European Union

US opens new unfair-trade probes to rebuild Trump's tariff pressure

USTR Jamieson Greer said that Section 301 ​unfair trade practices probe could lead to new tariffs imposed against China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico by ​this summer

EU urges US to strictly enforce G7 price cap on Russian oil exports

G7 finance ministers said on Monday they were ready to release oil from strategic reserves ​to help lower prices, if necessary

Meta to allow AI bot rivals on WhatsApp in bid to stave off EU action

Facing scrutiny from European Union antitrust authorities, Meta says competing AI chatbots will be permitted on WhatsApp in Europe for a year through the Business API, though access will involve fees

PM Modi moots 'reform partnership charter' with industry, lenders

At a post-Budget webinar, PM Modi calls for a reform partnership charter to formalise collaboration among government, industry, FIs and academia, and urges deeper reforms and investment

India-EU FTA leaves carbon tax intact, talks to address concerns: Official

The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will not see any exceptions despite the concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but both sides have committed to technical discussions to find the best way forward, a senior German environment ministry official said here. Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, emphasised that the CBAM is not targeted against any specific country but serves as a necessary protective measure once carbon pricing is introduced domestically in the EU. "CBAM is not against anyone. Once you introduce carbon pricing, you need to have some kind of protection," Flasbarth told PTI Videos on Wednesday during his ongoing visit to India, where he held discussions with officials from the Ministries of New and Renewable Energy, Power, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change. "With the carbon pricing, we need to do something, and that is

Report flags need for hypersonic response against Russia's missile defences

The A-235 anti-ballistic missile system and S-500 air defence systems around the capital have advanced to the point where they could keep UK and French nuclear warheads from getting through

EU hits pause on US trade deal after Trump announces 15% global tariff

Frustrated European officials pushed Monday for clarification on how US President Donald Trump's declaration of a 15 per cent global tax on imports would affect the trade deal they struck with Trump this summer as EU legislators hit pause on the deal's ratification until they get clarity. The European Parliament's trade committee postponed a committee vote on ratification after Trump said he would impose the new tariff, after the US Supreme Court struck down his use of an emergency powers law to set new import taxes. Trump then turned to another section of trade law to justify his imposition of the 15 per cent global rate, which take effect Tuesday. The EU position is expressed in five words: "A deal is a deal," said commission spokesman Olof Gill. "So now we are simply saying to the US, it is up to you to clearly show to us what path you are taking to honor the agreement." The US-EU deal called for a 15 per cent cap on tariffs on most European goods imports, while tariffs on US ...

Govt will fund major EU compliance costs for SMEs, says Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal says the government will fund key compliance costs for small exporters needing EU approvals under CBAM and REACH, as India expands trade deals and targets $2 trn exports

EU pauses work on US trade deal as Trump's tariffs stir uncertainty

Trump moved rapidly over the weekend to replace those levies. But he has now applied a 15 percent tariff on nations around the world

EU diplomats to meet 'Board of Peace' director over Gaza's future

The European Union's top diplomats are set to meet Monday with the director of the Board of Peace in Brussels after a shaky and controversial embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to secure and rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, will meet the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. The EU diplomats are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and fresh sanctions on Russia. Just across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East, the EU has deep links to Israel and the Palestinians. It now plays a crucial oversight role at the Rafah border crossing, and is the top donor to the Palestinian Authority. The question of whether to work with the Trump-led board has split national capitals from Nicosia to Copenhagen. The EU is supportive of the United Nations' mandate in Gaza. EU members Hungary and Bulgaria are fu

Markets need time to recalibrate to new STT regime: Pankaj Pandey

ICICI Securities' Pankaj Pandey says markets may need time to adjust to the new STT regime but sees strong FY27 earnings and midcap outperformance

EU-India FTA opens doors to trade, AI, says Austria's State Secretary

The landmark EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a transformative win-win pact that offers immense opportunities in trade, artificial intelligence (AI) and resilient supply chains, Austria's State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery Alexander Proll has said. In an interview with PTI Videos, Proll has described the EU-India FTA as the "mother of all deals" that stands to benefit nearly 200 crore people and create one of the world's largest free trade zones. "Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi visited Austria in 2024 because of 75 years of the diplomatic relationship and now, we have the free-trade agreement. It is the mother of all deals. I think it is a win-win situation for the whole European Union and India," Proll said. The FTA, finalised after years of negotiations re-launched in 2022, eliminates or reduces tariffs on 96.6 per cent of EU exports to India by value and 99.5 per cent of Indian exports to the EU by trade value. Proll highlighted AI as a key future area of ...

For Europe Inc, US tariff relief brings unexpected trade uncertainty

Many firms cautioned that Trump could pursue other avenues to impose similar tariffs, reducing the benefit of lower levies, while tariff refunds are likely to be difficult to obtain

EU reviews US Supreme Court decision striking down Trump's tariffs

"We take note of the ruling by the US Supreme Court and are analysing it carefully," said the spokesperson

India-EU trade pact moves from promise to reality but challenges persist

India-EU FTA signals a strategic shift toward export-led growth, but without deeper trade, tariff and investment reforms, its full economic potential may remain unrealised

MEA, EU hold state engagement program with Assam government on migration

The CDMM project is being implemented by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, five European countries said Saturday. The foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analysis of samples taken from Navalny's body "conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine." It is a neurotoxin found in the skin of dart frogs in South America that is not found naturally in Russia, they said. A joint statement said: "Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison." The five countries said they were reporting Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The announcement came as Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany as the second anniversary of Navalny's death approaches. Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests

Limiting access to global technology could backfire on EU, warns Google

Google has warned that Europe's push to reduce reliance on foreign tech could slow innovation and growth, urging the EU to stay open to global digital tools while building its own capabilities

Europe rethinks nuclear weapons after Trump delivers reality check

Europe has been fighting to keep hostile US in Nato while countries race to rearm and now for first time since Cold War, European capitals are discussing how to develop their own nuclear deterrent

EU unveils plan to restructure economy amid US, Russia, China pressure

European Union leaders have broadly agreed on a plan to restructure the 27-nation bloc's economy to make it more competitive as they face antagonism from US President Donald Trump, strong-arm tactics from China and hybrid threats blamed on Russia. Meeting in a Belgian castle on Thursday, the EU leaders agreed an "action plan" with a strict timeline for the economic restructuring, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "The pressure and the sense of urgency is enormous, and that can move mountains," she said. The plan, to be presented formally in March, would include measures to coordinate upgrading energy grids, deepen financial integration and loosen merger regulations to allow European firms to grow to better compete globally, she said. "We need European champions," von der Leyen said. European Council President Antonio Costa described the meeting as a "real game changer" as leaders threw their weight behind plans to further integrate and simplify the bloc's ...