Economy & Jobs
Germany earned 2.9 billion euros from Greece’s debt crisis
Germany turns out to be a major beneficiary of Greece’s debt crisis as it earned a total of €2.9 billion between 2010 and 2017. This emerges from a response of the Federal ministry of finance in Berlin to a parliamentary request from the Greens (Bündnis90/Die Grünen) in the German Bundestag obtained by EURACTIV.
German finance minister defends euro reforms against conservative attack
Germany's finance minister on Wednesday (20 June) defended a euro zone reform blueprint agreed with France against criticism by Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives that it could undermine monetary stability.
Eurozone ministers seek end to Greece bailout odyssey
Eurozone ministers will on Thursday (21 June) try to resolve their differences over the terms of Greece's departure from its massive bailout programme with splits over the degree of debt relief needed by cash-strapped Athens.
Quarrel between Merkel and Seehofer threatens Macron too
French President Emmanuel Macron rode to Chancellor Angela Merkel's aid on migration policy this week - because he is aware that the political crisis in Berlin might affect him as well. EURACTIV Germany's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
The Brief – The price of a hollow eurozone budget
More than a year after Emmanuel Macron won the presidential elections in France, and following three months of arduous negotiations between Paris and Berlin, the French president finally got his trophy: a specific budget for the eurozone.
Unravelling the Macron-Merkel agreement
A meeting between Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron was meant to foster a breakthrough on possible eurozone reforms. But the declaration brokered on Tuesday (19 June) is full of language that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. EURACTIV Germany reports.
French energy giant Engie hit with €120 million ‘illegal’ state aid ruling
Luxembourg will have to recover about €120 million in unpaid tax from French energy giant Engie, after the European Commission found the Grand Duchy guilty of breaching strict state aid rules.
Macron wins Merkel’s backing on budget for eurozone
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (19 June) won German Chancellor Angela Merkel's backing for reforms that are aimed at bolstering the eurozone against crises, including a vaunted budget for the bloc.
EU dilemma on Morocco-Western Sahara conflict remains unsolved
Morocco is the EU’s most stable trading partner in North Africa and a reliable ally in Brussels’ efforts to control African migration across the Mediterranean. But two rulings by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) have revived political tensions in the region and complicated things for the Commission.
Mercosur plays the field as EU trade talks drag on
Leaders of South American trade bloc Mercosur pushed for trade deals with Asian and other Western Hemisphere countries during a summit on Monday (18 June), as roadblocks remained in talks with the EU despite optimism earlier this year.
MEPs and NGOs urge ministers to reach deal on Work-Life Balance directive
More than 3000 organisations and a group of senior MEPs have urged EU employment ministers to broker a common deal to open talks with MEPs on the Work-life Balance Directive next Thursday (21 June).
Commission’s ‘stabilisation function’ very modest, says eurozone fiscal sheriff
The European Fiscal Board has discredited the Commission’s proposed fund to protect investment as “very modest”, “narrow” and not well designed, its chair Niels Thygesen said on Monday (18 June).
German politics risks affecting eurozone reform
The leaders of France and Germany’ will meet in Berlin on Tuesday (19 June) for a preparatory summit ahead of the European Council at the end of the month. But the two countries continue to hold different views on the subject of the economy. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Integration through language
Five years ago, the founders of ‘Teachers on the Road’ started visiting fifty refugee homes in the German states Rhineland-Palatine and Hesse. A lot has changed since then – and not always for the better. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Migrant feud casts shadow as Macron and Merkel seek EU roadmap
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Germany tomorrow (19 June) seeking progress with Chancellor Angela Merkel on elusive eurozone reforms, but the deepening EU rifts over migration threaten to dominate an already daunting agenda.
The Brief – An unhealthy obsession
Like the Olympics, the World Cup is one of life’s great distractions. Its enduring popularity ensures that it is also an obsession for politicians. Argentina’s military junta was so desperate to win the competition it hosted in 1978, that it...
Mario Draghi: The euro is irreversible
Despite concerns over a potential new euro crisis due to Italian political instability,the president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, believes the currency is “strong”. EURACTIV’s partner La Tribune reports.
EU backs tariffs against US as trade war escalates
EU countries approved a raft of tariffs on Thursday (14 June) targeting US goods including whiskey and motorcycles in retaliation against painful duties imposed by President Donald Trump on European metals.
Italy threatens to block CETA ratification
Italy will not ratify the free trade agreement with Canada as it does not sufficiently protect the country's food specialties, Italian Agriculture Minister Gian Marco Centinaio said in an interview on Thursday (14 June).
Eurogroup nears debt deal for Greek bail-out exit
Greece and its creditors are getting closer to a deal on a debt relief package to be sealed during the next Eurogroup meeting on 21 June, senior EU officials said on Wednesday (13 June).
EU to hike migration spending in development aid overhaul
The European Commission will set out its plans to dramatically increase spending on migration control on Thursday (14 June), as part of its overhaul of EU development spending between 2021 and 2027.
France asks for more coordination between European expertise agencies
European expertise agencies, the kingpins of solidarity policy, want to work more together in order to establish themselves as true competitors in the face of United Nations agencies, especially in the field of security. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Bulgaria to launch joint application to euro waiting room and Banking union
Bulgaria will seek to join both the eurozone’s waiting room and the bloc’s banking union within a year, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on Tuesday (12 June).