The European Commission has officially launched a trade investigation into imports of welded steel mesh (used for grills, netting, and fencing) coming from China and Türkiye.

The move follows a formal complaint filed on April 20, 2026, by the European Welded Steel Mesh Producers Association, representing the EU domestic industry.

European producers claim that manufacturers in China and Türkiye are “dumping” welded steel mesh into the European market—meaning they are selling the product in the EU at artificially low prices that are lower than their actual production costs or domestic market rates.

According to the complaint, these low-priced imports have unfairly taken away market share, forced local companies to drop their prices, and severely harmed the financial health and jobs of the EU steel industry.

Specific Claims Against Each Country

• The People’s Republic of China: The complaint argues that domestic prices in China are completely distorted due to heavy government intervention in the steel sector. This includes distorted costs for land, raw materials, labor, and financing. Furthermore, China allegedly distorts the cost of a key raw material (wire rod, which makes up over 17% of production costs) by withholding VAT tax refunds on exports, making local prices artificially cheap. Because of these distortions, investigators will use prices from a neutral country (Türkiye) as a fair benchmark to calculate China’s actual dumping margins.

• Türkiye: The claim against Türkiye is more straightforward. The investigation will directly compare the prices at which Turkish manufacturers sell the mesh domestically against the lower prices they charge when exporting it to the EU.

The European Commission will investigate the data to verify if illegal dumping occurred and if it directly caused financial injury to EU businesses.

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has cleared the acquisition of Eco Green S.r.l. by UAE-based EGA International Holdings Limited. Under the approved deal, EGA will purchase an 80-85% stake in the Italian recycling company, securing sole corporate control. The four original owners will retain a minority share of 20-25% without strategic veto powers.

EGA International belongs to the Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) Group, a vertically integrated global giant active across the entire aluminum value chain. In 2024, the EGA Group generated global revenues between €7 billion and €8 billion, including up to €595 million in Italy alone.

Based in Villafranca di Verona, Eco Green specializes in salvaging and recycling metallic materials, particularly aluminum, and processing them into semi-finished products for domestic and international markets. In 2024, Eco Green recorded total global revenues between €100 million and €595 million.

The antitrust authority reviewed the transaction because the combined domestic turnover of the companies exceeded the mandatory €595 million legal threshold under Italian competition law. The regulatory body also restricted the transaction’s non-compete clauses to a maximum of two years to safeguard market freedom.

Ultimately, the Authority decided not to launch an in-depth investigation, ruling that the acquisition will not disrupt market competition or create a dominant market position. The regulator highlighted that the horizontal overlaps between the two companies remain under 10% globally and regionally, while numerous strong competitors continue to operate in the sector. Furthermore, EGA holds less than a 5% share in related upstream and downstream markets, eliminating risks of market foreclosure.

The Council of the European Union has officially adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1181, temporarily eliminating customs duties on essential nitrogen-based fertilisers and their raw components. The emergency measure aims to lower skyrocketing agricultural costs, secure supply chains for European farmers, and safeguard continental food security ahead of the upcoming planting season.

High energy costs and geopolitical tensions have severely strained the EU fertiliser market in recent years. Because natural gas serves as the primary raw material and energy source for nitrogen production, local manufacturers face reduced output and high operational costs. Meanwhile, standard EU import tariffs on these vital goods range from 5.5% to 6.5%, further driving up food prices and squeezing the financial viability of European farms.

To combat these market pressures, the new regulation opens autonomous tariff quotas for specific chemical components, including urea, ammonia, and various nitrogen mixtures. The duty suspensions will last for exactly one year, expiring on May 31, 2027.

Crucially, the EU is using this policy to aggressively diversify its supply chains away from historical dependencies. The European Commission modeled the quota volumes on 2024 import data, but explicitly excluded any volumes originating from the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus.

Consequently, the tax relief strictly bars any direct or indirect imports from Russia and Belarus. This exclusion aligns with broader EU trade sanctions and security exceptions, punishing both nations for their ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

The European Commission and member states will jointly manage the import quotas. Moving forward, the Commission will continuously monitor the fertiliser market and reserves the right to extend or modify the suspension if market conditions require further intervention.

For 15 years, Biogen dominated a major part of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment with its expensive hospital drug, Tysabri.

When Biogen’s patents expired, a competitor named Sandoz launched a rival drug called Tyruko. It does the exact same thing but costs at least 20% less.

Biogen’s MS drug has a catch: it can cause a rare but dangerous brain infection. To keep patients safe, doctors must run a specific safety test before and during treatment.

Biogen “happens” to own Stratify, the industry standard test used for this screening.

According to the watchdog, Biogen is weaponizing this test. The agency claims Biogen is refusing to let patients use the test unless they buy Biogen’s expensive drug.

If a hospital wants to save money by switching a patient to the cheaper Sandoz alternative, Biogen effectively cuts off their access to the vital safety test.

MS treatments are incredibly expensive, often costing over $1,000 a pack. By allegedly blocking a cheaper alternative, Biogen isn’t just fighting a rival—it is stopping public health systems from saving millions of dollars that could be used to treat other patients.

Antitrust officials recently raided Biogen’s Italian offices. The investigation will determine if Big Pharma can legally use safety tests to keep cheaper generic drugs off the market.

The European Commission has officially published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1101, introducing key updates to the frequency of identity and physical checks for plants, plant products, and other objects entering the EU.

Lower Risk, Fewer Checks (Decreased Frequencies)

Cut Flowers: Aster (Zimbabwe), Dianthus (Türkiye), Gypsophila (Kenya), and Rosa (Zambia)

Higher Risk or Low Volumes, More Checks (Increased Frequencies)

Cut flowers (Gypsophila from Ecuador, Rosa from Colombia), avocados from all third countries, ginger from Peru, and turmeric from Thailand and Peru.

The European Commission has issued Statements of Objections to several major synthetic turf companies, accusing them of breaching EU antitrust rules. The Commission suspects the firms colluded to distort competition for sports pitches in Germany and the Netherlands, potentially violating Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

In the Netherlands, the Commission targets producers and installers Oranjewoud, TenCate Grass, and Sports & Leisure Group. Investigators state that since 2019, these companies used their joint recycling venture, GBN-AGR, to restrict competition. The firms allegedly agreed to exclusively use GBN-AGR, fixed its prices to avoid competing with one another, and actively worked to exclude rival recycling and sustainable disposal services. The Commission claims these actions aimed to monopolize the recycling market while securing the companies’ dominant positions in installing and replacing synthetic turf. Domo Sports Grass Nederland, a 2025 spinoff from Sports & Leisure Group, also received the objection.

In Germany, the investigation focuses on Oranjewoud and Sport Group. The Commission alleges that between 2020 and 2023, the two companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct while discussing a potential partnership. Without proper safeguards, they exchanged confidential strategic information regarding future prices and production capacities. Furthermore, the Commission claims the companies fixed the “gate fee”—the primary price element for recycling end-of-life turf in Germany.

Synthetic turf is widely used by municipalities and public bodies for hockey and football pitches. Because public tenders require installers to remove and dispose of old turf, disposal costs serve as a vital competitive factor. The EU turf industry is currently shifting toward recycling to foster a circular economy.

The Commission previously conducted unannounced inspections in June 2023. This formal warning does not prejudge the final outcome of the investigation.

Germany’s long-standing trade surplus with the United States shrank dramatically in the first quarter of 2026, driven down by heavy US import tariffs introduced last year.

Data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) shows Germany’s goods surplus with the US dropped 30.5% to €12.4 billion, down from €17.8 billion during the same period in 2025. Total exports to the US plummeted 12.1% to €36.2 billion, while American imports into Germany edged up 1.9% to €23.8 billion.

The slump heavily impacts Germany’s vital automotive sector. Following the 2025 US tariff hikes on European cars, German exports of motor vehicles and parts plunged 28.4% to €6.5 billion. Meanwhile, US automotive imports into Germany rose 13.2% to €1.5 billion. This slashed Germany’s automotive trade surplus by 35.5% to €5.0 billion. Purely electric vehicles suffered the sharpest blow, with German exports crashing 65.7% to just €0.6 billion.

Despite the steep decline, vehicles and machinery remain Germany’s primary export drivers. Machinery exports fell a moderate 6.4%, yielding a €4.9 billion surplus. Other key sectors also saw reduced surpluses, including pharmaceutical products at €3.4 billion (down 18.7%) and electrical equipment at €1.9 billion (down 5.3%).

Conversely, Germany relies heavily on US energy, recording an import surplus for mineral fuels. The trade deficit for American crude oil and natural gas hit €3.0 billion, while coal and coke products added another €0.6 billion to the deficit.

The sharp downturn marks a major shift in trade dynamics between the two nations, interrupting more than three decades of robust German trade dominance.

Germany’s employment contraction deepened during the first quarter of 2026 as heavy losses in manufacturing and trade overshadowed steady growth in public services.

Data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveals that around 45.6 million people held jobs in Germany during the first quarter. After adjusting for seasonal variations, employment fell by 61,000 people, or 0.1%, compared to the final quarter of 2025. This marks the third consecutive quarter of seasonally adjusted declines, confirming a prolonged downward trend in the German labor market.

Without seasonal adjustments, total employment plummeted by 486,000 positions—a 1.1% drop compared to the previous quarter. While winter job losses are common at the start of the year, this winter contraction exceeded the 2023–2025 seasonal average by more than 100,000 workers. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, overall employment shrank by 157,000 jobs, representing a year-on-year decline of 0.3%.

A stark divide emerged between the service sector and the rest of the economy. Non-service sectors bore the brunt of the downturn, bleeding 202,000 jobs—a sharp 1.8% drop. The manufacturing sector alone lost 171,000 workers, continuing its severe downward spiral. Construction employment also slid by 27,000 jobs, while agriculture dipped by 4,000.

Conversely, the broader service sector expanded by 45,000 positions. Public services, education, and healthcare anchored this growth, adding 181,000 employees. Financial and insurance services grew by 13,000 roles, and miscellaneous service industries added 21,000. However, these gains could not offset heavy losses in other service areas. The trade, transport, and hospitality sectors shed 81,000 jobs, business services dropped 72,000 positions, and the information and communication sector fell by 24,000.

The downturn affected both salaried employees and entrepreneurs. The total number of employees fell by 120,000 to 42 million, driven by dwindling social security positions and fewer marginal low-wage jobs. At the same time, the self-employed population contracted by 37,000, falling to 3.6 million.

Despite fewer people working, individual workloads increased. According to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the average time worked per employee rose by 0.3% to 344.2 hours. Consequently, the economy’s total work volume held steady at 15.7 billion hours, matching the previous year’s level.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is sounding the alarm on Europe’s declining industrial edge, calling for urgent regulatory relief and cheaper energy to protect the continent’s chemical sector. In a newly issued policy opinion, local leaders formally backed the European Commission’s Chemicals Industry Action Plan, labeling the sector the “industry of the industries” because it supplies everything from defense materials and microchips to automotive parts and pharmaceuticals.

However, regional leaders warn that the plan will fail without direct, hands-on partnership with local authorities who understand the unique vulnerabilities of Europe’s industrial hubs.

To keep European factories from losing ground to heavy subsidies and export overcapacity in the US, China, and the Middle East, the CoR is pushing for a massive overhaul of the domestic operating environment. At the top of their list is a demand to fix structural dysfunctions in the European energy market. High energy prices and expensive fossil feedstocks are actively crushing competitiveness. Leaders want the EU to accelerate the creation of a true Energy Union, modernize electricity and hydrogen grids, and aggressively promote low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear and fusion technologies.

The Committee is also taking aim at the heavy bureaucratic burden slowing down industrial transformation. Local leaders are urging EU and national lawmakers to harmonize overlapping regulations that fragment the market across different towns and regions. They are calling for an “outcome-based” review of reporting rules and a drastic acceleration of local permitting processes. The goal is to deliver swift, high-quality approval decisions for green industrial projects without lowering environmental, public health, or labor standards.

To turn cutting-edge research into actual market-ready products, the opinion lays out a clear roadmap for financial and structural support:

• Smart Funding: Deploying the European Competitiveness Fund and specialized state aid to back large-scale industrial decarbonization, while ensuring money is distributed fairly across all regions.

• Financial De-risking: Moving beyond basic technology grants to offer state guarantees, blended finance, and long-term offtake frameworks that make massive factory upgrades financially viable.

• Green Alliances: Integrating the newly formed Critical Chemicals Alliance with bioeconomy initiatives to swap out fossil fuels for sustainable biomass and agricultural waste.

• Talent Development: Creating regional training programs that focus heavily on STEM and digital competencies to prepare workers for future high-tech industrial jobs.

Finally, regional leaders are demanding a seat at the table. They want a clear decision-making role in the EU’s new Critical Chemicals Alliance, alongside an official observer status for the CoR. To ensure the initiative delivers actual results, they recommend setting up early-warning systems to spot trade distortions and factory closure risks before they happen, backed by mandatory annual progress reports.

Wholesale prices jumped 6.3% this April compared to last year, the sharpest annual increase we’ve seen in over three years. This spike was largely driven by conflict in the Middle East, which sent energy and raw material costs soaring.

The big movers:

• Energy: Petroleum prices skyrocketed, sitting 37.3% higher than this time last year.

• Metals: Prices for metals and ores also saw a massive leap of over 40%.

• Other increases: Flowers, plants, and chemicals are also getting more expensive.

The silver lining: Not everything is more expensive. Prices actually dropped for kitchen staples like dairy, eggs, and cooking oils (down 7.8%), as well as coffee, tea, and spices (down 7.5%).

Business confidence in the Netherlands has taken its biggest dive since the 2022 lockdowns, hitting a score of -14.8 at the start of Q2 2026. For the first time in years, sentiment is negative across every single industry, fueled by a gloomy outlook on the current economy and future stability.

The construction industry saw the steepest drop, while agriculture remains the most pessimistic overall. Manufacturing and transport firms are particularly stressed by the high levels of economic uncertainty.

On the pricing front, 30% of companies now expect to hike their prices in the next three months—a noticeable jump from last quarter, especially in trade and manufacturing.

Interestingly, while finding workers used to be the top headache for bosses, that pressure is fading. Instead, more businesses are worried about weak demand and “other factors” like messy geopolitical conflicts and strict new government regulations. Still, about a third of companies say they aren’t facing any major hurdles at all.

The Italian government’s business watchdog says Benetton broke its word on how it treats the people who run its stores. Even though Benetton promised to be fairer, it is still acting like a bossy middleman. For starters, Benetton is ignoring the rules for ending partnerships. It is supposed to send multiple warnings before it stops sending clothes to a shop, but it has been cutting them off without notice. It is also using old debts as an excuse to shut people down and refusing to buy back store furniture from owners who are closing up shop, even though they agreed to do so.

Behind the scenes, Benetton is still pulling all the strings. It uses emails and manuals to force shop owners to buy a set amount of inventory, regardless of whether the store is actually making money or needs the stock. Owners don’t even get to choose what they sell; Benetton picks the colors, sizes, and styles for them. If a store owner tries to turn down an automatic shipment they don’t want, Benetton pressures or scolds them. Because Benetton went back on its 2023 legal agreement, the government has launched a new investigation that could end in massive fines. Benetton has one month to explain itself, and the whole case will be decided by late 2027.

The Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating whether Aldi and Lidl should be officially reclassified as large grocery retailers under the 2010 Controlled Land Order. This legal framework was originally designed to prevent major supermarkets from using restrictive land agreements to block competitors from opening nearby stores. At the time the order was created, Aldi and Lidl were considered small players with limited stock, but their massive growth over the last decade has prompted a review of whether they still qualify for this “limited assortment” exemption.

Major competitors like Sainsbury’s and Morrisons argue that the discounters now hold a combined 20% of the market and should follow the same rules as everyone else to ensure a level playing field. They suggest that Aldi and Lidl have both the incentive and the market power to restrict local competition through land deals, just as the larger traditional supermarkets do. Similarly, the Association of Convenience Stores supports the change, noting that the discounters’ larger store formats now impact the viability of local shops across much wider areas than they used to.

In contrast, Aldi maintains that it still functions as a limited assortment discounter and should not be designated as a large retailer. The core of the debate rests on whether the range of products these stores offer is truly comprehensive or still significantly narrower than a traditional supermarket. The CMA is now weighing these conflicting views and examining evidence regarding product variety, pricing strategies, and whether the current exclusion of these two chains has unfairly harmed competition or limited choices for British consumers.

The European Commission has been notified of a proposed deal where Aluminium Bahrain plans to take full control of France-based Aluminium Dunkerque through a share purchase. Aluminium Bahrain operates a massive production site in the Middle East with an annual capacity exceeding 1.6 million tons, while Aluminium Dunkerque runs a primary smelter in France capable of producing roughly 300,000 tons per year. Because the merger is being treated under a simplified procedure, it suggests the acquisition is expected to be straightforward without significant competition concerns.

The European Commission has officially cleared a €71.6 million state aid package from the Hungarian government to support a major expansion at the Hankook Tire & Technology plant in Central Transdanubia. This funding acts as a key incentive for a much larger €538 million project designed to diversify the facility’s output. While the factory currently focuses on tires for cars and light trucks, this investment will allow it to establish a dedicated manufacturing line for heavy-duty truck and bus tires.

In March 2026, the cost of imports surged by 2.3% year-over-year, hitting its highest growth rate since early 2025. This represents a dramatic reversal from the negative price growth observed just one month earlier. On a month-to-month basis, import prices jumped 3.6%—the most significant monthly increase recorded since the energy crisis sparked in March 2022. While export prices also climbed, their growth was more stable, rising 1.5% annually and 1.1% since February.

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