About: Eurozone
In blow to Eurogroup head, EU Commission criticises Portugal’s budget
The European Commission said on Wednesday (15 January) that Portugal's draft budget for 2020 was at risk of breaking European Union fiscal rules because of insufficient progress in reducing its structural deficit.
No progress on reform of eurozone bailout fund until March
Reform of the eurozone bailout fund will remain frozen until at least March, a senior official said on Wednesday (15 January), as governments are still divided over technical details on bond restructuring.
Croatia highlights its Schengen and Eurozone ambitions
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković made it clear that Croatia, the latest EU newcomer, wants to join as soon as possible the Union’s inner circles – the borderless Schengen space and the Eurozone.
Eurozone growth driven by services, weighed down by industry slump
While the eurozone's private sector stagnated until December 2019, the manufacturing sector saw a prolonged slump. It is the services sector that continues to drive the Eurozone's growth. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
Late Erasmus founder Lenarduzzi said Europe ‘as we conceived it’ is blocked
To honour the legacy of late Erasmus "father" Domenico Lenarduzzi, who passed away on Tuesday (3 December), EURACTIV is reposting an interview with him that was originally published on 22 September 2011.
France to convince member states on size of eurozone budget
Since the June agreement on the eurozone budget, blockages have persisted between the 19 members of the euro area. But France is now taking an active role in persuading the others of the need to pin down practical details. EURACTIV France reports.
France urges Germany to follow its example with budget stimulus
France will cut taxes by more than €10 billion next year and Germany should follow Paris' footsteps with fiscal stimulus to revive its flagging economy, France's finance minister said on Thursday (26 September).
French business expansion slows amid sluggish eurozone
France's private sector is growing at a slower rate and has reached the lowest level in the past four months, according to forecasts published by IHS Markit on Monday (23 September). For the eurozone, business expansion fell to the lowest level since June 2013. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
Growing pressure on eurozone economies to launch stimulus
The European Commission and some member states including France followed the ECB in pressing Germany and other countries with fiscal space to invest more to counter the risk of recession.
The seven-point recipe to improve EU’s messy fiscal rules
The European Fiscal Board has recommended major reform of the Stability and Growth Pact in order to simplify the EU’s spending rules and favour productive investment in the era of low-interest rates.
Italy’s PM seeks EU reform as government wins confidence vote
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called Monday (9 September) for the reform of European Union budget rules and cooperation on immigration as his new government won a parliamentary confidence vote.
Recession fears grow as euro area inflation hits three-year low
Inflation in the euro area fell to 1% in July, its lowest level since 2016, according to Eurostat data released on Monday (19 August), adding pressure on the European Central Bank to consider relaunching its economic stimulus program in September.
Germany’s slowing growth is penalising the whole of Europe
The European train is slowing down as one of its main drivers, the German economy, is experiencing a slowdown. At the same time, job creation across the EU is declining. EURACTIV's partner Euroefe reports.
Unconventional measures are seeing a comeback at the ECB
The ECB's key interest rate remains at zero and is expected to be at that rate at least until summer 2020. However, ECB chief Mario Draghi is suggesting that a decisive fiscal policy is far more important for the eurozone, especially for Germany and Italy. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Commission’s forecast paves the way for new ECB stimulus
The European Commission kept its growth forecast unchanged at 1.2% on Wednesday (10 July) but revised downwards inflation to 1.3% for this year and the next, strengthening the case for further monetary stimulus as global economic risks worsen.
Croatia launches bid to join euro waiting room
Croatia launched Thursday (4 July) a bid to join Europe's Exchange Rate Mechanism II, the two-year waiting room for eurozone candidates which pegs their currencies to the euro, the national bank said.
EU fiscal board insists on stabilisation mechanism
Any systemic shock will not affect just some countries but the whole euro area so if member states want to counter it adequately, they need to have a central fiscal capacity, European Fiscal Board (EFB) president Niels Thygesen told reporters on Tuesday (25 June).
Italy’s Tria sees no obstacles to budget deal with EU
Italy's economy minister said on Tuesday (25 June) he was confident of reaching an agreement with the European Union over the country's budget, adding that deficit targets in a draft deal would reflect a "more than prudent" fiscal policy.
Stabilisation mechanism in induced coma after EU leaders’ meeting
EU leaders failed to inject further ambition to a Eurogroup deal on watered-down reforms of the Economic and Monetary Union, including a budgetary instrument for the eurozone, at the Euro summit on Friday (21 June).
Trade tensions boosted international role of euro, ECB reports
Trade tensions, challenges to multilateralism and unilateral sanctions might be bad for the economy but they have helped boost the global use of the euro, the European Central Bank reported on Thursday (13 June).
Far from ‘devalued’, euro surges as trade war hits yuan
If evidence is needed of how far ripples from the Sino-US trade war are reaching, have a look at Europe where the yuan’s slump is driving up the euro’s value against trade partners’ currencies, handicapping the export-reliant bloc’s economy. Contrary...
Eurogroup to nudge forward EMU reform before next week’s EU summit
EU finance ministers will try to close a deal on deepening the Economic and Monetary Union, including a tentative new budget for the eurozone, during the Eurogroup meeting on Thursday (13 June) in an inclusive format.
Global growth continues to weaken, World Bank report confirms
After the IMF and the OECD, the World Bank has also cut its 2019 growth forecasts. Uncertainties over trade and investment are at the root of this slowdown, which is also affecting the eurozone. EURACTIV France reports.