News archive

International development banks remain opaque institutions
Despite the establishment of internal bodies to help increase transparency and address complaints - international development banks still offer a very limited right to redress, Francesco Guarascio reports

Eurozone unemployment continues to rise
The eurozone's record unemployment rate has edged higher and the manufacturing sector continued to shrink across much of the currency bloc

Iceland's economic 'rebound' continues
Eurosceptic nationalists receive further ammunition in their fight against EU membership, as Iceland's resurgence continues

French budget hikes taxes on wealthy and businesses
Socialist French President Francois Hollande has delivered on his promise to put the burden of closing the country's deficit on the wealthy

French elite are fleeing Paris, to live in Brussels 'tax haven'
Faced with increasing hostility at home, France's moneyed classes are taking flight to Belgium because they do not like either Hollande or Sarkozy, reports Justin Stares. Brussels, on the other hand, seems to cater for all of the needs of the rich

Is NATO's European missile defence pointing at Iran or Russia?
Speculation over NATO's European missile defence system, and whether it is targeting Iran or Russia, is rife in Brussels. The Russians are certainly in no doubt about their view of developments, writes Justin Stares

Spain goes for more austerity amid turmoil and rating downgrade
The depth of Spain's economic and political turmoil has been revealed with yesterday's austerity budget sandwiched between violent protests in Madrid, Catalan calls for independence and a credit rating downgrade

EU says cloud computing a 'game-changer' for economy
The European Commission reveals a new strategy for cloud computing that it claims can give Europe's economy a €160bn annual boost and lead to the creation of more than two million new jobs

Greeks protest against austerity with general strike
The day after Spain was rocked by violent anti-austerity demonstrations in Madrid, workers in Greece are staging a general strike in protest against further spending cuts

Bowles warns of 'ticking time bomb' of UK exit from EU
Influential MEP Sharon Bowles criticises Eurosceptics for living in a '1930s fantasy of imperial power' and describes those who promote the demise of the euro as 'mad'

Eurosceptics 'totally potty' says senior British Lib Dem
Danny Alexander calls those who want the UK to leave the EU as 'potty' while describing a potential referendum on the issue as a 'total distraction'

Abu Hamza and Babar Ahmad fail to block extradition to US
The European Court of Human Rights denies Abu Hamza al-Masri, Babar Ahmad and three other terrorism suspects a final appeal and clears the path for their extradition to the United States from Britain

Biotech lobbying 'cannot dispel fears' about GMOs
The fresh controversy about GMOs is fully justified – the science does not have public support and there are potential risks to health and the environment, writes Nikos Chountis

Cost of new home for ECB soars above €1bn
Construction work on the European Central Bank's new Frankfurt headquarters is six months behind schedule and the overall costs of the project have risen above €1bn

Progress made on euro crisis resolution, says Fitch
Eurozone leaders have made progress towards solving the economic crisis in the last month – but the risks remain high and the end will not come quickly, the rating agency Fitch says