price. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday reiterated Beijing's «strong dissatisfaction» over the probe. «China once again expresses its high concern and strong dissatisfaction with the EU's plan to launch an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles,» He told a joint press conference with Dombrovskis following their talks. «We hope that the EU side will deal with that issue with caution and continue to maintain a free and open market,» he added. But Dombrovskis painted a more positive picture of Monday's conversations, saying the two sides had agreed to «resume regular

European Commission slapped a reduced fine of 376 million euros ($400 million) against US chipmaker Intel Friday for abusing its dominance in the computer chip market, after an EU court annulled a bigger penalty. The European Union's antitrust enforcer said Intel had «engaged in a series of anticompetitive practices aimed at excluding competitors from the relevant market», it added.

NEW DELHI : Belgium is planning a high level visit from its senior leadership to India early next year, according to persons aware of the matter. The visit is expected to be at the foreign minister or prime minister level. This comes as Belgian firms eye opportunities in India’s burgeoning defence market, on the footsteps of French, Spanish and German defence firms that have stitched up lucrative contracts with India.

Candlelight Concerts to India, kicking off with performances in tribute to Taylor Swift’s greatest hits, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, British bands Queen and Coldplay, as well as the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. The expansion into the region comes on the heels of the experience’s success, having delighted audiences in more than 150 cities worldwide, including New York, London, Madrid, Singapore and Tokyo.Audiences who would like to be the first to know about the local venues and music programs kicking off the series can sign up on each city’s page at feverup.com.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) — EU antitrust regulators will decide by Oct. 23 whether to clear Turkish domestic appliances maker Arcelik's proposed purchase of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR)'s European domestic appliances business, an European Commission filing showed on Thursday.

Poland has begun enforcing an entry ban on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country

World Trade Organization in Geneva early this week was unambiguous: A global economy split into rival trading factions would reduce real incomes 5% — maybe double that amount in poor countries. The next day, the European Union launched what some of the 27-nation bloc’s most well-known industries — ranging from Airbus SE to cosmetic producers and wine makers — worry could land them on the punishing end of a trade war with China. Since the European Commission’s announcement Wednesday of a new anti-subsidy inquiry into Chinese electric vehicles, which might lead to duties on Made-in-China EV imports, European businesses are scrambling to assess their exposure to a potential tariff barrage between two of the world’s largest economies. That’s because President Xi Jinping’s government has shown a determination to respond to punitive trade measures — like former US President Donald Trump’s tariffs — with its own reciprocal restrictions. The most powerful tool Beijing can wield is restricting access to its huge domestic market. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, speaking to Bloomberg Television on Friday, signaled that perhaps a new era has arrived, one where “the EU starts thinking about its own interest.”‘Powerful Signal’ With the Chinese subsidy investigation, Brussels “wanted to send a powerful signal,” former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told Bloomberg News in an interview.

Poland has begun enforcing an entry ban on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country

By Foo Yun Chee

BRASILIA (Reuters) — Brazil's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Mercosur's response to the European Union's additions to their long-awaited trade accord has been delivered to Brussels and negotiators will meet by video-conference later in the day.

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have held long-awaited face-to-face talks that the European Union hopes will improve their strained relations

By Marc Jones

EU lawmakers have approved new rules requiring airlines to use more sustainable fuels across the bloc in a bid to help decarbonize the sector

The European Union is launching an investigation into subsidies that China provides to electric vehicle makers