EU agrees recycled plastic targets for cars
Car manufacturers in Europe will have to include more recycled plastics in new vehicles under new EU rules agreed on by the bloc’s countries and lawmakers on Friday. European Union governments and parliament representatives reached an early morning deal to mandate that at least 25 percent of plastics used in cars, trucks and motorcycles has […]
EU agrees three-euro small parcel tax to tackle China flood
EU finance ministers agreed Friday to impose a three-euro duty on low-value imports into the bloc from July 2026 to help tackle a flood of small parcels ordered via the likes of Shein and Temu. Last year, 4.6 billion small retail packages entered the European Union — more than 145 per second — with 91 […]
EU to seek more tariff exemptions during US commerce secretary visit
The EU will demand more tariff exemptions on products including wines when US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick meets the bloc’s trade ministers on Monday. US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen struck a deal in July for most EU exports to face a 15-percent US levy, but the European Union has […]
EU predicts less eurozone 2026 growth due to trade tensions
The EU on Monday cut its eurozone growth forecast for 2026 as risks from international trade and geopolitical tensions weigh on Europe’s economy. The European Commission expects the 20-country single currency area to grow by 1.2 percent in 2026, down from a previous forecast of 1.4 percent. The bloc’s executive said Europe’s “highly open” economy […]
Merz backs EU plan to protect steel sector from Chinese imports
Germany supports proposals by the EU to increase tariffs on foreign steel as the bloc struggles with cheap imports, especially from China, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday. “These proposals are a step in the right direction,” Merz said following talks with key steel industry players in Berlin. The EU in October floated plans to double […]
EU wants key sectors to use made-in-Europe AI
The EU on Wednesday told European businesses in critical sectors to ramp up their uptake of artificial intelligence and pushed for the bloc to cut its dependence on foreign AI providers. Although the European Union is falling behind the United States and China, Brussels believes the bloc can still compete in the global AI race. […]
EU chief backs calls to keep children off social media
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday threw her support behind growing calls to ban social media use for children, promising to weigh action at the European level in coming months. “Many member states believe the time has come for a ‘digital majority age’ for access to social media,” the European Commission head told […]
EU defends Trump trade deal facing backlash
The European Union on Monday vehemently defended its trade deal with President Donald Trump, with EU capitals and businesses sharply divided on an outcome some branded a “capitulation”. “I’m 100 percent sure that this deal is better than a trade war with the United States,” top EU trade negotiator Maros Sefcovic told journalists. European Commission […]
Impact of US tariffs varies across European Union
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States was imposing 15-percent tariffs on all European Union countries. These countries are not all equally exposed to the US market and so will not suffer the same consequences when the duties kick in on August 1. In terms of value, Germany is by far […]
EU opens new probe into TikTok data transfer to China
An Irish regulator helping police European Union data privacy said Thursday it had launched an investigation into TikTok over the transfer of European users’ personal data to servers in China. TikTok was fined 530 million euros ($620 million) in May by the Data Protection Commission over sending personal data to China, though the Chinese social […]
