News archive

UK to announce EU policing opt-out plans
The UK is set to announce plans to withdraw from EU justice and home affairs cooperation measures including the European Arrest Warrant

'Everything about us is open', says EU commissioner
The European Commission has no problem of legitimacy but does have difficulty communicating to citizens – and the "double language" of national politicians and the media is partly to blame, Androulla Vassiliou claims

Austerity 'destroying social fabric' of Europe
The social fabric in many eurozone countries is being "destroyed" as a result of the economic crisis, senior member of the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda said yesterday

EU awarded Nobel Prize for creating lasting peace
In possibly the best public relations boost it has ever received, the EU has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 - despite the ongoing eurozone crisis, riots on the streets and growing nationalism in member states

Van Rompuy: EU's relative decline 'a happy thing'
Europe has "nothing to fear and everything to gain" from the rise of emerging economies – and its relative decline should be welcomed, say political and business leaders

Economic growth in Europe may flatline for 25 years
Continuing problems with the single currency and a lack of willingness to embrace controversial technologies like GM food and shale gas could result in economic stagnation for the next two and a half decades – academic warns

Spain downgraded to near 'junk' status as death spiral continues
Spain's long list of problems includes an economy in chaos, a political system threatening to turn in on itself and higher borrowing costs resulting from a lack of eurozone support - warns ratings agency

Commission plan - 're-industrialise' Europe, reject offshoring
With unemployment rates in double digits in most EU countries, the European Commission is launching a new strategy to re-industrialise Europe with the aim of creating more jobs and tackling the worsening social crisis of the old continent, Francesco Guarascio reports

Breakthrough in push for financial transaction tax
Eleven countries led by Germany and France have indicated their willingness to sign up to a financial transaction tax, enabling a group of European Union member states to push ahead with the policy

Merkel gives support to Greece on Athens visit
Visiting Athens for the first time since the onset of the crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledges the 'suffering' of the Greek people but keeps the pressure on Greece to meet the conditions of its bail-out

Falling bank lending to 'exacerbate' eurozone recession
The recession in the eurozone is likely to be made worse by banks retreating behind national borders, with lending falling faster than immediately after the peak of the crisis, Ernst & Young wanrs

ESM granted top AAA credit rating by Fitch
The eurozone's new permanent bail-out fund, the European Stability Mechanism – which will have a lending capacity of some €500bn – has been awarded a top not AAA credit rating by Fitch

Dutch 'weed pass' law driving Cannabis trade underground
By driving the soft drugs trade underground, the Dutch town of Maastricht has triggered a crime wave. Justin Stares analyses the effects of the controversial 'weed pass' law

Cameron to review EU migration to UK
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said his government could challenge the freedom of some EU migrants to live and work in the UK and promised to block 'massive increases' in the EU budget

More sanctions or a military strike on Iran: no choice at all
EU imposed sanctions on Iran are hurting small businesses in Europe, but the alternative of an Israeli military strike on the country's nuclear sites is even more unpalatable – writes Pietro Battistella