cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11386336

Full report: REDESIGNING SUPPLY CHAINS - EU FIRMS IN A TIME OF GEOPOLITICAL RISK - (pdf)

• Almost two-thirds of EU firms say they are prepared to manage geopolitical risks, according to new study.
• European single market acts as a buffer while companies active beyond EU diversify suppliers and markets, says report by EIB and European Commission.
• Tariffs and regulatory compliance overtake logistics and supply shortages as main trade obstacles.

European Union businesses increasingly see geopolitical disruptions as a structural feature of global trade and are redesigning supply chains accordingly, a new EU report finds.

Almost two-thirds – 64% – of EU firms consider themselves prepared to handle geopolitical risks, according to the study, which was carried out by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission. Such preparedness differs by size, with the share being as high as 73% for the biggest companies and less than half for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The report, entitled “Supply chains and the rise of geopolitical risks: EU firms in a fragmenting world”, says businesses in Europe are also relying less on short-term crisis measures and gaining support from the European single market. The share of EU importers adjusting supply chains fell from 50% to 37% between 2023 and 2025 as stockpiling almost halved to 17%.

“Geopolitical uncertainty is no longer a temporary shock for European companies,” said Román Arjona, chief economist at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). “The encouraging finding is that firms are adapting by diversifying, investing in preparedness and using the single market as a source of stability. Reducing internal barriers and supporting businesses throughout the entire investment journey is essential to bolster European competitiveness in technologies and strategic sectors critical to the EU.”

...

The study finds that 67% of EU businesses trading with the United States and 60% of those engaged in commerce with China expect tariffs to remain a long-term obstacle.

The report draws on the latest EIB surveys of supply chains and investment activities. The most recent “Supply Chain Survey” covered 1,165 EU importers and exporters while the latest “EIB Investment Survey” covered about 12,000 European businesses along with 800 US firms.

...

Looking ahead, businesses in the EU regard advanced digital technologies, research and innovation as becoming increasingly important. Despite higher costs and uncertainty, almost 90% of EU firms expect export performance to be stable or to improve, although companies exporting to the US and China are less optimistic.

The report calls for a European policy mix that includes targeted financial instruments for geopolitical and trade risks, better early-warning systems, greater regulatory clarity, progress on EU trade agreements and deeper single-market integration. It also highlights the role of EIB support in strengthening innovation, digitalisation, skills and supply-chain resilience across Europe.

...

Archived

cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1965865/childhood-vaccination-rates-have-stagnated-or-fallen-in-most-eu-countries-since-the-cov

Study.

Fewer kids are being vaccinated in most European Union (EU) countries in recent years, according to Italian researchers, who warn this is reversing substantial progress made since 1980. The team looked at vaccination data on seven childhood vaccines (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, pneumococcus, polio and rubella) across all 27 EU countries between 1980 and 2024. Over the full period, vaccination rates rose in most countries for most vaccines, but 16 countries have seen recent declines in vaccination rates for four or more vaccines. Most of the recent declines began between 2019 and 2022, they say, during COVID-19. The pandemic may have contributed to the disruption of routine vaccination services, the authors add, although they caution that their study just looked at changing rates, not causes.

Dutch chipmaker Nexperia announced a far-reaching partnership with Tata Electronics on Thursday to manufacture and package computer chips in India, further sealing its split with Chinese parent Wingtech.

...

Under the deal, Nexperia and Tata will manufacture a swathe of Nexperia's power control chips at the $11 billion plant Tata is constructing in Dholera. The companies will also cooperate on testing and assembling chips at Tata's packaging facility in Jagiroad, they said.

...

"This comprehensive partnership ... represents an important step in Tata Electronics’ efforts to build a globally competitive, integrated semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India," Tata Electronics CEO Randhir Thakur said in a statement.

...

Nexperia is an important maker of simple chips that are widely used in the automotive and consumer electronics industries. Its ongoing dispute with Wingtech was triggered by a September 2025 intervention by the Dutch state, which it said was aimed at preventing the company from moving operations to China.

...

[In 2025], a Dutch court has stripped Wingtech of control over national security concerns, and Thursday's partnership with Tata was endorsed by Nexperia's current management board.

...

Archived

Some cool facts about Denmark. Don't take the title so seriously ;).

Denmark has given the highest proportion of its GDP to Ukraine since 2022.

<..>

In How To Be Danish, Patrick Kingsley wrote about Denmark’s 70 folk high schools, which are attended by about one in ten adults, of all ages. Indeed it’s not uncommon for people to die of old age while enrolled, which Danes apparently consider a good death. Perhaps there is some sort of social democracy version of Valhalla where those who died in the middle of adult education go to.

The Folk High School was the brainchild of Danish national hero Nikolai Grundtvig, who coined the concept of folkelighed, or what historian Knud Jespersen called ‘mutually committed community’. Jespersen wrote in A History of Denmark that ‘The key concepts in this were folkelighed, tolerance, openness and liberal-mindedness: the means were enlightenment and committed dialogue.’

<...>

Denmark also had the highest casualty rate among American allies in Afghanistan, losing 43 servicemen in the war to avenge 9/11.

<...>

The secret to Denmark’s success is their high trust and sociability, and Booth also wrote how, ‘according to the Danish think tank Mandag Morgen, they belong to more associations, clubs, unions, societies and groups, and have larger social networks, than any other nationality – 43 per cent of over-sixteens belong to something or other… There are 83,000 local and 3,000 national societies and associations in Denmark – on average every Dane belongs to three. Over a third belong to a sporting club or association. These range from your common-or-garden leisure-orientated groups – the Bittern Spotters Club, say, or the Danish Flødeboller Association – to the still-powerful trade unions, which have a combined membership equivalent to a quarter of the population.’

[Original in German. This is an automated translation with minimal translation.]

In October 2024, a student from China living in Zurich, Switzerland, attacked toddlers on their way to daycare with a knife, injuring three children. He said that he felt unaccepted by Swiss society and wanted revenge.

An event at Zurich's University promoting Taiwan's freedoms and independence was part of his motive to turn violent. He purposefully chose the National holiday of China for his crime.

...

The Chinese came to Zurich in August 2023 as a master student in Computer Linguistics ... Initially, he was happy on Instagram about the beautiful sides of Switzerland. In September 2024, the tone of his contributions tilted. He was outraged by an occasion at the University of Zurich on the sovereignty of Taiwan and wrote, "Shame on Taiwan’s independence. Taiwan belongs to China."

Minutes before the fact, he published a post in which he first adored a woman and then sexually degraded her. He loves them as fervently as the Chinese Communist Party. He underlined the text with patriotic marching music.

He wished his compatriots a beautiful Chinese national holiday. He chose this day for his deed in Zurich.

...

According to the public prosecutor’s office, he felt disrespected and increasingly unhappy in Switzerland. He had acted out of "mere vindictiveness" and "ideological delusion". He had wanted to shock and unsettle Swiss society.

...

The public prosecutor emphasizes the minute planning of the crime.

The young Chinese ordered a set of knives, studied anatomical representations and practiced knife stitches on a piece of beef.

...

How often are Chinese accused?

Very rarely. The crime rate of the Chinese resident population in Switzerland is lower than that of the Swiss population. Last year, police charged 0.13 percent of Chinese nationals with a violent crime. For the Swiss, the figure was 0.15 percent.

What does the court have to decide?

The accused has confessed. The court must clarify whether he was able to control his actions despite the psychotic disorder. Was he full, diminished or not at all guilty? The punishment and a therapeutic measure depend on this.

...

Archived

cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1964928/russian-military-jets-violate-lithuanian-airspace-italian-fighters-scrambled

cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1964535/irelands-national-broadcaster-will-boycott-2027-eurovision-song-contest-for-2nd-year-ov

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU is opening the door for Canada to become the first associate member of the 27-member bloc.

Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union or halt trade with the bloc entirely if it proceeds with the plan.

The proposal signals a significant shift in the EU, which had been lukewarm to Germany’s proposal in May of an associate membership for Ukraine.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/71670397

BYD will need three vehicle assembly plants and one battery factory in Europe over the longer term to pursue its growth plans and comply with EU regulations, the Chinese automaker's special adviser for Europe said.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11372471

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, Sept. 17, that China is not politically on Ukraine’s side in Russia’s war and instead leans toward Moscow, despite having enough influence to push Russian leader Vladimir Putin toward negotiations.

Zelensky made the remarks in an interview with Japanese public broadcaster NHK, excerpts from which he published on his official Telegram channel.

“It is a pity that China is not on our side in this war – politically. It is not even about weapons,” Zelensky said in the final excerpt.

He argued that China’s position was not neutral because Beijing appeared more open and willing to help Russia than Ukraine.

...

Zelensky said Chinese technology and equipment were reaching Russia, possibly together with specialists and technical expertise.

The Ukrainian president said he had never seen China publicly pressure Moscow to stop the war.

...

In his assessment, Beijing could find a way to push Putin toward negotiations but had chosen not to do so. He questioned whether refusing to act despite possessing such influence amounted to support for Moscow.

...

Ukraine has repeatedly raised concerns about Chinese-origin technology found in Russian weapons. In July, Beijing had not visibly responded after Ukraine provided serial-number evidence linking Chinese-made components to Russian missiles and drones.

...

Kyiv Post also reported in August that Chinese components, including small turbojet engines, had helped Russia develop faster Shahed-type attack drones that are more difficult for Ukraine to intercept.

...

Zelensky also warned that North Korea had sent between 30,000 and 50,000 soldiers to Russia, where they were able to obtain experience in real combat rather than through digital simulations.

In the second interview excerpt, he said the North Korean forces had suffered significant losses when they fought Ukrainian troops during the Kursk operation.

Afterward, Zelensky said, they avoided entering Ukrainian territory directly but continued training inside Russia, including alongside drone operators.

“They are training, working with drones and drone operators,” Zelensky said, describing the experience they were gaining as a major threat to security in the Pacific region.

...

Archived

https://www.forbrukerradet.no/shortlife/

Link to part one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Upf_B9RLQ

The Norwegian Consumer Council is an independent, governmentally funded organisation that advocates for consumer’s rights. It should be easy for consumers to make sustainable choices every day. Consumers have the right to be protected against exploitation – both financially and digitally. To ensure this, we work to provide easy access to information, enforceable rights, and sufficient redress options when something goes wrong.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/52021558

🇪🇺 The new digital ID & biometric verification law, called EU KIDS ACT must be stopped!

It is a serious Human Rights nightmare, especially for Privacy & would negatively change the internet forever.

We need to stand together & fight this dystopian, authoritarian mass-surveillance movement!

It's all the same push as in Australia, the US et. - wherever you are, resist it ✊

#STOPEUKIDSACT NOW!

https://cdn.netzpolitik.org/wp-upload/2026/09/2026-09-15_COM_EU-Kids-Act_COM-2026-681-3.pdf

As always the graphic is public domain CC0 no copyright, use it however you want <3

Australia is aligned with Canada’s efforts to seek closer ties with the EU as Ottawa faces an escalating trade dispute with the US.

...

“We are on the same page," Australian trade minister Don Farrell told the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday. "We will take great interest in what Carney does."

...

Australia has sought to diversify its trade after facing US tariffs on exports, despite its long-standing security pact and free trade deal with Washington.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond to a comment request.

...

Mr Farrell said he was open to all options in future arrangements with the EU, excluding fibre-optic cables given the distances.

"The world is dividing into protectionists and free traders," he said. "It's indisputable that Australian prosperity of the last 50 years has all been about our engagement with the world."

...

Australia and the EU signed a free trade agreement in March after eight years of talks, removing tariffs on almost all goods and potentially easing EU access to Australian critical minerals.

Archived

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11367785

Archived link

Prime Minister Mark Carney is calling for a "deeper partnership" between Canada and Europe in order to hedge against great powers encroaching on the sovereignty of smaller nations.

"Together, Canada and the European Union can anchor our ground to hold our values while forming a protective canopy under which our citizens can thrive," Carney said in an address to the European Parliament on Thursday morning.

"This is about sovereignty. Our ability to live as we wish. It is about the freedoms we must fight for every day. Sovereignty requires resilience — the ability to withstand shocks."

The prime minister called for an "alliance of the future" between Canada and the 27 countries that make up the European Union. Carney has been trying to forge closer ties with Europe amid Canada's ongoing trade war with the United States.

The prime minister didn't mention Donald Trump by name, but nodded to the U.S. president's tactics in his speech. Carney echoed his Davos speech from earlier this year, saying economic integration has been used as leverage and suggesting that Europe can be a more reliable ally.

"We are not fair-weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals," Carney said. "We hold common values, for which we have always fought, and in whose defence we must always remain vigilant."

...

Carney offered a rebuke of Trump and other hegemonic powers in his address on Thursday, suggesting that an alliance between Canada and the EU will be a "beacon for other democracies."

"I want to be precise about what I am not proposing. I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival, only with better manners," he said.

"We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so that no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law."

Over the last year, Canada has signed several new partnership agreements with the EU. It was also the first non-European country to become a member of Security Action for Europe (SAFE), which provides €150 billion in loans for defence spending.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11365521

Berlin’s hurried shift to actively defending against hybrid threats shows the danger of cumulative under-reaction to hostile state-backed activity. Underreaction can leave democracies more vulnerable to sustained coercion, interference and sabotage, ultimately making them preferred targets.

This is a warning for Indo-Pacific countries, which confront similar hostile activities but lack agreed frameworks, common terminology and shared threat assessments. Germany’s experience shows the need for stronger national resilience, clearer attribution thresholds, wider response options and expected action from partners.

The challenge is to build credible deterrence and regional mechanisms before hostile activity becomes normalised.

In August, three drones carrying explosives were found at Halle airport in Leipzig, a major hub for military supplies to Ukraine. A month later, the German government concluded that Russia was responsible, assessing that the operation bore the hallmarks of Moscow’s hybrid playbook seen in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe.

What followed was the familiar European script: Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador, closed Russia’s consulate-general in Bonn and terminated the lease of the Russian cultural centre in Berlin. Germany also said it would seek additional EU sanctions, including tighter travel controls for Russian nationals and stronger action against the shadow fleet.

...

Publicly identifying attackers is the first step in signalling that coercive behaviour will not go unnoticed or unanswered. The annual threat assessment from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation contributes to this.

Democracies need credible options in-between inaction and military escalation. These could include exposing proxy networks, pursuing criminal prosecutions and coordinating sector-specific responses in areas such as cyber, infrastructure security and economic coercion. Responses need not mirror the initial attack, but they should raise the cost of continued hostile activity while remaining lawful and proportionate.

...

Archived

cross-posted from : https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/67615881