“An open China brings opportunities to Europe”, a Sting Exclusive by China’s Ambassador to EU

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Head of Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union, Mr Zhang Ming, on the occasion of China International Import Expo. The opinions expressed in this article belong to the distinguished writer. Sixty years ago, the first major World […]

Trump rejects Europe’s offer for zero car tariffs; he had personally tabled that idea in July

The US-Mexico trade agreement, with or without Canada on board, targets Europe aggressively. For one thing, it will make life difficult for the German car companies which produce in Mexican assembly lines and sell in the US. Last Thursday, the European Sting reported the hidden sides of the US-Mexico trade deal in an article entitled, […]

Trump doesn’t only target Germany, aims to crack the entire EU

The EU-US trade war is now deeply dividing Europe between those who export cars to America and those who don’t. Germany and France have for quite some time been at odds, regarding the handling of the latest Donald Trump threat to impose import super-tariffs on cars assembled in Europe. Now, however, their differences are becoming […]

EU Council agrees to reform the system for motor vehicles but with “restricted” power for the Commission

It was last Monday when the EU ministers gathered in Brussels to draft new rules to prevent future emissions cheating from the automotive companies after the VW emissions scandal. The Council of Ministers from 28 countries proposed rules for cutting down the national authorities’ power giving at the same time the ability to the European […]

VW emissions scandal: While U.S. car owners are vindicated, Europe still unable to change its laws and protect its consumers

Volkswagen, the giant German automaker, has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in a Detroit federal court last Friday to conspiracy to defraud the U.S., commit wire fraud, and violate the Clean Air Act, obstruction of justice and import violations. However, VW still denies compensating European car owners arguing that a ‘technical fix’ can make cars […]

US prosecutors now target Volkswagen’s top management, upsetting Germany

Last Monday, the US prosecutors held Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt, charging him with plotting to deceive the United States, over VW diesel emission scandal. He is to appear today in the U.S. District Court in Miami in a hearing before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The VW employee was shown shackled and wearing a jail outfit. […]

A Sting Exclusive: “One year on from the VW scandal and EU consumers are still in the dark”, BEUC’s Head highlights from Brussels

This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Mrs Monique Goyens, the Director General of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) At the end of June, Volkswagen car drivers in the US heard that the car company had agreed to provide compensation payments of up to $10,000 to each driver and promised to buy back the […]

The EU responds to US challenges by fining Apple with €13 billion

Last Tuesday, the White House and the US Treasury in concerted actions issued farfetched statements against the EU Commission. The EU executive’s decision ordered the US giant technology company Apple Inc. to pay additional taxes of up to €13 billion in Ireland. These instant and strong reactions clearly denote that the US sees this Brussels […]

Volkswagen getting away with it in Europe

This is a guest article written by one of our passionate readers, Mrs Rachael Everly.  It was an embarrassing day when the news broke out that Volkswagen had been duping emission tests for years, and the actual emissions were way above what Europeans rules allowed. How it unfolded It was in the US that the […]

Volkswagen scandal update: “We want clarity fast, but it is equally important to have the complete picture”, Commission’s spokesperson underscores from Brussels

More than two months have passed since the Volkswagen emissions scandal broke out and the company is still under thorough investigation revealing that many more vehicles are affected by the cheating software and the firm’s fraudulent techniques. Last Monday, the Volkswagen (VW) chief executive officer Matthias Müller stated in Wolfsburg, Germany that the majority of VW’s […]

Draghi rehabs ECB into a tool to support growth and employment; a departure from Teutonic orthodoxy

On Thursday 22 October Mario Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank delighted the world capital markets with his comment about the “factors that are currently slowing the return of inflation to levels below, but close to, 2% in the medium term” He added that “In this context, the degree of monetary policy accommodation […]

How dearly will Germany pay for the Volkswagen emissions rigging scandal

The Volkswagen emissions scam exposed by the US authorities last week has more substance than the vast and varied financial, commercial and legal consequences wherever in the world the company is present. VW has a great weight in the German car universe with its 12 brand names (VW, Audi, Porsche, the Volkswagen trucks Scania and […]

Merkel, Mercedes and Volkswagen to abolish European democracy

That the German automotive industry is one of the strongest in the world is not news. Most Europeans are rather content in the idea that Europe is well represented in the fierce global automotive arena, not because we are or will ever be shareholders of Mercedes or Volkswagen, but rather because when we see an […]

European Commission: the LED lights of your Audi A6 shall save our planet

How many of you took your stunning black Audi A6 3.0 liter for a ride on the evening of the 11th of April? Do you remember the moment you switched on the LED driving lights and you felt an unprecedented bliss thinking that you are not only rich but you are also protecting the environment? […]

European car industry: The Germans want it all

That the German cars are gas guzzlers is a fact beyond reasonable doubt, not because they are badly engineered, that they are not, but simply because they are usually powered by engines of many thousands of cm2 cylinders. Those powerful Mercedes, BMWs, Porsches, Audis and even Volkswagens produce hundreds of PSIs, but at the same time they […]