Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Economics Editor
Tomás Lindqvist writes on monetary policy and European capital markets. He spent six years as a fixed-income analyst before moving to journalism, and covers the European Central Bank with a bias towards the published data rather than the press conference.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation took effect on 12 August, requiring an authorised representative in every EU destination country. Independent booksellers say the compliance burden makes shipping to other member states impossible.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applied across the bloc from 12 August, replacing a patchwork of national rules with a single framework that Chinese traders say removes the option of routing goods through lenient member states.
Asset manager sees resilient second quarter and fading energy shock keeping 2026 outlook intact, with one more rate hike expected in September before policy reversal in 2027.
The single currency trades above $1.08 as German business confidence recovers and markets price fewer rate cuts, but export sectors warn of competitiveness risks.
Europe's largest gas consumer holds just 47 percent of capacity in August, the lowest on record, while Berlin insists traders will fill the gap despite analyst warnings of physical shortages by November.
Water levels at the Kaub gauge fell to 24 centimetres, the lowest since records began in 1880, threatening nuclear cooling, hydropower and inland shipping across central and eastern Europe.
Dutch TTF benchmark surges past €60 per megawatt hour after US-Iran escalation disrupts Qatari LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving European storage 10 percentage points behind last year's pace.
The European Commission will unveil proposals on Friday to cut capital requirements and ease cross-border mergers, responding to a decade of US dominance in investment banking and capital markets.
Brussels opens new consultation channel with Beijing while German carmaker slashes workforce, exposing the gap between European unity rhetoric and industrial reality.
Britain paid six times the normal rate for imported electricity as temperatures above 40°C cut wind output, forced gas plant shutdowns and strained French nuclear cooling.
The EU generates half its electricity from renewables but has only 14 GW of large-scale storage. Planned capacity of 84 GW falls far short of the 750 GW needed for climate targets, while grid investment lags at a fraction of the €580 billion required.
Flash PMI falls to 47.5 in May while input price inflation hits three-and-a-half-year high, forcing ECB to weigh June rate hike against mounting recession risk.
Markets price a June hike but policymakers insist on meeting-by-meeting approach with Strait of Hormuz blockade creating 'layer cake of shocks' risk
The euro fell to a four-month low below $1.152 as Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices soaring, exposing Europe's structural energy vulnerability and widening the policy gap between the ECB and Federal Reserve.
European Commission president tells MEPs the bloc's 27 financial systems and 300-plus trading venues are strangling growth, urging savings and investment union legislation this year even if some member states refuse to join.
Prime minister rules out return to Brussels rulebook for City firms, ending months of speculation. Industry leaders warn reversing post-Brexit reforms would damage London's listing recovery.
The ECB kept rates steady while flagging internal divisions over the next move, Norway and Sweden paused their easing cycles, and the Bank of England delivered a quarter-point cut to 3.75% as UK inflation eased.
The European Central Bank left its deposit facility rate unchanged for a second meeting, signalling patience while new projections nudge up 2025 growth but trim 2026 expectations.
Brussels says Madrid exceeded its authority by imposing conditions on a takeover already cleared by the ECB and Spanish competition watchdog, opening a legal battle that could reshape European banking consolidation.
The Senate-passed GENIUS Act creates a regulated framework for dollar stablecoins that could deepen global dollar demand while Europe's digital euro remains years away and limited in scope.
The single currency hit 1.1369 against the dollar in mid-April, driven by capital flight from US assets and a brighter eurozone growth outlook, though German exporters face new headwinds.
Brussels prepares countermeasures targeting US services and technology sectors while balancing internal divisions over the scope and speed of response
The European Central Bank delivered its sixth rate cut in nine months but changed its language in a way analysts read as a hawkish shift, even as it lowered growth forecasts and flagged trade risks.
The European Commission's new roadmap aims to slash regulatory burden, mobilise €800 billion in annual investment and redirect European savings into venture capital, but climate activists warn it sacrifices green standards for industrial appeasement.
Christine Lagarde says the euro area can withstand US price pressures while the central bank plans gradual reductions to 2% by September, even as Germany contracts for a second year.