Cyprus trucked out cash for its banks on Wednesday night to prepare them to reopen to a siege by anxious depositors, with tough controls imposed on the use of currency to avert a bank run as a result of its harsh rescue deal.
Germany's finance minister has warned Cyprus that its crisis-stricken banks may never be able to reopen if it rejects the terms of a bailout. Wolfgang Schaeuble said major Cypriot banks were insolvent if there are no emergency funds.
Finance ministers from the Euro-zone have asked Cyprus to reduce the burden on small investors from a proposed levy on savings, linked to a bailout. Plans for a one-off tax of 6.75% on savings up to 100,000 Euros have outraged Cypriots.
Asian markets have dipped after Cyprus bailout plans triggered fears of an escalation of the Euro zone debt crisis. The EU and IMF want all bank customers to pay a levy in return for a bailout worth 10bn Euros and although the plan is yet to be finalised, the news of the deal caused a rush to the cash machines in Cyprus as people tried to withdraw money.
A UK-based company named as the Ministry of Defence’s new infrastructure support provider in Gibraltar has also won contracts for other British complexes in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and Cyprus as well as Gibraltar.
Government deficits in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark and Finland have gone too far over the 3% of GDP reference value for the European Union and need to be brought down through stronger budget consolidation measures, concluded the European Commission in reports considered on Wednesday.