News archive

The falling gold price - no need for investors to panic just yet
A potent wealth preserver, gold's stability remains as compelling as ever for today's investor operating in such a fragile economic environment - writes Marcus Grubb

Ashton secures 'historic' Serbia-Kosovo deal
Serbia and Kosovo reach a long-awaited agreement on normalising relations between the two, after EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton hosted a last-ditch round of negotiations in Brussels

EU countries 'not taking fraud seriously'
EU member states have been accused of undermining efforts to discover the scale of fraud relating to the bloc's budget, in a report by published by a committee in the British House of Lords

Moody's warning on German economic growth
Moody's confirms Germany's AAA credit score in its annual report on the EU's biggest economy, but warns that growth will slow this year – while another rating agency downgrades the country

European health insurance system is 'on the verge of collapse'
Tourists travelling to the Mediterranean this summer should be aware that Europe's 40-year old public healthcare insurance scheme is close to breaking point, writes Justin Stares

Horsemeat in almost 5 per cent of beef products
The European Commission has said that the results of DNA tests on beef products established that the horsemeat scandal was one of 'food fraud and not of food safety'

Temporary euro suspension could 'heal' Greece
A temporary suspension from the eurozone, with the drachma operating alongside the single currency in parallel, could help Greece 'heal its economy', according to a group of economists

Reform of emissions trading scheme blocked by MEPs
A plan to shore up the price of carbon in the EU's emissions trading scheme by cutting the surplus of allowances was rejected by MEPs today

EU condemns 'atrocious' Boston marathon bombs
EU leaders have expressed their shock at the 'terrible bomb attack' at the Boston marathon in the United States, describing it as 'atrocious' and 'reprehensible'.

Croatia's first EU elections see dismal voter turnout
Croatia recorded the third lowest turnout for European Parliament yesterday, with only a fifth of the country's eligible voters taking part in the ballot to choose 12 representatives in the assembly

Croatia to elect first MEPs ahead of EU accession
Croatia goes to the polls this weekend to decide who will serve as its first MEPs, with the assembly's president Martin Schulz urging voters to "go to the ballot box and choose the best" candidates

People power has little effect in bureaucratic Brussels
The European Citizens' Initiative is destined to be a flop because the European Commission will never accept being told what to do by the people, writes Justin Stares

Portugal and Slovenia candidates for next crisis hot spot
Slovenia could need a bail-out of up to €4bn for its troubled banks while Portugal might also require further financial assistance, says the think-tank Open Europe

Gold to be sold as Cyprus bail-out costs soar
The cost of the bail-out of Cyprus has increased from €17bn to €23bn, according to documents produced by the country's international lenders, while its economy is expected to shrink 8.7 per cent this year

EU economic warnings target Spain and Slovenia
The European Commission calls on governments to make a 'decisive' commitment to structural reforms to tackle economic imbalances and lack of competitiveness in a series of countries