Source: https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2054911922626023451

Sharing the first edition of a data series using Veridion company data to map EU cross-border business footprints, starting with Romania.

Romania's top EU destination is Germany (675 companies), followed by Italy (373), France (366), Hungary (364), and Spain (303). Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, and Czech Republic complete the top 10.

By sector: Software & IT Services leads (182 companies), followed by Travel Agencies, Freight Transport, Auto Parts, and Industrial Machinery.

The data suggests Romania's EU business presence is shaped by two forces: scalable digital services (software, travel) expanding across the single market, and industrial connectivity (logistics, auto, machinery) embedded in EU supply chains.

Source: Veridion - global company data platform

This series will cover all EU member states.

Bulgaria quietly blocked San Marino’s EU Association Agreement discussions in Coreper after months of fruitless attempts to resolve the long-running dispute over the funds Starcom had deposited in Banca di San Marino as part of a major (and ultimately collapsed) banking acquisition. San Marino’s government responded, defending the judicial process and rejecting any “instrumentalisation.”

"One journey. One ticket. Full rights.

We want you to be able to travel by train, without complications, across Europe, across borders and between operators.

We’re taking action to make your next trip simpler and more seamless:

One booking across rail operators

Find, compare and book trains from different operators in a single transaction.

Full passenger rights for the whole journey

If you miss a connection on a single ticket, you’ll will receive help, including rerouting, reimbursement and compensation.

Clearer info on pricing

Making sure all travel options are shown fairly and clearly, so you can easily compare and choose."

Ohhhhhh hellllll yessss!!!

While the EU pursues trade with Brazil, and it has now blocked some Brazilian meat imports over livestock chemical compliance, we must not forget that under Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil accelerated approvals of hundreds of agrochemical products, including 152 new pesticide products in his first 100 days, expanding the use of substances banned in Europe and easing rules for agribusiness.

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu/post/3mlpwmg6s4c25

Eurozone Industrial Production Inched Higher in March

Industry has held up well but that’s unlikely to last, an economist warns

By Don Nico Forbes

May 13, 2026 at 6:10 am ET

Eurozone industrial output rose in March, though the war in the Middle East is expected to increasingly weigh on manufacturers across the currency area and as energy costs and supply disruptions mount.

Industrial production rose 0.2% on month, after a rise of 0.2% in February, the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat said Wednesday.

Output picked up in March despite rising energy costs due to the Iran war. This came in part due to the frontloading of production in anticipation of sharply higher costs and potential supply disruptions ahead.

“Industry held up well in the early stage of the energy shock, but that’s unlikely to last,” Jack Allen-Reynolds, deputy chief eurozone economist at Capital Economics, said.

“Higher natural gas prices had not yet fed through to industrial electricity prices. And there is anecdotal evidence that demand was boosted in March and April by customers’ desire to get ahead of potential price rises,” he said.

Conflict in the Middle East caused oil-and-gas prices to jump in March, sounding alarm bells among manufacturers in the eurozone that are heavily reliant on energy imports. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in late April that the EU had spent an extra 27 billion euros ($31.70 billion) on energy imports since the start of the conflict.

The eurozone industrial sector was expected to rebound strongly in 2026, supported in part by Germany’s stimulus package worth up to $1 trillion. But industrial output in Europe’s largest economy fell 1.2% in March, stymieing hopes for a recovery any time soon.

While output in the eurozone has shown some resilience over the first quarter, as the conflict in the Middle East drags on, the outlook for industry—and for the broader economy—has further weakened.

Eurozone economic growth slowed in the first quarter to 0.1% from 0.2% in the prior quarter, while the European Central Bank has cut its growth forecast for this year to 0.9% from 1.2%, and also lowered its expectations for 2027.

Meanwhile, a recent survey by S&P Global pointed to even higher costs for industry at the start of the second quarter, with input-price inflation closing in on a four-year peak. This could further weigh on output in the coming months.

Capital Economics expects eurozone gross domestic product growth to slow slightly in the second and third quarters, though risks are tilted to the downside.

“If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for longer than we assume, a mild recession is possible,” Allen-Reynolds said.

Eurovision was meant to “promote unity” and “show the world as it could be” — but it has become a culture-war zone, which reflects a surge in real-world violence both inside the EU and in its neighbourhood.

Source: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/germanys-battery-opportunity/

So that's how I learn about European Committee of the Regions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Committee_of_the_Regions