May, 2019

• 28 May

  EU draws red line for Trump on cars, calling quotas a no-go

  

  Bloomberg The European Union vowed to reject any US push to curb imports of EU cars and auto parts, highlighting the risk of greater transatlantic trade tensions. EU trade chiefs dismissed an idea floated by President Donald Trump earlier this month of fixing quotas on European automotive exports to the US. He claimed such shipments pose a threat to national ...

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• 28 May

  Canal+ to buy M7 for $1.1b in Europe expansion push

  

  Bloomberg Vivendi SA’s Canal+ agreed to buy pay-TV operator M7 Group for just over 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to expand in Europe, where it’s vying for subscribers with Netflix Inc. The purchase of M7 from private equity firm Astorg Partners SAS pushes Canal+ into seven European countries, bringing its total subscribers to almost 20 million, Paris-based Vivendi said in ...

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• 28 May

  Trade war concerns add to Sweden’s economic troubles

  

  Bloomberg The growing trade war is adding to domestic troubles for the largest Nordic economy. Gross domestic product data is expected to show Sweden’s economy grew a meager 0.2 percent in the first three months of the year, according to a survey. The annual expansion likely slowed to 1.7 percent. The export-dependent nation is feeling the weakness that’s already hit ...

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• 28 May

  Euro-area economic confidence improves for first time in a year

  

  Bloomberg Euro-area economic confidence unexpectedly improved in May, snapping an almost yearlong streak of declines when the region was battling through a host of struggles. The improvement was dri-ven by industry and the str-ongest increase in production expectations in more than six years. That was despite continued negativity about export orders and the business climate. A separate report added to ...

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• 28 May

  Barcelona set to unveil aggressive rent controls

  Bloomberg After seeing housing costs jump by more than 50 percent in the past five years, officials in Barcelona are moving to introduce Spain’s most aggressive rent controls. Under a decree, landlords will have to negotiate leases based on benchmark prices set for each property in those neighbourhoods tagged as most desirable. That regulation follows a national law implemented in ...

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• 28 May

  Italy risks $4b EU penalty for failing to rein in debt

  

  Bloomberg The European Commission is considering proposing a disciplinary procedure for Italy next week over its failure to rein in debt, which could pave the way for a 3.5 billion-euro ($4 billion) penalty, according to an official familiar with the matter. The step could come as part of the European Union’s regular budget monitoring process, most likely on June 5, ...

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• 28 May

  UK Tories see opportunity, threats in ‘game of thrones’

  

  Bloomberg British Conservatives may have suffered their worst election results ever, but their members of parliament are still feeling loved. Barely a day goes by without an invitation to coffee from one senior minister or another, hoping to win their support in the coming race to succeed Theresa May. Perhaps they would like to come to the Foreign Office, to ...

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• 28 May

  Austria’s ousted leader vows to win back chancellery

  

  Bloomberg Ousted Austrian leader Sebastian Kurz started his campaign to take back the chancellery hours after his estranged coalition partners in the nationalist Freedom Party joined the opposition in a vote to dismiss him. The youngest Austrian head of government also became the shortest-serving and the first to be thrown out of office since the country was reconstituted after World ...

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• 28 May

  Trump hails Japan ties in visit papering over cracks with ally

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump rallied US and Japanese troops to wrap up a four-day state visit that focused more on pageantry than resolving deep differences on trade between the long-standing allies. On a trip where no major agreement was reached, Trump’s statements were persistently at odds with the Japanese. He said he’s aiming to reach a trade deal by August, ...

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• 28 May

  France pushing for Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as commission head

  

  Bloomberg President Emmanuel Macron will push chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as his choice to lead the European Commission, a senior French official said, as European leaders meet in Brussels to begin the jostling to fill the bloc’s leadership spots. The official said on condition of anonymity that the French leader first wants to agree on the commission president before ...

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