https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Sweden's top court has fully acquitted Birgitte Bonnesen, the former chief executive of Swedbank, overturning her previous conviction of "swindling" investors. https://www.thelocal.com/20260421/swedens-supreme-court-clears-former-swedbank-ceo-of-swindling Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:33:34 +0200 swedens-supreme-court-clears-former-swedbank-ceo-of-swindling New summer jobs, tax breaks on fuel and electricity and 'language breakfasts' to help young children improve their Swedish. Here's a roundup of the key points in Sweden's spring amendment budget. https://www.thelocal.com/20260413/what-swedens-2026-spring-budget-means-for-foreigners Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:37:15 +0200 what-swedens-2026-spring-budget-means-for-foreigners Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson presented the government's annual spring budget bill to parliament on Monday morning. https://www.thelocal.com/20260413/key-points-swedens-spring-budget-bill-in-less-than-a-minute Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:56:15 +0200 key-points-swedens-spring-budget-bill-in-less-than-a-minute In the Middle East energy exports to Europe have been disrupted by the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran that has spilled into surrounding regions. Economic experts are predicting a spike in inflation. https://www.thelocal.com/20260303/inflation-to-hit-eurozone-as-war-in-the-middle-east-disrupts-energy-flows Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:38:03 +0100 inflation-to-hit-eurozone-as-war-in-the-middle-east-disrupts-energy-flows A US Supreme Court ruling that sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump are illegal is a "strong signal for the rules-based trading system", German industry group BDI said Friday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260221/trump-tariffs-ruling-a-strong-signal-for-trade-rules-say-german-business Sat, 21 Feb 2026 16:19:39 +0100 trump-tariffs-ruling-a-strong-signal-for-trade-rules-say-german-business Austria will cut VAT on selected staple foods to 4.9 percent from July 1st, aiming to ease household costs. Here's what's getting cheaper (and what will still be expensive). https://www.thelocal.com/20260129/what-austrias-new-lower-vat-on-food-could-mean-for-your-shopping-bill Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:30:38 +0100 what-austrias-new-lower-vat-on-food-could-mean-for-your-shopping-bill European leaders on Sunday hit back at US President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs over their opposition to his designs on Greenland, with far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni urging Washington against making a "mistake". https://www.thelocal.com/20260118/european-leaders-denounce-trumps-tariff-threats-over-greenland Sun, 18 Jan 2026 09:46:34 +0100 european-leaders-denounce-trumps-tariff-threats-over-greenland The European Union will on Saturday sign a deal 25 years in the making with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, creating one of the world's largest free trade areas at a time of growing protectionism and volatility. https://www.thelocal.com/20260117/eu-to-ink-long-awaited-trade-deal-with-south-american-bloc Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:03:56 +0100 eu-to-ink-long-awaited-trade-deal-with-south-american-bloc Donald Trump on Friday warned that he could slap tariffs on countries that do not support his Greenland takeover plans, as US Congress members visited Copenhagen to give their backing for Denmark and its autonomous Arctic island. https://www.thelocal.com/20260117/trump-threatens-tariffs-as-us-lawmakers-back-denmark-greenland Sat, 17 Jan 2026 08:28:09 +0100 trump-threatens-tariffs-as-us-lawmakers-back-denmark-greenland Shoppers in Austria might have noticed empty supermarket shelves where they'd normally find the eggs. So what's the reason and when will eggs return? https://www.thelocal.com/20260108/whats-the-reason-for-austrias-empty-egg-shelves-this-winter Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:41:30 +0100 whats-the-reason-for-austrias-empty-egg-shelves-this-winter Buoyed by immigration, the Spanish economy has enjoyed positive headline figures in recent years and will continue to lead the way in the bloc in 2026, but Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez admits the benefits aren't yet trickling down to locals. https://www.thelocal.com/20251218/spain-to-be-fastest-growing-eu-economy-in-2026-but-benefits-not-trickling-down Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:32:33 +0100 spain-to-be-fastest-growing-eu-economy-in-2026-but-benefits-not-trickling-down Austria’s economy is set to grow again in 2026, but new forecasts suggest many households will see their incomes fall despite the recovery. https://www.thelocal.com/20251218/why-austrias-economy-is-improving-while-many-households-feel-worse-off Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:15:29 +0100 why-austrias-economy-is-improving-while-many-households-feel-worse-off Norway owes its massive wealth to oil, but reserves are declining. As part of the 2026 budget settlement, the country is to set up a commission to study potential scenarios for the country's post-oil economy. https://www.thelocal.com/20251204/what-does-norways-2026-budget-mean-for-countrys-oil-industry Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:18:15 +0100 what-does-norways-2026-budget-mean-for-countrys-oil-industry Tesla has sold more cars in Norway in 11 months than any other brand in a whole year, according to statistics published this week, in contrast to the rest of Europe where the electric car brand run by Elon Musk has faced headwinds. https://www.thelocal.com/20251202/norway-embraces-tesla-as-rest-of-europe-shuns-musk Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:04:33 +0100 norway-embraces-tesla-as-rest-of-europe-shuns-musk Sweden's economy is growing much faster than expected, which experts believe could mean that the government's financial policy has done too much too soon, raising the risk of an interest rate hike in the future. https://www.thelocal.com/20251029/is-swedens-rapid-economic-recovery-bad-news Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:35:10 +0100 is-swedens-rapid-economic-recovery-bad-news At least 14 percent of all patent applications developed in Germany now originate from inventors with foreign roots, with Indians, and women, making particularly dynamic contributions. https://www.thelocal.com/20251014/immigrants-and-women-behind-growing-number-of-patents-in-germany Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:45:57 +0200 immigrants-and-women-behind-growing-number-of-patents-in-germany The Spanish government approved Tuesday a "total" arms embargo on Israel, part of a package of measures aimed at halting what Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called "the genocide in Gaza". https://www.thelocal.com/20250924/spain-approves-total-arms-embargo-against-israel Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:01:59 +0200 spain-approves-total-arms-embargo-against-israel The 39-percent customs duties on US-bound exports could lead to massive layoffs in Switzerland, a new study reveals. But which sectors will be worst hit? https://www.thelocal.com/20250829/us-tariffs-threaten-up-to-20000-jobs-in-switzerland Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:02:52 +0200 us-tariffs-threaten-up-to-20000-jobs-in-switzerland The Swiss economy will likely grow more slowly than previously expected next year due to the massive import tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the economy ministry said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.com/20250828/swiss-economy-set-to-slow-due-to-trumps-huge-tariffs Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:59:03 +0200 swiss-economy-set-to-slow-due-to-trumps-huge-tariffs Switzerland said on Monday it was ready to make a better offer to the United States to avoid steep tariffs that have shocked the country. https://www.thelocal.com/20250804/swiss-government-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-us-tariffs Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:28:06 +0200 swiss-government-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-us-tariffs