News archive

Peak oil down to war, depression and geopolitical shifts
Given the increase in the amount of oil that China and India are importing, it looks as if there will be no oil available for other countries to import in another decade, warns Tom Whipple

Reding criticises EU leaders' summit victory parade
European Commission vice-president Viviane Reding denounces the way national political leaders claim victory for their own country at the end of EU summits

EU says eurozone economy to shrink in 2013
An improvement in confidence in financial markets since the summer of 2012 has not yet fed into the real economy, the European Commission says as it predicts that eurozone GDP will decline again this year

Call for annual EU reports on press freedom
National media laws should be subject to annual monitoring by the EU to guarantee press freedom and greater transparency applied to media ownership, MEPs say

EU will not give in to UK's repatriation of powers demand
European Commission president José Manuel Barroso will ignore British Prime Minister David Cameron's call for a debate on repatriating powers from Brussels to member states for as long as possible

Bulgarians and Romanians can earn five times as much in UK
Many economic migrants from Romania and Bulgaria could descend on Britain next year because the UK minimum wage is up to five times higher than the average salary in their native countries, a think-tank study reveals

EU's austerity budget deal slammed by MEPs
The reduced EU budget agreed by national leaders during overnight talks at a summit earlier this month has been sharply criticised by MEPs today

EU urged to scrap carbon trading scheme
The EU's flagship carbon reduction policy has come under fire from campaigners who claim it actually increases emissions and forces ordinary people to bear the costs while polluters make large profits

US wants 'more engagement' with Europe, says Kerry
The United States' newly installed Secretary of State, John Kerry, insists that America's greater focus on the Asia Pacific region will not lead to a loosening of ties with Europe

Widening horsemeat scandal leads to EU-wide testing
Thousands of tests are to be carried out on beef products and slaughterhouses across the EU as political leaders attempt to get to the bottom of the horsemeat scandal, which has continued to widen

Eurozone economy suffers 'dismal' end to 2012
The eurozone suffered a steep decline in output in the fourth quarter of 2012 as the recession in the single currency area deepened – with one analyst describing it as a "dismal end to a very difficult year"

Major economies warned on investment shortfall
Questions loom about whether the supply of financing for long-term investments will be adequate to meet the world's need for even modest economic growth, a group of senior bankers and economists says

Horsemeat scandal spreads across Europe
As many as 16 countries have been drawn into the scandal surrounding horsemeat being found in food products labelled as beef as the EU's complex supply chains come under intense scrutiny

Leaders reach deal to slash EU budget
EU leaders have today settled on a seven-year budget that will see spending reduced in real terms for the first time – but the European Parliament's leaders indicated their readiness to fight the cuts

'Fair play tax' on football transfer fees, EU study suggests
'Over inflated' football transfer fees should be subject to a fair play levy to redistribute money from rich clubs to their smaller rivals and the grassroots game, says the European Commission