Tag: Business and competition
The secret, slipshod evidence the EU uses to sanction Russian oligarchs – POLITICO
BRUSSELS
BY LEONIE KIJEWSKI
IT WAS AN UNUSUAL APOLOGY: from the office of the president of the European Council to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
In a confidential evidence packet used by the European Union to justify freezing his assets, Viatsheslav Moshe Kantor’s nationality had been listed as “Jewish/Russian.”
A 70-year-old billionaire who once headed the Russian fertilizer giant Acron, Kantor stepped down as president of the European Jewish Congress after being sanctioned by the EU and the United Kingdom
WTF is Christine Lagarde up to? – POLITICO
Deep in the Wyoming wilderness last month, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, stood before a large audience of elite central bankers and casually predicted the collapse of the international financial order. Resplendent in red and black, she resembled a humanoid Lindor chocolate truffle — and though her warning was diluted by the usual impenetrable jargon, the subtext was sufficiently clear and dramatic.
“There are plausible scenarios where we could see a fundamental change in the nature of
With a return of Trump looming, Ukrainians ramp up homegrown arms industry – POLITICO
KYIV — Ukraine’s long-range Beaver drones seem to be making successful kamikaze strikes in the heart of Moscow, but Serhiy Prytula is coy about how much he knows.
“We are not sure whether we are involved in this,” he says with a charming but inscrutable smile, when asked about these mysterious new weapons.
Prytula rose to fame — just like President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — as an actor, TV star and comedian, but is now best known for his contribution to
Italy to hit banks with 40 percent windfall tax – POLITICO
Georgia Meloni is going after the banks.
In a move that surprised investors and political observers alike, Italy’s far-right government led by Prime Minister Meloni announced plans late Monday to slap a 40 percent one-off windfall tax on bank profits.
Italian lenders have been raking in huge benefits from higher interest rates on their loans at a time when ordinary people are struggling with the cost of living.
The eurozone’s cost of living crisis, which has been marked by the
Commission VP spars with outgoing top economist over industrial policy – POLITICO
In his first interview since stepping down as the European Union’s chief competition economist, Pierre Régibeau told Belgian newspaper L’Echo that fear of European deindustrialization was unjustified.
If European heavy industry disappears, “so be it, because it has to. What’s the point of producing basic steel here if we can buy it three times cheaper in Indonesia?” Régibeau said, answering a question about the major concerns of steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal.
However, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas isn’t buying it.
Not another American! Meet the new favorite for EU competition economist – POLITICO
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In the two weeks since Fiona Scott Morton was bullied out of the EU’s chief competition economist nomination for being American, only one new candidate has come to light — and he’s a U.S. citizen.
But you can put your pitchforks down. Florian Ederer is Austrian by birth, and has first-hand knowledge of sensitivities around citizenship. He only became American in May, after failing to meet nationality requirements for
UK set to delay post-Brexit border food checks amid inflation worries – POLITICO
LONDON — The U.K. is set to once again delay the implementation of post-Brexit border checks for EU imports amid concerns the new regime will further stoke inflation.
Britain was planning to roll out the first stage of the new border model from October, with further stages implemented throughout 2024 that would see more checks on food and animal products entering the country.
The Financial Times first reported the fresh delay, the fifth time these post-Brexit border checks have been
Rishi Sunak could get mobbed (and bag a trade deal) when he heads to India – POLITICO
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LONDON — Rishi Sunak might struggle to set pulses racing at home. But Downing Street hopes for a different story when the U.K. prime minister visits India next month.
His ascent has already been hailed by the country’s press. “Indian son rises over the empire” read a headline by major broadcaster NDTV as Sunak entered Downing Street last year. The Times of India ran a piece on the shift
China is not as powerful as the West might think – POLITICO
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President Xi Jinping wants to project China as a powerful trade partner — or dangerous adversary — to virtually any country hoping to be successful in the 21st century.
“The rise of the East, and the decline of the West” is his motto. As Chinese growth rocketed and Western politicians fretted over how to respond, it became a national catchphrase, too.
But among the Chinese people — and increasingly
Michel Barnier calls for post-Brexit UK-EU defense treaty – POLITICO
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LONDON — The time is right for London and Brussels to negotiate a new treaty on defense and foreign policy cooperation, Michel Barnier, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, told POLITICO.
Speaking to the Ex Files newsletter for its 100th edition, Barnier — a former French presidential candidate and key player in Britain’s painstaking divorce from the EU — said it was now in both sides’ interest to collaborate