Press Review Archive
Merkel 'accepts need for EU growth measures'
Germany's opposition leader Sigmar Gabriel has said that chancellor Angela Merkel now accepts the need for growth and investment measures in Europe, reports the Independent
Friday 25th May 2012
Employers face fines over gender pay gap
The Irish Times reports on a European parliament resolution which could result in fines and sanctions for employers found to be paying women less than men for the same job
Friday 25th May 2012
Airlines renew criticism of ETS
Major European airlines have renewed their criticism of the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS), reports the Wall Street Journal
Friday 25th May 2012
Dutch MPs vote to ratify permanent rescue fund
Dutch MPs have voted in support of ratifying the European stability mechanism (ESM), which makes €500bn available to bailout struggling member states, reports the FT
Friday 25th May 2012
ECJ rejects calls by Lindt to trademark its chocolate
The European Court of Justice has rejected calls by Swiss chocolate makers Lindt to register its well-known rabbit as a trademark, says BBC News
Friday 25th May 2012
Greece and eurobonds in focus at EU summit
There is wide coverage of yesterday's special EU summit, with the Guardian reporting that France and Germany are at odds over how to restore confidence in the single currency
Thursday 24th May 2012
Iran nuclear talks move into second day
Talks with Iran have moved into the second day after world powers attempted to address concerns about its nuclear programme, the New York Times reports
Thursday 24th May 2012
EU joins push to find new antibiotics
The Wall Street Journal says the EU has pledged to commit more funds to find new antibiotics
Thursday 24th May 2012
MEPs back financial transaction tax
The Irish Times says that MEPs in Strasbourg have backed a proposal to introduce a tax on financial transactions across the EU
Thursday 24th May 2012
Roma face same 'inequalities' in east and west
BBC News cites a report claiming that Roma communities in western Europe often face similar levels of discrimination as their counterparts in eastern Europe
Thursday 24th May 2012
Europe debates possible boycott of Euro 2012
EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Füle says that politically motivated justice is "systemic" in Ukraine, as politicians debate a possible boycott of the 2012 European football championships, says Deutsche Welle
Wednesday 23rd May 2012
MEPs demand Canada ends visa demands
BBC News says that MEPs have renewed calls for Canada to lift its visa restrictions for citizens of Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic, making travel to the country visa-free for all EU citizens
Wednesday 23rd May 2012
European commission pushes for eurobonds
According to the Irish Times, the European commission has put pressure on Germany by calling on member states to agree a roadmap for a joint eurozone bond scheme, despite Berlin's opposition to the proposal
Wednesday 23rd May 2012
ECJ ruling says member states may deport criminals
According to the Telegraph, if Europeans commit serious crimes and continue to remain a threat, member states will be allowed to deport them, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled
Wednesday 23rd May 2012
Ashton concerned over arrest of Palestinan protest leader
The EU has expressed concern over Israel's conviction of a Palestinian protest leader, the Washington Post reports
Wednesday 23rd May 2012
France and Germany set for eurobonds collision
The Irish Times says that Germany and France have clashed ahead of an EU summit in Brussels tomorrow as their divisions deepened over the hotly contested question of jointly issued eurobonds
Tuesday 22nd May 2012
New Serbian president looks to dispel anti-EU reputation
The New York Times reports that incoming Serbian president Tomislav Nikolic has stressed that his election is not a referendum on EU membership and that he is eager to meet with German chancellor Angela Merkel
Tuesday 22nd May 2012
Commission gives Google the chance for remedies in anti-trust case
European competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia has given Google the chance to propose remedies in four main areas of concern and potentially avoid a massive fine, the Wall Street Journal reports
Tuesday 22nd May 2012
UK minister: Restricting EU labour market 'would be inappropriate'
BBC News reports that the UK government has dismissed the idea of restricting free movement of labour across Europe during the recession
Tuesday 22nd May 2012
FTT would have 'major implications' for SMEs
A Swedish business chief has called on the European parliament to learn from the negative impact of a financial transaction tax in the country in the 1990s
Tuesday 22nd May 2012
EU preparing 'emergency scenarios' for possible Greek euro exit
The EU is working on an emergency plan for the Greek exit from the euro, with EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht confident the single currency can weather the storm, reports the Telegraph
Monday 21st May 2012
Anger at MEP's 'bumper budget boast'
The Daily Express says a UK MEP has been caught on film 'boasting' about including a €1m bill into a budget to fund globe-trotting for him and his colleagues
Monday 21st May 2012
Election result casts doubt on Serbian EU membership
The New York Times reports that nationalist Tomislav Nikolic has been elected president of Serbia in a shock victory that casts doubt on Belgrade's future moves towards EU membership
Monday 21st May 2012
Hollande to press Merkel on eurobonds
The Irish Times says that France will press Germany at a European summit in Brussels this week to back jointly issued eurobonds in a drastic bid to assert control over the expanding debt crisis
Monday 21st May 2012
Cameron rejects calls for EU membership referendum
UK prime minister David Cameron has rejected calls for a referendum on Britain's EU membership, according to the FT
Monday 21st May 2012
EU urged to move towards directly elected president
The FT says that German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble has called for the EU to move towards political union in response to the eurozone crisis
Friday 18th May 2012
France will not ratify fiscal treaty as it stands
France's new finance minister Pierre Moscovici has insisted France will not ratify the fiscal treaty unless an EU growth pact is agreed, according to the Irish Times
Friday 18th May 2012
Obama calls on Europe to make boosting growth a priority
The Guardian reports that US president Barack Obama has warned Europe that it must act quickly to boost growth and spare the world from a second deep recession within four years
Friday 18th May 2012
Cameron warns debt crisis could 'get a lot worse'
British prime minister David Cameron has warned that unless decisive action is taken, the European debt crisis could "get a lot worse", the Telegraph reports
Friday 18th May 2012
EU will honour commitments to Greece, says Barroso
Commission president José Manuel Barroso has said that Europe will do everything it can to keep Greece in the eurozone
Friday 18th May 2012
Greek left-wing leader criticises EU and Merkel over austerity
Greek left-wing leader Alexis Tsipras has told the BBC that the EU and German chancellor Angela Merkel are "playing poker with European people's lives" by insisting on austerity measures
Thursday 17th May 2012
Spain urges EU to provide more support for struggling eurozone members
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has urged the EU to provide more support for the bloc's struggling members as borrowing costs for Spain and Italy look set to rise, the Wall Street Journal reports
Thursday 17th May 2012
Syrian president dismisses new round of EU sanctions
In his first interview with a foreign media organisation in 2012, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has said that EU sanctions have "affected ordinary people but not the government", reports the Telegraph
Thursday 17th May 2012
Sarkozy exit prompts Turkey to renew EU membership bid
The Guardian reports that Turkey has announced plans to renew its bid for EU membership, following former French president and key opponent Nicolas Sarkozy's exit from power
Thursday 17th May 2012
Scottish independence could force UK out of the EU
The Telegraph says that Scottish independence could force the UK to leave the EU and surrender its €3.7bn annual rebate if it wants to rejoin
Thursday 17th May 2012
Hollande and Merkel push for Greece to stay in the euro
French president François Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel have both said they want to keep Greece in the eurozone, reports BBC News
Wednesday 16th May 2012
Italian banks suffer mass downgrade
Italy has hit back at credit rating agency Moody's after a mass downgrade of the country's banks, describing the move as "irresponsible", says the Independent
Wednesday 16th May 2012
Basel III rules approved by EU finance ministers
The Irish Independent reports that EU finance ministers yesterday agreed on new Europe-wide bank capital rules, but ceded to pressure from national regulators to allow them more leeway to impose higher standards on their banks
Wednesday 16th May 2012
EU carries out air strikes on pirates
The Wall Street Journal says that European naval aircrafts fired at a pirate base on the Somali coastline for the first time in an escalated use of force against piracy threatening oil shipments that pass the Horn of Africa
Wednesday 16th May 2012
Kenny says decision unlikely at EU summit
The Irish Times quotes the country's prime minister Enda Kenny as saying it is highly unlikely that decisions would be made at a summit of EU leaders on 23 May
Wednesday 16th May 2012
Markets prepare for Greek exit from euro
Many of the international papers report on growing fears that Greece could be forced to leave the euro following inconclusive elections at the start of the month
Tuesday 15th May 2012
Hollande sworn in as new French president
The Guardian is among the papers to report that François Hollande is set to be sworn in as the new French president today
Tuesday 15th May 2012
EU-Ukraine agreement on hold over human rights situation
An EU agreement to increase political and economic ties with Ukraine has been put on hold due to serious concerns over the state of human rights in the country, Deutsche Welle reports
Tuesday 15th May 2012
Syria faces fresh round of EU sanctions
The EU agreed a fresh round of sanctions on Syria yesterday following the continued violence, with some officials frustrated with the length of time UN mission leader Kofi Annan has taken to establish a ceasefire, reports the Wall Street Journal
Tuesday 15th May 2012
EU urged to boycott goods from Israeli settlements
The Irish Times reports that Ireland may push for the EU to ban goods from Israeli settlements if Israel does not change its settlements policy in Palestinian territories
Tuesday 15th May 2012
Foreign ministers meet to discuss possible boycott of Euro 2012
EU foreign ministers will meet today to decide whether to boycott the Euro 2012 football tournament in protest against the imprisonment of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the Guardian reports
Monday 14th May 2012
Europe 'struggles to take a lead' on climate change
BBC News says UN climate talks are set to open in Germany today, with the EU struggling to keep its position of a global leader
Monday 14th May 2012
European commission welcomes Spanish reforms
European economics commissioner Olli Rehn has welcomed Spain's reform of its banking sector saying it will help restore confidence in the country, the Wall Street Journal reports
Monday 14th May 2012
Irish coalition confident of deal before fiscal treaty vote
The Irish Times says that an agreement on a stimulus package could be in place before Ireland votes in the fiscal treaty referendum at the end of the month
Monday 14th May 2012
Brussels sends out warning to banks over bailout commitments
According to the FT, EU competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia has warned Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland that they should not count on receiving softer bailout penalties
Monday 14th May 2012
Hollande threatens to block fiscal treaty
Newly-elected French president François Hollande is threatening to block the eurozone's new financial treaty unless Germany agrees to negotiate its austerity measures, international press reports today
Friday 11th May 2012
Member states discuss easing of Iran oil embargo
EU member states held talks yesterday to discuss possibly easing provisions of their Iran oil embargo, according to the New York Times
Friday 11th May 2012
MEPs approve new caps on roaming charges
Deutsche Welle reports that the European parliament has approved new caps on EU roaming charges to take effect on July 1
Friday 11th May 2012
Spain expected to announce new bank reforms
The Spanish government is expected to announce plans to clean up its banking system today, BBC News reports
Friday 11th May 2012
Greece in third attempt to form 'unity' government
BBC News reports that Greek socialist party leader Evangelos Venizelos is set to hold talks with his conservative party counterpart Antonis Samaras in a fresh bid to form a unity government
Friday 11th May 2012
Queen's speech confirms UK's exemption from EU bailout agreement
The UK coalition government has confirmed that it will be exempt from a new European bailout agreement between eurozone countries, according to BBC News
Thursday 10th May 2012
Kroes calls on MEPs to back new roaming plans
The European digital agenda commissioner has urged MEPs to back plans for new caps on roaming charges aimed at bringing prices down and eventually allowing users to switch operators when abroad, the Wall Street Journal reports
Thursday 10th May 2012
Ukraine PM told to stay away from summit meeting
The Washington Post says the EU's president has told the premier of Ukraine to stay away from a joint meeting next week because of the imprisonment of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko
Thursday 10th May 2012
Van Rompuy says EU must tackle crisis risks at source
The Wall Street Journal says that European council president Herman Van Rompuy called on Wednesday for far-reaching reforms to tackle the eurozone's debt crisis
Thursday 10th May 2012
Merkel and Hollande 'on track' over fiscal treaty
The Irish Times says German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president-elect François Hollande are well on their way to agreeing the main elements of a new EU growth strategy next week in Berlin, according to a key ally of the German leader
Thursday 10th May 2012
Van Rompuy calls for June summit to discuss election fall out
The Irish Times says that European council president Herman Van Rompuy has called on EU leaders to discuss the fallout from the Greek and French elections and the increasing clamour for new measures to boost growth in Europe's recession-struck economies
Wednesday 9th May 2012
Merkel welcomes Hollande 'with open arms'
German chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will work "well and intensively" with newly-elected French president François Hollande, Deutsche Welle reports
Wednesday 9th May 2012
Zimbabwe and EU to hold re-engagement talks in Brussels
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton is set to meet with several Zimbabwean ministers on Thursday in Brussels
Wednesday 9th May 2012
Commission announces review of member state aid rules
The European commission has announced plans to review EU state aid rules to support economic growth, the Wall Street Journal reports
Wednesday 9th May 2012
Jailed Tymoshenko transferred to hospital
BBC News says that jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has arrived at a hospital in the city of Kharkiv to be treated by a German doctor
Wednesday 9th May 2012