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Europe Tempers Criticism of Biden’s Green Subsidies
  + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
EU Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said some industries, such as wind turbines, could be drawn by U.S. subsidies. BRUSSELS—Europe is dialing back its criticism of U.S. clean-energy subsidies, after months of denunciations of the measures contained in a package of climate, tax and healthcare legislation signed by President Biden last year. European Union Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager , one of the bloc’s leading voices on the issue, said in an interview that a closer analysis of the subsidies suggests the main threats to European competitiveness will be limited to a handful of sectors.
EU Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said some industries, such as wind turbines, could be drawn by U.S. subsidies. BRUSSELS—Europe is dialing back its criticism of U.S. clean-energy subsidies, after months of denunciations of the measures contained in a package of climate, tax and healthcare legislation signed by President Biden last year. European Union Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager , one of the bloc’s leading voices on the issue, said in an interview that closer analysis of the subsidies suggests the main threats to European competitiveness will be limited to a handful of sectors.
The European Commission has banned its staff from using the TikTok app on their work-issued devices, widening across the Atlantic a patchwork of similar, limited bans affecting U.S. officials. The move, which would affect thousands of employees of the European Union’s top executive body, comes as officials in Europe and the U.S. scrutinize TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., over security concerns.
TikTok Is Banned on European Commission Staff Work Devices
  + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
The European Union’s executive body told its staff they could no longer use the TikTok app on their work-issued devices, widening across the Atlantic a patchwork of similar, limited bans affecting state and federal officials in the U.S. The move, which would affect thousands of employees of the European Commission, as the EU’s top executive body is known, comes as officials in Europe and the U.S. scrutinize TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., over security concerns.
The deal would give Nintendo access to new ‘Call of Duty’ games on the same day Microsoft’s Xbox system does. Microsoft Corp. has signed a pact to give Nintendo Co. access to “Call of Duty” games for a decade if its $75 billion deal to buy the game’s developer, Activision Blizzard Inc., gets approved, part of the software maker’s efforts to relieve regulators’ concerns about the transaction. In a tweet Tuesday, Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said the commitment with Nintendo, first proposed late last year, is now solidified. It means that Nintendo would gain access to new “Call of Duty” games the same day as they appear on Microsoft’s Xbox system.
The deal would give Nintendo access to new ‘Call of Duty’ games on the same day Microsoft’s Xbox system does. Microsoft Corp. signed pacts to give Nintendo Co. and Nvidia Corp. access to “Call of Duty” games for a decade if its $75 billion deal to buy the game’s developer, Activision Blizzard Inc., gets approved, part of the software maker’s efforts to relieve regulators’ concerns about the transaction. In a tweet Tuesday, Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said the commitment with Nintendo, first proposed late last year, is now solidified. It means that Nintendo would gain access to new “Call of Duty” games the same day they appear on Microsoft’s Xbox system.
The deal reached allows for the possibility that vehicles run exclusively on carbon-neutral fuels could be sold after 2035. BRUSSELS—European Union lawmakers approved a law that will effectively ban the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars in the bloc from 2035, one of the most aggressive moves yet by a major economy to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. In setting a date to wind down sales of new passenger vehicles using internal combustion engines, the EU’s move will likely further fuel a global shift that is already having a huge impact on investment and product development by car manufacturers and their suppliers.
Europe Sets Rules for Producing Green Hydrogen
  + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Matthew Dalton | Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
The European Union issued strict regulations for what qualifies as renewable hydrogen under its clean-energy transition plan, shaping how companies are expected to deploy billions of euros of investments in hydrogen factories in the coming years. Governments around the world are looking to hydrogen to help replace fossil fuels in industrial processes and electricity generation. Current supplies of hydrogen are largely produced from cracking open molecules of natural gas. The U.S., Europe and other countries are planning to invest hundreds of billions of dollars on factories that use electricity to power machines called electrolyzers, which produce hydrogen by splitting open molecules of water.
EU Leaders to Clash Over Response to U.S. Green Subsidies
  + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Italy’s minister of finance and economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, warned this week that relaxing rules on state aid to clean-tech companies risks widening the gulf between richer and poorer EU members. BRUSSELS—European leaders meeting here Thursday are set to clash over how to respond to new environmental subsidies in the U.S., in a debate that pits some of the bloc’s wealthier members against those that are less able or willing to spend heavily on industrial support. Washington last year adopted massive clean-tech subsidies that some EU officials worry could hollow out the bloc’s burgeoning green industries. In response, some officials advocate easing the EU’s own strict subsidy rules to allow for more government spending—an idea that has proved controversial.
U.K. antitrust regulators said the proposed $75 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard Inc. by Microsoft Corp. would further consolidate what it called Microsoft’s strong position in cloud gaming and said a combination would hurt U.K. gamers, delivering another regulatory hurdle to the deal in a big global gaming marketplace. The country’s Competition and Markets Authority said it would ask both companies to propose ways to ease its concerns and set a final decision about whether to let the deal proceed for late April.
EU Sets Out Options to Compete With U.S. Green Subsidies
  + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BRUSSELS—The European Union’s executive body on Wednesday set out a road map for competing with American green subsidies with a range of tools that could include coordinated tax rebates and the ability to match certain U.S. incentives on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The European Commission published a document laying out its proposals for supporting Europe’s clean-tech industry and preventing what some officials fear could be a wave of decisions by European companies to shift their investments to the U.S. The commission’s ideas are set to be debated by European leaders at a summit in Brussels next week.
Elon Musk Warned About Incoming EU Social-Media Law
  + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Elon Musk has said that he intends to comply with the EU’s new rules governing social media. BRUSSELS—A top European Union official told Elon Musk on Tuesday that Twitter Inc. will have to do more over the coming months to prepare for the bloc’s new social-media regulations. Thierry Breton , the EU’s commissioner for the internal market, told Mr. Musk during a video call that there were only a few months left before major online platforms like Twitter will have to be fully compliant with the Digital Services Act. Mr. Musk has previously said that he intends to comply with the EU’s new rules.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The bloc’s executive body is set to release a proposal to loosen state-aid rules on investing in clean-tech. BRUSSELS—The European Union wants to make it easier for governments to dole out tax breaks and other aid to clean-tech companies, part of a push to counter generous U.S. subsidies that officials worry will draw investment away from Europe. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, is set to release a proposal on Wednesday outlining how the EU might relax bloc-wide rules that limit how member countries can subsidize businesses. The plan will also look to set aside money to help European governments with limited fiscal firepower compete for investment.
The already-frantic global competition for green-energy investment escalated Wednesday with the European Union’s competition chief calling massive incentives from the U.S. “toxic,” as the bloc prepares its own countermeasures. The U.S. incentives, included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, have spurred companies to rethink where to spend billions of investment dollars and increasingly prompted America’s trading partners to consider their own subsidies.
The European Union plans to push back against the clean-tech tax breaks in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act by easing its subsidy rules and creating a new pot of money to help member states with limited fiscal firepower compete. Officials in Europe worry that “Buy American” provisions attached to the U.S. subsidies will lure European companies away from the EU and harm the continent’s clean-tech and manufacturing industries. Although the U.S. said last month it would adjust its rules to allow some vehicles assembled overseas to qualify for the new incentives, those changes haven’t been enough to allay European fears.
EU Readies Subsidy Response to U.S. Clean-Tech Tax Breaks
  + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady, wearing a broach, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. BRUSSELS—Europe aims to provide more support to its domestic clean-tech industry in a push to counter subsidies from the U.S. and China, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday. In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Ms. von der Leyen said the transition away from fossil fuels was causing significant geopolitical and industrial changes. Ms. von der Leyen, who leads the EU’s executive arm, said many countries, including the U.S. and China, were investing heavily in clean technology and Europe would have to do the same to remain competitive.
LKAB, the Swedish state-owned mining company, says rare earth elements could be produced as a byproduct of mining iron ore in its Kiruna mines. KIRUNA, Sweden—The discovery here of a large deposit of rare earth elements, vital for renewable energy and electric vehicles, offers fresh hopes for Europe’s transition away from fossil fuels and a lessened reliance on China, the world’s top supplier of the critical minerals. Announcing potentially the largest known find in Europe, Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB said Thursday that some of the rare earth elements in the deposit could be used to produce permanent magnets, which are components in motors for electric vehicles and wind turbines. The company said the rare earth elements could be produced as a byproduct of mining iron ore.
BRUSSELS—New rules for companies that get financial benefits from governments outside the European Union are set to kick in next year, potentially imposing high costs on U.S. companies that do business in the bloc. The EU’s foreign-subsidy rules, formally adopted last month, will allow regulators to bar companies from making certain acquisitions or winning large public contracts if they previously benefited from government aid deemed distortive. Companies whose activities fall under the scope of the new rules will need to report a range of financial interactions with foreign governments starting in October.
BRUSSELS—New rules for companies that get financial benefits from governments outside the European Union are set to kick in next year, potentially imposing high costs on U.S. companies that do business in the bloc. The EU’s foreign-subsidy rules, formally adopted last month, will allow regulators to bar companies from making certain acquisitions or winning large public contracts if they previously benefited from government aid deemed distortive. Companies whose activities fall under the scope of the new rules will need to report a range of financial interactions with foreign governments starting in October.
Exxon Sues EU Over Windfall Profit Levy
  + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kim Mackrael | Collin Eaton | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
An Exxon refinery at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. About 26% of the company’s revenue came from Europe last year. BRUSSELS— Exxon Mobil Corp. said Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit against European Union authorities over the bloc’s decision to impose a windfall levy on energy companies’ high profits triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU approved a plan this past fall to redistribute some energy company profits and revenue in a bid to shield consumers from high energy prices. The plan sought to cap producers’ revenue from electricity generated by fuels other than natural gas and demanded that oil-and-gas companies hand over one third or more of money the EU considers to be excess profit.
With the acquisition, Broadcom is betting the boom in enterprise software demand will endure despite the current economic tumult. BRUSSELS – The European Union’s antitrust watchdog on Tuesday said it would open an investigation into chip maker Broadcom Inc.’s planned $61 billion acquisition of VMware Inc. The European Commission, which leads the EU’s antitrust enforcement, said it is concerned the deal would allow Broadcom to restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components.
Meta could face a fine of up to 10% of its global annual revenue if it is found to have breached the EU’s antitrust rules. BRUSSELS—The European Union charged Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. with antitrust violations for allegedly distorting competition by tying its online classified ad service to its social network. The European Commission, the bloc’s antitrust enforcer, on Monday issued a charge sheet against Meta that said the U.S. tech company automatically gives Facebook users access to its Marketplace service, potentially pushing aside competitors. The commission said it is also concerned that Meta imposes unfair conditions on competing for online advertising services through its terms and conditions.
European Energy Ministers Push for Natural-Gas Price Cap
  + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BRUSSELS—European energy ministers gathered Monday for the second time in one week, attempting to strike a deal on an emergency limit for natural-gas prices, which have been sent soaring by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The debate over how and whether to intervene in the continent’s natural-gas market has emerged as one of the most divisive elements of the European Union’s response to Moscow’s war and its squeeze on the continent’s energy supplies. Some countries say a price cap is needed to ease the burden of high prices on consumers and businesses, while others worry such a move could inadvertently lead to shortages.
BRUSSELS—European energy ministers reached a political agreement Monday to impose an emergency limit for natural-gas prices, which have been sent soaring by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ministers agreed to impose a price cap if month-ahead prices remain above 180 euros a megawatt hour, equivalent to $191, on the European Union’s main trading hub for three consecutive days. Prices must also be at least €35 higher than a reference level for global liquefied natural gas during the same period.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, at a news conference in Brussels on Thursday, has vowed to lead a wide-ranging review of the legislative body’s rules on lobbying and its code of conduct. BRUSSELS—European Union leaders raised concerns about a corruption scandal at the bloc’s Parliament on Thursday amid growing worries that the bloc’s reputation would be tarnished by allegations that EU legislators took bribes from Qatar. Belgian police have detained two EU lawmakers and several other people linked to the European Parliament over suspicions that they accepted hundreds of thousands of euros from Qatari officials to influence the legislature’s decisions. Police have staged raids in Belgium and Italy, in what threatens to become the biggest scandal in Brussels in years.
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