POLITICAL JOURNALISM CLIPPINGS
Clippings here include news articles that have appeared in the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the Globe and Mail, and the EUobserver. Though most articles are reported from Brussels, covering the Eurozone crisis, datelines have also included Budapest, Dublin, Oslo, Athens, Moscow, Warsaw, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris. Other topics I have focussed on include the rise of the new far right in Europe, the Arab Spring and EU-Middle East relations, and EU-EFTA relations. Click on the headline to visit the article.
Opinion pieces and analysis appear below the news articles, and have appeared in the Guardian, Jacobin, Ricochet, Briarpatch, Lava, and Red Pepper.
GLOBE AND MAIL
Cooking with seal, brought to you by the EU
The Fur Institute of Canada is planning to produce English and French versions of a seal cookbook originally published by the European Union - the year before the EU banned imports of Canadian seal products. Now something of an embarrassment for the EU, the large-format, hardbound 128-page Seal in the Modern Kitchen - published only in Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian - had never received much international notice.
THE GUARDIAN
Roma campaigners dismiss Brussels' claim on evictions and expulsions
A year after a succession of countries in Europe began breaking up Roma encampments and expelling hundreds of EU citizens back mainly to Romania, the European commission has claimed it is winning the battle to protect citizens' right to free movement across the bloc.
ECB austerity drive raises fears for democratic accountability in Europe
The EU's attempts to deal with the financial crisis by imposing austerity on member states will further alienate voters already disenchanted at the lack of accountability in Brussels and Frankfurt, leading European politicians and union leaders have warned.
EU open borders scaled back after influx of migrants
France and Italy appeared to have won the right to reintroduce border controls in emergency situations, after the European commission called for new rules to govern EU frontiers.
Hungarian mothers may get extra votes for their children in elections
In a move that would be unprecedented in a modern democracy, Hungary's new government is considering giving mothers with small children extra votes in elections.
Bahrain protest crackdown defended by European Union envoy
The European Union has defended Bahrain's violent repression of pro-democracy protesters, with the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's right-hand man downplaying the crackdown with the comment "accidents happen".
Israeli foreign minister accused of apartheid in attempted citizen's arrest
Avigdor Lieberman targeted in Brussels by journalist David Cronin, who previously tried to arrest Tony Blair for war crimes
EU denounces Libya's brutal suppression of protests
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have strongly condemned the violence in Libya and announced an overhaul of its strategy for the region as a whole, that could see billions in assistance shifted from relatively stable post-Soviet states to north Africa.
EU rejects eastern states' call to outlaw denial of crimes by communist regimes
The European commission has rejected calls from eastern Europe to introduce a so-called double genocide law that would criminalise the denial of crimes perpetrated by communist regimes, in the same way many EU countries ban the denial of the Holocaust.
Viviane Reding takes on US over data privacy rights in anti-terror campaign
The EU justice commissioner, Viviane Reding, has confronted Washington over data protection rights in the fight against terror, accusing the US of being interested only in accessing European citizens' bank records and flight schedules but not in protecting their rights while doing so.
Tweet revenge: Italians bombard EU summit wall with Silvio Berlusconi insults
An experimental "tweet-wall" on giant TVs in the main hall of the EU summit in Brussels was shut down to avoid causing embarrassment to Silvio Berlusconi after being hijacked by Italian Twitter users who bombarded it with messages calling their prime minister "a mafioso" and "a paedophile".
EU attempts to repair relations with Pakistan
The EU's foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton, has moved Pakistan to the top of the EU agenda after the floods, aiming to undo damage to EU-Pakistan relations by David Cameron when the prime minister accused Islamabad of exporting terrorism.
BNP attends international far-right conference in Japan
The British National Party is taking part in a week-long conference in Japan organised by Nippon Issuikai, an extreme-right group that denies Japanese wartime atrocities.
World of statecraft: EU parliament role-playing game to go online
Most online computer gamers are more likely to be found battling zombies or dragons than drafting legislation or debating the finer points of European integration. But that may be about to change. The European parliament is developing an online game called Citzalia, featuring a fictional version of the chamber in which participants re-enact the process of creating EU legislation.
EU turning blind eye to discrimination against Roma, say human rights groups
The European Union was today accused of "turning a blind eye" as countries across Europe carried out a wave of expulsions and introduced new legislation targeting the Roma.
EU to impose tougher sanctions on Iran
The EU will next week announce a package of sanctions against Iran that go well beyond last month's UN measures. They will affect UK and other European companies in the transport, banking and insurance sectors, diplomats say.
Maastricht ban on tourists in marijuana cafes upheld by EU court
Its name may be synonymous with European unity ‑ but increasingly its coffee shops are not. Moves by the Dutch border town of Maastricht to ban foreigners from its marijuana cafes have been upheld by the European court, in a rare contravention of EU laws governing free markets and free movement of people.
EU rights commissioner warns of laws to put more women in boardrooms
The European commission has warned companies that if they do not move voluntarily to ensure gender balance on executive boards, it will force them to.
Increase retirement age as life expectancy rises, says European commission
The European commission is proposing that retirement lengths in countries across the 27-nation bloc should rise automatically in line with rising life expectancy.
New row over colonial past as Congo marks independence
King Albert II of Belgium will today join African leaders including Jacob Zuma and Robert Mugabe at a ceremony in Kinshasa to mark the 50th anniversary of Congo's independence. The capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has received a facelift for today's military parade, but the anniversary has triggered a rancorous debate about the colonial record of Belgium, where a campaign is under way to prosecute ageing civil servants over the 1961 murder of a Congolese independence hero.
EUOBSERVER
Monti calls for boost to eurozone bail-out firepower
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has called for a boost to the size of the eurozone bail-out fund following a mixed response to a series of bond auctions by Rome.
Bosnia forms government in hope of EU candidate status
Bosnia’s feuding political factions have backed a new administration for the ethnically divided state, breaking an impasse that has lasted more than a year.
Greek elections pushed back to April
A general election in Greece to replace the technocratic administration of Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has been pushed back to April, governing parties have agreed, although the precise date remains unclear.
Majority of French oppose fiscal treaty
A majority of French people are opposed to the recently agreed EU plans for a fiscal compact treaty, with opposition Socialist presidential candidate Francois Hollande calling for a renegotiation of the text.
Students: 'Don't let Belarus join EU education area'
European students have warned that Belarus should not be allowed to join the EU-led higher education zone due to the ongoing repression of students and academics.
Denmark stuck in EU treaty quagmire
Days away from taking over the EU's rotating presidency that will be responsible in part for steering through a new intergovernmental treaty, the Danish government has become stuck in a quagmire of resistance to the so-called fiscal compact.
Bumpy ride for fiscal compact in Dublin, Prague, Helsinki
The EU’s new fiscal compact is again getting a bumpy ride from a number of quarters in member states, with opposition parties in Ireland warning over loss of sovereignty and the leaders of the Czech Republic and Finland also underlining concerns.
British Tory challenger for EU parliament presidency backed by far right
The UK Conservative challenger to the stitched-up election for the presidency of the European Parliament has won the support of a clutch of far-right MEPs, including the British National Party’s Nick Griffin and the Front National’s Bruno Gollnisch.
EU leaders embrace 'fiscal compact' demanded by central bank
European Union leaders have endorsed a series of rules tightening budget surveillance and institutionalising limits on public spending - the 'fiscal compact' that the European Central Bank (ECB) has demanded before it can more aggressively purchase Italian and Spanish debt.
EU to channel €150bn to IMF for its own rescue
EU leaders are discussing an increase of Europe's contribution to the International Monetary Fund by €150 billion, which in turn could be used to rescue troubled euro-countries.
France and Germany detail sweeping changes to eurozone set-up
The Franco-German powerhouse at the heart of the EU has proposed a series of sweeping changes to the bloc's institutional set-up in an effort to bring an end to the eurozone crisis that has laid low European economies and threatened the survival of the Union.
IMF unlikely to play major role in eurozone rescue
Hopes that the International Monetary Fund will ride in on a white horse to save Europe are likely to be dashed, as key players on its board believe that while the Washington-based lender should play some role, the eurozone has enough resources to solve the crisis itself.
Van Rompuy: EU could avoid full treaty change via legal trick
The European Union may be able to winkle out of the fraught process of a full treaty change via a clever legal trick, EU Council President Herman van Rompuy has suggested.
Franco-German deal would see EU court police national budgets
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have endorsed an awkward compromise on the wielding of sanctions by the EU's top court against allegedly fiscally wayward governments.
ECB chief hints at more robust action
European Central Bank president Mario Draghi offered hints on Thursday that the Frankfurt institution is ready to expand its efforts to staunch the eurozone crisis, but only if eurozone economies commit to deeper integration rapidly under what he called a “fiscal compact”.
Global central banks take action to prevent EU credit crunch
The US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the central banks of some of the world's key economies announced a co-ordinated emergency action to make it easier for banks to borrow US dollars - in effect preventing a global credit crunch.
Atheists say EU privileging religious leaders over non-believers
The European Union is keen to involve religious leaders in a policy dialogue, as required by the EU treaties, while consultations with atheists appear to be more of a chore that Brussels is resigned to, representatives of European secularist organisations are complaining.
Desperate eurozone chiefs look to IMF
With little interest materialising in the private sector to boost the eurozone's rescue fund, the region may ultimately be forced to turn to the International Monetary fund (IMF), eurozone finance ministers conceded on Tuesday (29 November).
Public support for EU social policy in 'dramatic' nose-dive
A regular European Commission social issues survey out on Tuesday (29 November) has shown that the public’s belief that the EU is having a positive impact on employment and social policy - policies with the biggest impact on ordinary peoples' lives - has sharply declined in almost all countries.
OECD calls for urgent EU action, warns of credit crunch
A bleak assessment from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Monday (28 November) warned that the eurozone crisis threatens the globe with a serious recession if left unresolved.
Italy sides with Germany against Eurobonds
At Italy's first invitation for an audience before the Franco-German duo that powers European decision-making, Prime Minister Mario Monti made it clear that he backs the German position on eurobonds.
Germany no longer immune to crisis
Germany had significant trouble offloading its bonds on Thursday in a sign that the eurozone crisis has spread to the very heart of Europe.
Brussels pushes for radical shift in budget powers away from parliaments
The European Commission has proposed perhaps the most radical shift in decision-making away from parliaments and toward unelected bodies in the history of the European Union.
US to conduct stress tests against euro collapse scenario
US banks are to be subjected to stress tests on the scenario of a sudden shock to the American economy if the eurozone crisis significantly deteriorates.
Hungary reaches out for ‘precautionary’ EU-IMF rescue
The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have confirmed that Hungary has approached them seeking “precautionary” assistance as its borrowing costs climb.
Future Greek governments must be bound to austerity strategy
The European Union has insisted that no matter what political flavour of government is elected in Greece well into the future, they must all be bound to the current austerity strategy imposed by the bloc and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
EU negotiators agree 2012 'austerity' budget
Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states agreed to just over a two-percent rise in the Union’s budget for 2012 - a victory for those countries that have argued that at a time of national austerity, the bloc itself must tighten its belt as well.
Emergency narrow treaty change now, political union later
Discussions on changes to EU treaties are focussing on an “emergency, narrow” alteration to the rulebook that governs the bloc, a senior UK government official has said, that will likely focus on giving the European Court of Justice the power to impose sanctions on heavily indebted states without any interference from political leaders.
Monti names unelected government of technocrats and bankers
Incoming Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has named a government entirely composed of unelected figures, just days after a technocratic government was installed in Greece, where the presence of far-right figures linked to the military junta are raising hackles.
'Heroin drought' in Europe due to fall in Afghan production
Europe has been hit by a ‘heroin drought’, according to the latest EU report on drug use. The streets of Europe, in particular those in the UK and Ireland, have seen a sharp disruption in the supply of the opiate in the last year.
Brussels to unveil credit-rating clampdown
The European Commission on Tuesday (15 November) is to unveil proposals to clamp down on the credit-ratings industry, seen as one of the key villains in the eurozone debt crisis melodrama.
Berlusconi toppled, Brussels man installed to run Italy
A former EU commissioner has been installed as prime minister of Italy after right-wing leader Silvio Berlusconi bowed to the pressure of financial markets and resigned on Saturday evening.
ECB man to rule Greece for 15 weeks
Lucas Papademos, a former vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB), is to be sworn in as prime minister of Greece for a 15-week period in which he will pass laws on an EU bail-out package.
Autumn forecast: EU economy in ‘dangerous territory’
Europe’s economy has deteriorated dramatically since the spring and growth has come to a standstill, the European Commission said on Thursday, warning that the bloc could very easily slip back into recession should “any further bad news” materialise.
Greek leaders return to talks as coalition deal founders
An agreement on a Greek national unity government to be headed by the parliament's speaker has fallen apart apart at the 11th hour, deepening the country’s political turmoil just weeks before the country is expected to run out of cash.
Italian bonds shatter 7% bail-out ceiling
The interest rate on Italian 10-year government bonds breached seven percent on Wednesday, shattering the psychological bail-out ‘ceiling’.
Former vice-president of the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos is set to be named the new, technocrat prime minister of Greece, a changeover demanded by the EU and IMF.
Soros: EU disintegration poses threat to Roma
International financier and philanthropist George Soros has warned that a European process of “disintegration” is heightening the threat to the continent’s minorities, in particular the Roma.
Paris announces fresh austerity in bid to save triple-A rating
The French government has announced a fresh round of austerity measures worth some €19 billion in spending cuts and tax hikes in an attempt to stave off a downgrade of the country’s triple-A credit rating.
Greek elite cobble together fragile unity government
Greece’s two mainstream political parties have agreed on a narrow pact for a national unity government after intense pressure from the EU, which warned that the country would be left to go bankrupt, perhaps within days, if a cross-party consensus was not achieved.
Greek PM to president: unity talks on the way
At a midday audience with the Greek president, Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister George Papandreou said that moves toward cross-party consensus with the opposition conservatives are necessary to put to rest EU fears that the passage of a €130 billion bail-out and austerity deal are at risk.
Greek PM survives confidence vote, looks to transitional government
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou narrowly won a vote of confidence in the country’s parliament early Saturday morning. Paradoxically, the leader at the same time appears ready to step down and make way for a transitional, unity administration.
Papandreou pulls back from referendum
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has backed away from holding a referendum on a €130 EU bail-out deal and has agreed to talks with the conservative opposition over the construction of a transitional government leading to early elections.
EU tells Greece: Choose the euro or go
Europe delivered a stark ultimatum to Greece on Wednesday night (3 November), demanding that the country’s planned referendum ask plainly whether the country’s citizens wish to stay in the euro or to get out.
Brussels issues 'urgent appeal' for Greek unity
On the eve of the G20 meeting of the world’s leading economies, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso went over the head of Greece’s prime minister and called for national and political unity in the country.
As government verges on collapse, Papandreou fires military chiefs
EU supremos Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel have called Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to a meeting in Cannes ahead of the G20 summit (3-4 November), following the shock announcement of a referendum on the EU's latest bail-out deal.
Power drains from Greek PM over EU bail-out vote
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has announced he will hold a referendum on the new EU bail-out package, putting Greek membership of the euro at risk.
Eurozone chiefs reach deal with bank bosses on Greek haircut
Eurozone leaders have reached a deal with the world’s major banks under which they will accept a haircut of 50 percent on their holdings of Greek sovereign debt.
Banks stonewall EU leaders on haircut
Negotiations between EU leaders and representatives of the global banking industry over the scale of losses the financial institutions are willing to take on their holdings of Greek sovereign debt have all but broken down.
EU agrees to fresh bank bail-outs
The European Union’s 27 member states have finally agreed on one of the key elements to a comprehensive solution to the eurozone’s debt crisis, a recapitalisation of the region’s banks.
Banks, Europe haggle over scale of bond haircut
The world’s banks have delivered what they are describing as a “significant” new offer on the scale of a haircut on their holdings of Greek sovereign debt, but no details have appeared since their earlier stance described by one EU diplomat as “playing hardball”.
EU officials do not rule out third summit this weekend
With negotiations ahead of Wednesday evening's (23 October) EU and eurozone summits in "chaos", EU officials have confirmed that yet another EU emergency summit may be called this weekend.
'Summit to save Europe' still vague on details
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is to arrive in Brussels on Wednesday (26 October) for a make-or-break EU summit with an outline of changes to the country’s economy following late-night negotiations with his coalition partner that managed to squeeze out an agreement.
Berlusconi: Other EU states in no position to 'give lessons'
Other European states are in no position to "give lessons" to Italy, the country’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has said, lashing out at mounting pressure on Rome to bring an end to internal political divisions and push through radical adjustment measures.
Sarkozy tells Cameron to 'shut up' on Eurozone
Tensions between Paris and London flared up on Sunday (23 October) amid crisis talks on the eurozone, as President Nicolas Sarkozy of France hit out at British criticisms of the single currency.
EU states to speed up austerity, embrace 'limited' treaty change
Leaders of the EU's 27 member states met on Sunday (23 October) with little fresh to show in the face of the biggest crisis in the bloc's history, but did back a "limited" change to the EU treaty to deliver stronger economic convergence amongst eurozone countries.
Euro crisis response: Pieces of the puzzle being put in place
Key elements of a ‘comprehensive’ solution to the eurozone crisis are coming together amid an unprecedented series of meetings and summits in the European capital.
Changing tack on austerity would be 'irresponsible', say EU presidents
The EU presidents have declared their sympathies for the widening anti-austerity movement of ‘indignados’ but said turning away from austerity would be "irresponsible."
Trichet: EU treaty change needed to 'impose decisions' on states
The outgoing head of the European Central Bank (ECB) has called for a change to the European Union treaty to allow for the outside imposition of economic policy on a member state.
Cracks show in EU austerity doctrine
If the subtle change in emphasis in the EU’s discourse on austerity is to be believed, some in the bloc are beginning to be much more open to policy options beyond public-sector cutbacks.
EU commission willing to meet 'Indignados' in Brussels
The European Commission is willing to meet with representatives of the growing 'indignado' anti-austerity movement and has actively attempted to make contact with the young people, a contingent of whom who have marched from Madrid to Brussels protesting a European Union they say places the interests of banks and big business ahead of ordinary citizens.
Berlusconi faces make-or-break confidence vote
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will on Friday confront the political trial of his career: a vote of confidence in parliament on the septuagenarian leader, forced on him as the economic crisis transforms into a political one.
Slovak parties reach deal on EU bail-out fund
The Slovak parliament is set to approve legislation backing a strengthening of the eurozone’s €440 billion rescue fund after the centre-left opposition said it would back a fresh version of the bill in return for early elections.
Barroso outlines 'comprehensive' roadmap to tackle eurozone crisis
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday (12 October) outlined a five-point “roadmap” aimed at bringing an end to the eurozone crisis that has rattled world markets and threatened to drag the global economy into a second recession.
Commission to unveil bank bail-out plan
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday said that the EU executive will put forward plans for a fresh round of bank bail-outs across Europe on Wednesday (12 October).
Brussels launches toothless inquiry into EU press freedoms
The European Commission is launching a high-level inquiry into press freedoms around the bloc. But its own officials admit the exercise is mainly intended for show.
Troika concludes Greek mission, warning more austerity needed in 2013
Inspectors from the so-called troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund have finally completed their mission to Athens, broadly giving Greece a passing grade that will likely allow eurozone ministers and the IMF to release €8 billion in bail-out cash to the embattled republic.
EU summit delayed as France, Germany tussle
European Council President Herman van Rompuy has delayed by a week a planned summit of the bloc’s leaders in order to give more time for behind-the-scenes negotiations on plans to bring an end to the eurozone crisis.
EU presidents give bloc pre-G20 pep talk
Ahead of the G20 meeting of leading world economies and in the wake of ever-sharpening international criticism of Europe’s ‘dithering’ response to the eurozone debt crisis, EU presidents Herman van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso have given the bloc’s member states a ‘pep talk’, saying that the EU needs to demonstrate it can act but also demanding that foreign governments need to make a “constructive contribution” too.
Merkel, Sarkozy will do ‘whatever necessary’ to bail-out banks
Financial markets hoping for the outline of some grand strategy for dealing with the ever-worsening eurozone crisis are likely to be disappointed by the vague announcement offered up by the French president and German chancellor after emergency talks in Berlin on Sunday (9 September).
US warns against European ‘gridlock’
In the latest round of public pressure mounted on European leaders to move swiftly to contain the worsening debt crisis, Washington has again demanded the EU “act fast”.
ECB offers new loans to banks in 'worst crisis since WWI'
The European Central Bank has announced new loans to banks amid mounting fears across Europe of a fresh credit crunch paralysing the continent’s economy.
Ordinary Greeks turning to NGOs as health system hit by austerity
Europeans and Westerners in general are accustomed to being asked to donate money to emergency aid NGOs to tackle medical humanitarian crises in Africa, Asia and other parts of the developing world where governments are too unwilling, poor or incapable to be able to help their own citizens.
Greek healthcare eroded by austerity measures, crisis
Startling declines in the health of Greek citizens and increases in the rates of drug abuse, HIV infection, and suicide have resulted from the economic crisis and the strict austerity embraced by the country, says a new, three-year medical study.
Italian rating hit by Moody’s downgrade
In a move that ratchets up the pressure on EU leaders to work faster to resolve the eurozone’s banking and sovereign debt crisis, Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday (4 October) knocked down Italy’s credit rating by three notches.
Unrest spreads to military as retired Greek officers storm defence ministry
The Greek armed forces now appear to be entering the political and street-level debate in the country over EU- and IMF-imposed austerity, with a group of retired Greek officers storming the defence ministry and the armed forces’ professional organisation issuing a stern warning to the government that the military’s confidence in the “intentions of the state” regarding their pensions has been “shaken”.
Eurozone chiefs: Greece can wait till November
Eurozone finance ministers have kicked down a decision on the delivery of Greece’s latest tranche of bail-out cash, saying that the country can wait until November.
Rehn: Rescue fund leveraging on the table
EU economy commissioner Olli Rehn said on Monday (3 October) that European finance chiefs are considering different options on how to leverage the eurozone’s multi-billion-euro rescue fund to give it further firepower.
Greece will not meet deficit targets this year or in 2012
The Greek finance ministry on Sunday (2 October) conceded that the government will not be able to meet the deficit reduction targets imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund for this year or next.
Greek civil servants block troika from entering finance ministry
Inspectors from the so-called troika of the EU, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund returned to Athens on Thursday (29 September) to review the Greek government’s austerity work only to find staff from seven key ministries blockading their way.
Merkel coalition easily passes EU rescue-fund vote
In a major domestic victory German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Bundestag - the country’s lower house of parliament - has robustly backed a strengthening of the eurozone’s multi-billion euro rescue fund.
Banks to pay 'fair share' under EU transactions tax
The European Commission on Wednesday (28 September) unveiled plans to slap a tax on financial transactions in the EU, a scheme that the EU executive hope will raise some €57 billion a year in revenues.
Parliament approves economic governance ‘six-pack’
After almost a year since the European Commission first proposed a package of laws radically centralising economic decision-making in the European Union, the legislative process approving the so-called ‘six-pack’ of bills has finally come to an end with the European Parliament giving its assent on Wednesday (28 September).
Barroso attacks member states, US, banks
The president of the European Commission has mounted a blistering attack on the leadership of EU member states and the way they have attempted to solve what he called the greatest challenge Europe has faced in its history.
EU hushes talk of multi-trillion bail-out ahead of German vote
European politicians are trying to avoid too much talk of a multi-trillion-euro revamp of the eurozone’s crisis strategy ahead of a crunch vote in the German parliament, with the German finance minister denying plans for such an increase to the bail-out fund and French ministers saying it is necessary to stay quiet until after the vote.
US: EU has ‘not very much time’
Washington is piling the pressure on Europe - publicly and privately - to act as quickly as possible to move forward with an expected multi-trillion-euro plan to bring an end to the eurozone crisis before it drags the world into a second recession.
Greek police protest troika, German and French embassies
The very people who have been charged with protecting the Greek parliament and politicians from furious crowds and who have even been criticised by Amnesty International for their heavy-handedness, the Greek police, have themselves now begun to protest EU-IMF austerity.
EU looking at trillions in shock-and-awe plan to end crisis
A plan involving a multi-trillion euro leveraging of the eurozone's rescue fund via the European Central Bank is under consideration as the EU comes under global pressure to act quickly to prevent the bloc's crisis kicking off a global recession.
Greek finance minister tries to quash talk of ‘disorderly default’
The Greek finance minister on Friday attempted to quash talk of a “disorderly default” as the drumbeat of rumours of the country abandoning its effort to service its debts gathers pace.
Swift backlash to Greek austerity as workers down tools
Backlash to fresh austerity measures unveiled by the Greek cabinet was swift on Thursday as the country was gripped by strikes by transport workers and civil servants.
EU banks forced to raise cash or face 'debilitating' contagion
As French banks come under increased pressure from all quarters, the European Commission is rowing back on comments by its competition chief that more EU lenders than previously expected need to be recapitalised.
Troika to return to Athens next week
Troika inspectors are to return to Athens “early next week”, the European Commission and the Greek government announced on Tuesday night after something of a breakthrough in discussions between the two sides, but there is still no deal on the dispersal of the latest round of bail-out cash to the heavily indebted country.
Athens denies referendum on euro membership
Greece has denied reports out of Athens on Tuesday that the country’s prime minister is planning a referendum on euro membership.
Italian 'national consensus' urgent, says Brussels
The European Commission has called on Italy to build a "national consensus" between political parties and with the unions to assure the implementation of austerity measures and structural adjustment in the wake of a surprise downgrade in the country’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s.
Greece in limbo after EU conference call
While negotiations between the Greek government and international lenders remain inconclusive, a report out of Athens suggests that the prime minister is looking to hold a referendum on staying in the euro.
Austerity cuts not to blame for Greek drug shortage, EU says
The European Commission has said its austerity measures are not to blame for a decision by pharmaceutical giant Roche to halt delivery of cancer drugs to Greek public hospitals. The company warned Italy, Portugal and Spain might be next.
EU finance chiefs cool on Geithner plan for Eurozone
A unprecedented visit by US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner to a meeting of European finance ministers in Poland was coolly received by the gathered European economy chiefs, while the meeting itself saw little advance made on how the eurozone can deal with its ever-deteriorating debt crisis.
EU task force for Greece ‘here to help, not control’
The head of an EU task force for Greece said on Thursday that the aim of the newly established body is to support the country, not to dictate what must be done as it attempts to slash its public debts.
EU economic growth is coming to a 'stand-still'
There will be no double-dip recession but EU economic growth is coming to a "stand-still" the European Commission has warned, amid bleak news on the US recovery and world trade.
Merkel, Sarkozy: ‘Future of Greece is in euro’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy attempted to calm market anxiety over a possible Greek default on Wednesday evening, affirming their commitment to Greek membership of the euro.
Poland warns of war 'in 10 years' as EU leaders scramble to contain panic
Germany, France and the European Commission are scrambling to contain panic and "quash rumours" about a eurozone break-up amid repeated off-piste messages from other senior EU politicians. But even amid their desperate efforts, the finance minister of Poland, the country that currently represents the EU to the world as holder of the bloc’s rotating presidency, warned of war on the continent within 10 years if the eurozone collapses.
Emerging nations crafting plan to come to Europe's aid
In a stunning reversal of fortune, it has emerged that the so-called Brics nations, the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - who almost alone in the global economy have weathered the financial crisis sitting atop huge international reserves - are planning to come to Europe's aid.
Slovak refusenik: 'EU bailout fund is greatest threat to euro'
The eurozone’s plans to strengthen the area’s rescue fund are being threatened by an ideological row in Slovakia, with the governing coalition failing to resolve sharp disagreements over legislation endorsing the move.
French banks hit amid worries over Greek exposure
Major French banking stocks were pummelled on Monday on the back of persistent worries that Greece is on the verge of defaulting on its loans.
Brussels calls for still more austerity
EU countries under market pressures must be prepared to swallow even stronger doses of austerity, the European Commission said on Monday (12 September). Most states have slashed tens of billions from their public spending plans already, but this may not be enough, according to an annual report from the EU executive on the state of public finances in the bloc, as debtloads continue to grow.
Brussels: No plans being made for Greek default
The European Commission has denied that it is making preparations for a Greek default after a series of comments by German authorities that some have taken as signals that Berlin is readying itself for precisely such a situation.