The Commission also interpreted the silence of two countries — Czechia and Greece — as assent, bringing the total to 12. On a weighted basis, that adds up to more than 60 percent of the EU population in favor of the duties. Czechia has a sizable car industry and could conceivably vote against if push comes … Read more
It marks the latest doubling-down from Truss on her free-market agenda — and comes as the Tory Party she once led tries to shrug off a hefty election defeat under her successor Rishi Sunak and pick a new leader. Truss argued that the mini budget, which offered a host of tax cuts and supply-side reforms … Read more
Neil Amin-Smith Neil Amin-Smith | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for GLAAD He’s a former popstar who’s now the main adviser on financial services policy for Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Neil Amin-Smith, the ex-violinist of chart-topping band Clean Bandit, is the key political person in the Treasury for City policy and for the party’s investment ambitions. He also … Read more
“I cannot say it because it’s a sort of open secret but yes, it became clear at some point that the name [of Thierry Breton] was part of the negotiation,” a French official with knowledge of the talks said on condition they remain anonymous. The rumor that Macron would eventually drop Breton circulated for weeks, … Read more
Starmer is in Rome trying to boost joint-working with Britain’s European allies on border security — a key part of his election promise to Brits to “smash the gangs” he argues are driving irregular migration to the U.K. Starmer, who is under some pressure from Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK, expressly hopes to learn from … Read more
“With the losses that we have had, you know, everybody around me, they said: ‘Brace for negative impact,’” she said. “So this is very positive and I had prepared for a stiff upper lip, facing a possible defeat.” “On a scale from one to 100 of surprise and no surprise, I think I’m in 99,” … Read more
Google was fined in 2017 for how it favored its own shopping search results over rival services. The fine was the first for the company in a slew of EU antitrust investigations, including a probe into advertising technology where the European Commission is weighing a break-up of the company’s businesses. Google is still fighting two … Read more
Draghi is pushing for the EU to issue new common debt to fund its industrial and defense needs, something that is opposed by several governments. He noted that Europe’s goal to whittle its greenhouse gas emissions down to zero by the middle of the century offer the bloc the chance to build and export clean … Read more
“Some people might describe him as inscrutable,” said one of his close advisers who, perhaps in keeping with the personality of the man himself, requested anonymity. McGrath is “not somebody with any political enemies, not a factional politician,” the adviser continued. “He’s certainly a believer that hard work brings its own reward, rather than political … Read more
The Russian psy-ops team identified Germany as a particularly vulnerable target for Russian influence. “The Germans are more dependent than the French,” reads one of the Russian documents, presumably referring to Germany’s economic dependence on Russian gas and exports. “First and foremost, we need to discredit the USA, Great Britain and NATO, and secondly,” convince Germans to … Read more
