Subsidies

• The European Union has seen a significant increase in state aid as member nations shift toward more aggressive subsidy strategies. • This policy shift is primarily driven by the need to compete with China's state-backed industrial model and the United States' Inflation Reduction Act. • While these subsidies aim to protect strategic industries and foster green technology, they risk fragmenting the EU single market by favoring wealthier nations.

• Thailand’s cabinet approved new borrowing of 200 billion baht, or $6.13 billion, to support a consumer subsidy scheme, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said Tuesday. • The package is part of the government’s effort to cushion households from higher costs linked to the Middle East conflict and broader economic pressure. • The decision matters because it shows Bangkok is using fiscal support to stabilize living costs and shore up demand at a fragile moment for the economy.

Al Nahyans’ control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farmsThe United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...

Company has received about £8.7bn in renewable energy subsidies since 2012, despite claims wood pellets are not sourced sustainablyThe owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire received record subsidies of almost £1bn for burning trees to generate electricity in 2025, a climate thinktank has calculated.The company was paid £999m last year for generating about 4.5% of Great Britain’s electricity from its biomass plant, costing each household £13 a year, according to analysts at Ember. Continue reading...

• One in 10 Americans who held Affordable Care Act plans last year dropped health insurance entirely after federal subsidies expired, according to a survey by the health policy think tank KFF. • The expiration of federal subsidies has forced millions to make difficult choices about maintaining coverage, with significant gaps now in the insurance market. • Hannah Frigand, senior director of the HelpLine for Health Care for All in Massachusetts, highlighted the tough decisions people face regarding health insurance plans in the post-subsidy environment.