The European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter of a point Thursday to counter the twin threats of recession and deflation in the Euro zone, and is expected to unveil fresh measures to help banks hurt by the bloc's debt crisis.
Pessimistic comments from Germany and new figures exposing deepening stress among Europe's banks dented financial market hopes of a turning point in the Euro zone's debt crisis at a summit this week.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Standard & Poor’s downgrade warning for 15 Euro- area governments will spur European leaders to double efforts to resolve the debt crisis at the Dec. 8-9 summit.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met in Paris on Monday to align their positions on centralizing control of Euro zone budgets to stem a debt crisis that threatens Europe's currency union.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet on Monday in Paris the kick off for a round of talks involving European leaders, the European Central Bank (ECB) and US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, culminating in Brussels on Friday with an EU summit.
Germany and France stepped up a drive on Monday for intrusive powers to reject national budgets in the Euro zone that breach EU rules, as a market rout of European debt eased temporarily on hopes of outside help for Italy and Spain.
France and Germany agreed Thursday to stop arguing in public over whether the European Central Bank should do more to rescue the Euro zone from a deepening sovereign debt crisis.
Germany and France again on Wednesday over whether the European Central Bank should take bolder steps to stem the Euro zone debt crisis, with Chancellor Angela Merkel issuing one of her starkest warnings yet against fiddling with the central bank's strict inflation-fighting mandate.
Spaniards may hand the biggest majority in three decades to the conservative opposition People’s Party leader Mariano Rajoy, as polls suggest Europe’s debt crisis will push a fifth government from power.
The leaders of Britain and Germany David Cameron and Angela Merkel acknowledged differences over the Euro zone crisis but stressed they have the same plan for European growth. The prime minister met the German chancellor on Friday in Berlin to discuss the Euro zone crisis, and Iran and Syria.