U. that German aid would not be contingent on Opel keeping a certain number of jobs in Germany, lest Germany run afoul of European competition policy.

FORBES: Opel's Bumpy Ride

This is the president who attacks the European Central Bank at almost every opportunity for its rigid monetary policy, criticises the European Commission for its promotion of competition and is seeking to undermine the Doha world trade talks because they threaten to cut European Union farm subsidies.

ECONOMIST: France

The European Union wants the World Trade Organisation to look at competition policy.

ECONOMIST: Distrustful

Internationally, the competition policy division is responsible for relations with the European Commission on competition matters.

BBC: Is Mandelson a match for Murdoch?

The European Commission's regulators have customarily taken a far more activist approach to competition policy than their American counterparts.

ECONOMIST: Oracle and Sun Microsystems

To what extent Leapfrog is a response to genuine market need, as opposed to a piece of industrial policy intended to keep the European garment-making industry alive in the face of competition from low-wage countries, is not yet clear.

ECONOMIST: Automated tailoring comes closer