Competition • Table.Briefings

April 16th, 2026

AI assistants on WhatsApp: Commission threatens Meta with enforcement measures

Meta has opened its WhatsApp service to third-party chatbots. However, the Commission notes that this service is not free of charge.

By Redaktion Table

Feature | Civil society

April 13th, 2026

Civil society: The blind spots of German-Chinese dialogue

After more than six years, the German-Chinese Dialogue Forum has reconvened. But on controversial issues, the public debate in both countries still continues to drift apart.

By Leonardo Pape

Feature | China

April 2nd, 2026

Schneider in China: Market analyst recommends investing in “winners from China”

Following visits to China by Chancellor Merz and Environment Minister Schneider, a Chinese expert is advising investors to focus on Chinese green-tech leaders. Germany must find new ways to deal with China’s technological dominance.

By Leonardo Pape and Nico Beckert

Interview | Climate policy

April 1st, 2026

Green tech: “German companies should invest in Chinese EV makers”

German automakers should use their financial reserves to buy stakes in successful Chinese green-tech companies, Climate analyst Li Shuo argues. At the political level, the first step could be a “technology-for-market” bargain.

By Leonardo Pape

Die Vorsitzende des Binnenmarktausschusses im Europäischen Parlament: Anna Cavazzini

News | Digital Markets Act

March 25th, 2026

DMA: Lawmakers call for tougher action against tech giants

The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee is calling for the consistent implementation of the Digital Markets Act. Members of Parliament are criticizing the anti-competitive behavior of large tech companies and calling for faster action by the European Commission.

By Corinna Visser

News | Decarbonization

March 20th, 2026

EU Innovation Fund: Why €12 billion in funding is going unused

The European Commission has been supporting clean-tech innovation for six years. The potential is considerable, but the results so far are sobering, according to the European Court of Auditors.

By Marc Winkelmann

News | Competition

March 13th, 2026

Merger control: Ribera wants to give greater consideration to the impact on resilience

The EU Commission is revising its guidelines for reviewing corporate mergers. In doing so, it wants to take greater account of geopolitically problematic dependencies.

By Till Hoppe

News | Competition policy

February 26th, 2026

“European Champions”: Medium-sized countries express support for maintaining robust competition rules

In a paper, six member states express their support for maintaining the EU competition rules, which some larger member states hope to refine through the revision of the Merger Guidelines.

By János Allenbach-Ammann

Talk of the Town | Mechanical engineering

February 22nd, 2026

VDMA vice president: “In-house production in China is hardly realistic”

Germany’s mechanical and plant engineering sector is fighting to preserve local value creation. Ahead of Friedrich Merz’s China trip, VDMA Vice President Alexander Jakschik is calling for political action against unfair competitive advantages – and better business conditions at home.

By Julia Fiedler

News | Trade

February 22nd, 2026

Industry associations: APA and DIHK set out demands for Merz

Shortly before Chancellor Merz’s trip to China, the German Asia-Pacific Committee and the DIHK are calling for fair competitive conditions. Last year, China once again became Germany’s largest trading partner.

By Leonardo Pape