U.S. forces destroyed an Iranian-affiliated dhow in the Gulf of Oman on October 6 after determining that the vessel was conducting surveillance and helping target American warships, U.S. Central Command...
Mercedes-Benz chief executive Ola Källenius has warned that excluding British manufacturers from European industrial preference rules would damage automotive production on both sides of the Channel, increasing pressure on Brussels ahead of negotiations over its proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.
The head of Mercedes-Benz has warned that excluding British manufacturers from the European Union’s proposed industrial preference rules would damage the competitiveness of carmakers across Europe, challenging Brussels over legislation intended to protect European production from growing international competition.
Ola Källenius, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz and president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), criticised the prospect of restricting British participation in the forthcoming “Made in Europe” framework during discussions in Brussels on Wednesday, 14 October.
His intervention comes as European governments negotiate the Industrial Accelerator Act, which would introduce European-content requirements affecting public procurement and certain forms of industrial support.
The proposed legislation is intended to strengthen manufacturing within the EU, but its treatment of production in neighbouring countries has become contentious, particularly in an automotive industry whose factories and suppliers operate across national borders.
European production extends beyond the EU
British manufacturing remains closely integrated with continental European automotive production despite the United Kingdom’s departure from the single market.
Components manufactured in Britain are incorporated into vehicles assembled in EU member states, while British factories depend on engines, batteries, electronics and other parts produced in continental Europe.
The value of this integrated manufacturing system depends on companies being able to source components across borders without unnecessary restrictions.
Källenius warned that excluding the UK from the proposed rules would weaken manufacturers operating on both sides of the Channel.
His position reflects industry concerns that a narrowly defined European-content regime could impose additional costs on companies already facing pressure from Chinese competition, slowing demand and substantial investment requirements.
As EU Today reported in September, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been pressing Brussels to recognise the UK as a trusted industrial partner under the emerging framework.
Germany has also supported a broader approach that would allow selected trading partners to qualify under European-content rules where reciprocal conditions are met.
France has favoured stronger preferences for production within the EU itself, reflecting differences among member states over how far European industrial policy should extend beyond the Union’s borders.
Its provisions address public procurement and industrial incentives affecting products including vehicles, steel, aluminium and clean technologies.
The Commission wants European public spending to support local industrial capacity rather than reinforce dependence on imports from major international competitors.
China has become the principal focus of those concerns because of its expanding manufacturing capacity, particularly in electric vehicles and batteries.
However, measures designed to counter Chinese industrial competition could also affect established trading partners whose manufacturers form part of European supply chains.
The United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey occupy different legal positions in their economic relations with the EU, but all maintain important industrial connections with member states.
An approach that treats their production as equivalent to imports from countries with substantially different market conditions could require European companies to reorganise existing supplier relationships.
For manufacturers, replacing a supplier may involve more than simply ordering components from another factory. Production standards, technical certification, logistics and long-term investment arrangements can make changes expensive and difficult.
Industry demands regulatory certainty
Following an ACEA board meeting on Wednesday, European manufacturers called for faster progress on the wider automotive legislative package.
In its 14 October statement, ACEA urged EU institutions to advance negotiations so that the package could be finalised early next year.
The association argues that manufacturers require a predictable regulatory framework to plan investments in electric vehicles, production facilities and new technologies.
Källenius linked the industry’s transition towards zero-emission mobility with the need to preserve employment and strengthen economic security.
European manufacturers are simultaneously investing heavily in electrification while competing against Chinese companies with established battery supply chains and significant production capacity.
The resulting financial pressures are particularly serious for manufacturers that must develop new vehicle platforms while maintaining existing factories and dealer networks.
Additional restrictions on component sourcing could complicate those decisions at a time when companies are seeking to reduce costs.
Britain refuses to follow EU tariffs automatically
The dispute has acquired a further dimension following remarks by British Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Speaking on Wednesday, Reynolds indicated that Britain would not automatically follow the European Union in imposing tariffs on Chinese vehicles.
The UK government maintains that trade measures must be determined according to British economic interests rather than adopted simply to align with Brussels.
That position complicates London’s attempt to secure favourable treatment under European industrial rules.
EU policymakers have argued that closer alignment on trade defences could support Britain’s claim to be treated as a trusted partner.
British ministers, however, must consider whether restrictions on Chinese imports would benefit domestic manufacturers and consumers.
The disagreement will form part of the broader economic relationship being discussed ahead of the next UK–EU summit, scheduled for 20 November.
The wider implications for EU–UK relations
The automotive dispute follows earlier negotiations over British participation in European defence procurement and other industrial programmes.
In both cases, London wants access to initiatives designed to strengthen European production while remaining outside the EU’s institutional framework.
Brussels must determine how far preferential treatment can extend to non-member countries without undermining the objectives of its industrial policy.
The Commission’s proposals have already revealed disagreements between governments favouring a tightly defined European manufacturing base and those seeking to preserve wider commercial partnerships.
Källenius’s intervention strengthens the argument that industrial protection cannot be considered separately from the supply chains on which European manufacturers depend.
The final legislation will influence investment decisions, procurement arrangements and the position of British suppliers within the continental automotive industry.
The outcome will also provide an indication of how far the EU is prepared to accommodate its closest trading partners as it attempts to strengthen European manufacturing against growing competition from China.
The United States on Wednesday lifted sanctions against Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly and brother of the South American country’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, the Treasury Department reported.
The Spanish prime minister has been a lonely champion of progressive values in the EU. But the polls look ominous
When it comes to risk-taking, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has a formidable track record. In 2018, the Socialist party leader swept to power by triggering a no-confidence vote that unexpectedly ousted his centre-right predecessor Mariano Rajoy. He held on to it against the odds after calling a snap election in 2023, at a time when the popularity of his own party had plummeted and the far right was on the rise.
As he endures another rocky period in office, Mr Sánchez has once more rolled the dice. Last week, he announced a snap poll for November after his minority government was blocked from passing measures to ease Spain’s chronic housing crisis. The eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal from her Madrid home sparked nationwide protests over soaring rents and prices. The outrage grew with news of her death last Wednesday. Mr Sánchez clearly hopes that campaigning on a national cause célèbre gives him a chance of winning a stronger progressive mandate next month.
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By Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) – A container ship and a dry bulk carrier have both sunk near the Strait of Hormuz in the past...
Six months into a war that sowed upheaval in the Persian Gulf, Qatar found itself stuck. By late August, even limited shipments from the gas heavyweight had all but stopped following a projectile attack on one of its tankers outside the Strait of Hormuz. Pressure was growing, not only from energy-starved clients but also from inside an economy built on regular deliveries.
O Auditório Carlos do Carmo, em Lagoa, recebe no dia 12 de dezembro, pelas 19h00, o concerto Christmas Jazz by Sofia Hoffmann, cujos bilhetes já se encontram à venda nos locais habituais.
Após o lançamento do seu novo álbum de originais “[In]LOVE” no final de 2024, a reconhecida cantautora Sofia Hoffmann sobe aos palcos neste Natal com um espetáculo muito especial: Christmas Jazz.
Neste concerto intimista e sofisticado, Sofia Hoffmann interpreta alguns dos mais icónicos temas natalícios do Great American Songbook – o célebre reportório que reúne os grandes clássicos da música popular americana e standards de jazz do início do século XX. Canções que resistiram ao tempo e continuam a encantar gerações.
Sofia Hoffmann
Acompanhada por um quinteto de excelência, composto por alguns dos melhores músicos de jazz em Portugal, Sofia recria a magia do Natal com temas como: White Christmas, The Christmas Song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells, entre outros clássicos, sem esquecer o seu tema original: Carta ao Pai Natal. Certamente vai ser um espetáculo envolvente, com arranjos elegantes e uma atmosfera calorosa, ideal para celebrar a quadra natalícia de uma forma especial.
Os bilhetes para este espetáculo custam 8,00€ (desconto disponível para portadores do Passaporte Cultural, disponível nas bilheteiras do Município de Lagoa) e estão à venda na Bilheteira Online, nas bilheteiras dos CTT, da Fnac, Worten, Auditório Carlos do Carmo, Centro Cultural Convento de S. José e Balcão Único da Câmara Municipal de Lagoa.
Em declarações à VTM, o presidente da associação, José Gonçalves, destacou a importância de reunir pessoas que contribuíram para o crescimento do clube ao longo de cinco décadas e que partilharam experiências marcantes. “Este jantar tem como objetivo reunir muitas pessoas que representaram o Flaviense ao longo destes anos e celebrar os momentos bonitos que todos viveram neste clube”.
José Gonçalves, que assumiu a presidência há cerca de dois anos, recordou também a sua ligação pessoal à instituição, na qual foi atleta. O dirigente considera que o clube teve um papel importante na sua formação pessoal, ensinando-lhe valores que o acompanharam ao longo da vida. “Sinto uma enorme alegria neste momento, aqui a celebrar 50 anos de um clube no qual também fui atleta e que me ensinou a ser homem”.
Atualmente, a Associação Desportiva Flaviense conta com cerca de 300 atletas, distribuídos pelas modalidades de futebol, futsal e basquetebol, fazendo uma aposta forte na formação. Só no futebol, o clube conta com cerca de 200 atletas, desde os quatro anos até aos sub-16. Quanto ao basquetebol, esta modalidade encontra-se ainda numa fase de desenvolvimento, com a realização de captações para a formação de equipas, referiu José Gonçalves.
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A Singapore-flagged containership has sunk after being struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, as a widening series of attacks on merchant shipping raises fresh questions about U.S....
Numa parceria entre o município de Chaves e a Universidade do Minho, Nuno Vaz, presidente da câmara municipal, destacou a importância deste encontro como espaço de aproximação entre ciência, comunidade e território.
“O objetivo passa por valorizar os nossos recursos humanos e qualificar os nossos ativos, sejam empresas, sejam pessoas ou instituições, através do conhecimento”, num evento que de uma forma próxima e informal “permite colocar em diálogo investigadores, professores, jornalistas e outros profissionais”.
O autarca sublinhou que esta partilha é importante para criar novas formas de pensar e encontrar soluções para os desafios atuais. “Conhecimento é errar, mas errar é acrescentar e evoluir naquilo que possam ser novas soluções e novas formas”, sustentou, adiantando que a presença de personalidades reconhecidas do mundo científico e académico representa “qualidade, valor e diversidade” para transmitir conhecimento à comunidade.
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Netanyahu says he's against Israeli or US strike on Islamic Republic, hopes there won't be an attack on Israel to disrupt elections; Katz warns Hezbollah not to launch conflict
A container ship has sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile and a separate dry bulk vessel is sinking in another incident, maritime security sources said on Wednesday.
The six-year term of Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador ended in September 2024 amid a surge of violence in the state of Sinaloa — a crisis he blamed on the United States. Just a few months earlier, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the longtime leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, had been captured by U.S. authorities under murky circumstances.
A visita de Filipe VI a Ceuta destaca gestão de Sánchez na crise migratória. A mês e meio das eleições, o tema regressa à campanha. Entre Ceuta e Maricarmen, qual vai determinar o resultado eleitoral?
Washington has stepped on the accelerator to renew Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal. It is its first major democratizing initiative in the country and the main task of the negotiation table between the 2015 National Assembly and the government of Delcy Rodríguez, which meets again this Wednesday. The goal is to have a new court by December, but beyond the outline the United States published last week, nothing is as yet known about the timetables, the profiles sought, the procedures to challenge appointments and how civil society will take part in a process crucial to a country that is supposedly moving toward a democratic transition.
Javier Milei begins another visit to the United States on Wednesday, his 20th trip since being elected president of Argentina and his fifth this year alone. He will remain in Washington, D.C., until Friday, taking part in a series of events aimed at deepening his alliance with the Donald Trump administration and demonstrating his support for Israel.
Ministers approve ‘urgent’ NIS 1 billion purchase, with most of the funds to come from slashing 5-year plan to improve Arab society, after US was said readying to drop deal
O Presidente da República, António José Seguro, esteve na Casa de Mateus, para presidir à cerimónia de entrega do Prémio D. Diniz 2026, que distinguiu a escritora Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida pela sua obra “Livro da Doença”.
Durante o seu discurso, o chefe de Estado salientou a importância de valorizar o interior como prioridade nacional e alertou para a necessidade de combater as desigualdades territoriais e de criar oportunidades fora dos grandes centros urbanos. “O interior de Portugal não pode ser visto apenas a partir das suas dificuldades”.
António José Seguro salientou a importância de garantir serviços públicos de qualidade, melhores acessibilidades e condições que permitam atrair investimento e fixar a população. Defendeu ainda que o interior deve ser valorizado não apenas pelas suas dificuldades demográficas, mas também pelo seu património, instituições e riqueza cultural.
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Il costo del gasolio in Italia dipende oggi da vicende geograficamente lontane e da un decreto annunciato e non ancora arrivato. Finché l’Europa resta dipendente dalle importazioni, ogni crisi internazionale si traduce prima o poi in un rincaro alla pompa.
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