About: eurobonds

Commission’s bond-backed product gets lukewarm reception

Financial representatives poured cold water on Thursday (24 May) on the European Commission’s proposal to create sovereign bond-backed securities (SBBS), insisting that not all the elements exist yet for a successful market for the product.

Commission’s Eurobond alternative still viewed with scepticism

The European Commission has said that the zero-risk weight of its forthcoming sovereign bond-backed securities proposal will be a ‘game changer’, but member states and the financial sector remain sceptical about how the new asset could work in practice.

Moscovici: Referendums not needed to deepen the eurozone

The European Commission backed alternative options to referendums in order to pass major changes needed to deepen the Economic and Monetary Union amid “broader questioning” about the single currency.

Schäuble insists EU treaty change now is ‘unrealistic’

Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said on Tuesday (23 May) that it is "unrealistic" to consider changing European treaties at this stage, calling instead for incremental steps by national governments to move EU integration forward in specific areas.

Spain calls for deeper eurozone integration, pooled debt

Spain's conservative government has added its voice to calls for deeper integration in the eurozone, suggesting to Brussels in a paper that members of the bloc should pool some aspects of their debt management and share a budget to fight crisis shocks.

Commission confirms work on securitisation of EU sovereign bonds

European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said today (27 January) that the goal of setting up European Safe Assets is to reduce banks' exposure to sovereign debt.

Martin Schulz’s rapid rise from Brussels man to chancellor candidate

Martin Schulz is known in Germany mainly as a European politician and an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel. But later this year they will face off in the country's leadership race. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

German constitutional court confirms complaint against ECB policy

Germany's Constitutional Court confirmed on Tuesday (17 May) it has received a complaint against the European Central Bank's monetary policy, as reported by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper at the weekend.

Italy wants EU bonds to fund refugee response

A common European Union policy to manage external borders and cope with the refugee crisis should be funded with common resources, including through the issuance of EU bonds, Italy said on Monday (22 February).

The Frankfurt Protocol: Calling for a new treaty for the eurozone

Faced with a series of unprecedented difficulties, the EU has little choice but to move forward swiftly to the next stage of integration. The way to do that is through treaty change, argues Anfrew Duff in his latest pamphlet 'The Frankfurt Protocol'.

A Europe of progress close to its people

Europe needs radical social reform, including a basic income, eurobonds and a financial transaction tax, argues Georges Dassis.

Moscovici: Eurozone must tackle ‘legacy debt’, have its own budget

Eurozone countries have to find a way to deal with the high public debt built up during 2008-2012, and which puts European economies on divergent tracks, EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Wednesday (6 May).

A solution for temporary debt mutualisation in the eurozone

The ECB’s Outright Monetary Transactions Programme (OMT) has offered welcome relief for many eurozone countries struggling with high debt levels. But the destruction of capital market discipline bears considerable risks, write Clemens Fuest and Friedrich Heinemann. To address this, the authors propose the introduction of a new form of junior government bonds, "accountability bonds".

Germany, France and Italy unite to boost EU growth

European Ministers in Germany, France and Italy have joined forces hoping to boost economic growth in the EU, mulling new financing instruments to realise their goals. EURACTIV Germany.

Italy keen to push European project bonds

Italy, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, is keen to re-launch debate on long-term "project bonds" to finance infrastructure projects, Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan told French business daily Les Echos.

Schulz and Juncker at loggerheads over France

Jean-Claude Juncker describes Martin Schulz’s lax attitude to France’s public debt as a “serious political error”. EURACTIV France reports.

Soros: ‘Germany should accept Eurobonds or leave the euro’

All eurozone governments need to issue bonds jointly to ensure that the common currency survives the sovereign debt crisis, investor George Soros said on Tuesday (9 April).

Van Rompuy lays out bid for eurozone budget

Eur zone countries should consider clubbing together to borrow as well as paying into a central budget that could be used to help struggling countries, according to a report prepared by senior European officials ahead of the EU summit next week (18-19 October).

France open to new EU ‘solidarity’ treaty

France is open to the idea of a new European Union treaty to deepen integration if it is deemed necessary for new "solidarity" mechanisms in the bloc such as debt mutualisation, said French Minister for European Affairs Bernard Cazeneuve.

Will a new German constitution save the euro?

On 12 September Germany's constitutional court will issue a preliminary verdict on the European Stability Mechanism and the fiscal compact. Whatever the court does, the debate about a new, pro-European constitution will hot up this autumn. But do not be fooled: Germany is still a very long way from agreeing to eurobonds, says Katinka Barysch.

Hollande sticks to his guns, calls for EU debt pooling

France’s President François Hollande has insisted that the European Union needed more solidarity and a system for debt mutualisation, a position which fell foul of Germany’s insistence that this should only happen after countries agree to greater fiscal oversight from Brussels. EURACTIV France reports.

Merkel on eurobonds: ‘Not in my lifetime’

German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to bury once and for all the idea of common eurozone bonds yesterday (26 June), as Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti repeated calls to use the EU's bailout funds to ease pressure on Italian debt.

Verhofstadt: Merkel, Hollande squabble like children

Time is running short to make a jump towards federalism - to avoid a complete collapse of the euro, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament, tells EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.