Uruguayan president Jose Mujica called on Spain for a more decisive role in the trade and cooperation agreement discussions between Mercosur and the European Union which have been going on for over a decade.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has told German readers of Frankfurter Allegmeine Zeitung that he is firmly convinced that Gibraltar will never be Spanish because today’s Europe is about the people rather than the states.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Pope Francis and, apparently responding to his criticism of a heartless dictatorship of the economy and the “cult of money”, called for stronger regulation of financial markets.
Wednesday’s economic growth numbers make it official: the Euro zone is in its longest recession since records began in 1995. The 17-nation economy shrank by 0.2% between January and March, compared with last quarter's decline of 0.6%, deepening the bloc's recession as economic output fell for the sixth consecutive quarter.
Credit rating agencies (CRA) such as Moody’s, Fitch or Standard & Poor’s will have to work under more strict regulations in the European Union where they could face claims if investors suffer a loss due to an infringement committed by the agency intentionally or with gross negligence, according to a European Council directive approved on Monday.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has become the second cabinet minister to say he would vote for Britain to leave the EU if a referendum were held now. But, like education secretary Michael Gove, he said David Cameron must be given a chance to bring powers back from Brussels before deciding.
China has raised concerns about European Union plans to negotiate an ambitious free trade deal with the United States, fearing it is a protectionist move and at the same time Beijing new administration is doubling efforts towards Latinamerica and Africa.
European Union governments and institutions must take immediate action to promote growth and jobs creation as countries are tired of austerity, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said this week.
Brazil’s Finance Minister Guido Mantega slammed the United States and Europe for repeatedly delaying reforms of their dominated shareholding and voting power in the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
France said it would block proposed negotiations on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States unless cultural sectors, such as television and radio, were excluded from the talks.