About: eurozone budget
Energy, EU reform on the agenda as Macron heads to Spain and Portugal
France's Emmanuel Macron makes his first visit as president to Spain and Portugal, starting Thursday, in his push to overhaul the EU, with the two southern allies seeking French help to connect their energy grids to Europe.
EU leaders postpone completion of banking union
Despite previous promises to achieve results on eurozone reforms in June, EU leaders postponed until December an agreement on the backstop to wind down failing banks and did not include any date for starting discussions on a European deposit guarantee scheme.
Eurozone reform: CDU split over Merkel’s plans
Parts of the German CDU party are highly critical of the joint reform plans proposed by their own Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Her projects for the eurozone are the "wrong signal", they say. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner “WirtschaftsWoche” reports.
‘Differences’ persist on eurozone budget ahead of key EU summit
Eurogroup head Mário Centeno warned Monday (25 June) of differing opinions towards a plan by France and Germany to establish a eurozone budget, ahead of a key EU summit to discuss the matter.
Strong reactions in Germany against eurozone reform
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s opponents from left and right have contested the recently signed agreement between France and Germany for the creation of a budget for the euro area in 2021. EURACTIV.fr reports.
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.
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.
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.
Merkel open to EU migration reform, cautious on eurozone
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday (10 June) she was more open to French President Emmanuel Macron's plans to reform migration and defence policy in Europe than his hopes to bolster the euro.
Unemployment peaks to trigger new investment shield
A spike in unemployment numbers would give EU countries access to €30 billion of soft loans to maintain investment in times of economic turbulences, according to proposals unveiled by the European Commission on Thursday (31 May).
France ups the pressure for eurozone budget
Without reform the euro area won’t survive, according to France's economy minister, adding to the pressure on Germany a few weeks ahead of a crucial European Council summit. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Macron visits Merkel in bid to salvage eurozone reform plans
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Berlin Thursday (19 April) for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, hoping to breathe fresh life into his grand vision for EU reforms in the face of growing German resistance.
Macron offers half-hearted defence for waning eurozone push
Emmanuel Macron toned down his ambition of completing the Economic and Monetary Union in a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday (17 April), as he appears to be losing Germany’s backing and faces mounting pressure at home on unpopular economic reforms.
Not all Macron’s EU reforms possible, German finance minister says
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said EU reforms proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron should be addressed before European elections next year, but added that some of the proposals were not feasible.
Eurozone leaders pledge to conclude banking union by June
Friday's eurozone summit ended with an agreement to finalise the banking union by June, but the future of the fiscal union remains unclear as leaders remained divided.
Europe’s reform push faces reality check
The impulse to bolster the eurozone, sparked by Emmanuel Macron’s victory in France almost one year ago, is losing its vigour as political instability persists and a group of countries have solidified their opposition to bold changes.
Moscovici: ‘The credibility of the EU tax haven black list is at stake’
The EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Pierre Moscovici is determined to table a digital tax proposal at EU level, despite warnings from the OECD. In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV, he also warns EU countries for failing to publish the commitments made by tax havens to exit the EU’s ‘black list’.
Eurogroup head hails German coalition blueprint for eurozone reform
The Eurogroup's new president, Mario Centeno, has welcomed eurozone reform proposals agreed by Germany's two biggest parties in preliminary coalition talks.
Commission advisor: EU needs bigger budget, and needs to start debating it now
EU leaders should start debating the next multi-annual budget as soon as possible because the talks will be more complex than ever and may produce legal disputes that will force the union to revert to an interim budget in 2020, a senior adviser to Commissioner Günther Oettinger told EURACTIV.com.
Berlin and Paris step up push for eurozone reform deal
Emboldened by a preliminary coalition deal between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Social Democrats (SPD), Germany and France will try to inject new momentum into their stalled EU reform efforts this week when their finance ministers meet in Paris.
Turning the page on the eurozone crisis: Economy and Finance in 2018
On the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis, the European Union will definitively turn the page on the worst economic crisis in its history with the closure of the Greek rescue programme and the last excessive deficit procedures, while adopting the biggest overhaul of its financial sector in years.
Macron convinces Merkel to hold key debate on future of euro in March
Amid the political paralysis in Germany, EU leaders decided on Friday (15 December) to postpone for March a “strategic political discussion” on the future of the eurozone and adopt a 'reform roadmap' in June.
Tensions arise between Tusk and Commission over migration
The Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos described on Tuesday (12 December) European Council President Donald Tusk’s proposals on migration intended for the EU leaders’ summit later this week as "unacceptable" and "anti-European".