This week’s featured stories 21September – 27 September 2026…
The European Union’s automotive sector needs a plan, not undue protection
A Bruegel Policy Brief says European automotive policy should prioritise affordable competitiveness over protectionism, using resilience criteria and temporary safeguards
The global economy is stabilizing, but the fiscal support that cushioned successive shocks since 2020 is unlikely to play the same role in the year ahead, according to the World Economic Forum’s Chief Economists’ Outlook
Europe’s demographic decline is constraining economic growth. Tinatin Akhvlediani considers how EU enlargement can help fill Europe’s labour shortages
Canada’s suggested ‘associate membership’ could become a new model for the EU’s non-European allies
Ursula von der Leyen called for Canada to be the EU’s first ‘associate member’. Tinatin Akhvlediani examines how the EU is looking to build deeper relationships with like-minded partners
Can ASEAN help mitigate other countries’ value-chain dependence on China?
China remains omnipresent in global supply chains. Ang Siah Hwee argues that the ASEAN economy is too closely woven with China to make this unrealistic in the immediate future
What’s threatening financial stability?
In the latest Bruegel podcast ‘The Sound of Economics’ Dutch Central Bank chief Olaf Sleijpen and Jeromin Zettelmeyer discuss risks, rates and responses in the EU
From tokens to weights – the changing value of AI
As token consumption becomes the AI economy’s unit of account and model access an instrument of statecraft, Purushraj Patnaik discusses how open-weight models are emerging as a critical test of India’s control over its data and technology
Is the AI existential threat real—and can regulatory action prevent it?
In a Brookings Commentary scholars from across Brookings lay out their own responses, addressing both the validity of these risks and what regulatory actions are necessary to prevent them
Sharper early warnings for low-income countries
The IMF and World Bank have reviewed their Debt Sustainability Framework for low-income countries, which identifies debt risks before crises emerge. Proposed reforms address higher debt-service costs, reduced development aid, more diverse creditors, and rising development and climate-finance needs
Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2026 advance progress on planet, technology and investment
The World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2026 convened leaders in New York for high-level working sessions to advance solutions that no single actor or sector can deliver alone
The energy transition – progress and challenges
Solar and wind have become the cheapest sources of new electricity, yet Europe is now switching them off in record numbers. Natalia Fabra and Mar Reguant argue that the binding constraint on the energy transition is no longer technology but market design
Tax policy considerations for the circular economy
In a Bruegel Policy Brief Roel Dom, Heather Grabbe and Costanza Greppi Maturana argue that EU fiscal systems still favour linear production, as virgin extraction stays largely unpriced and labour-intensive repair is penalised
Barbados – a strategic base for global wealth
As traditional wealth centres overhaul their tax regimes, high-net-worth individuals are reassessing where to live, hold assets and plan for the future. Ava-Marissa Lee explains why Barbados is well positioned to meet their evolving needs
Barbados – a gateway to global business opportunities
Barbados is regarded as one of the Caribbean’s leading centres for global business, attracting companies that value certainty, strong institutions and a government committed to supporting investment
Professional life is becoming increasingly international. Malta’s Nomad Residence Permit gives non-EU nationals a clear residence framework that allows them to keep working remotely while living on a Mediterranean island. For global professionals, it also helps explain why Malta is increasingly seen not just as a temporary destination, but as a longer-term base
WCR Best Facilitator for Global Trade 2026
World Commerce Review is pleased to announce that Euro Exim Bank Limited has been awarded the WCR Best Facilitator for Global Trade 2026
