EuroNews Weekly Round Up, w/e 22th February

Monday

• EU asks Spain to explain rubber bullets shooting of immigrants
• Leading Ukrainian opposition members will ask Europe for financial help at a meeting in Germany
• EU Commissioner Fuhle to visit Bosnia (EU candidate country) over its worst anti Govt riots since the civil war
• Switzerland refuses to sign a reciprocal workers rights deal with Croatia & the EU halts talks on research as sanction
  • Merkel vetoes any new aid to Greece before the May election to make sure that they vote the right way
  • EU signs over €12 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to pay for the dismantling of Syria’s chemical weapons
  • Spain’s public debt is the highest for over 100 years
  • Spanish police estimate 30,000 illegal immigrants are camped in Morocco waiting for a chance to cross.  This will not end well
  • Merkel and Hollande push forward with Euro-internet
  • Boris Johnson’s Greater London Authority recruits for a Euro non-job
  • European Commission vice-president Reding told Cambridge University students Monday “the eurozone should become the United States of Europe.” She added: “I believe that the UK will not be part of this,” but said it “should … share a common market, a common trade policy, and hopefully a common security agenda”

Tuesday

• Greece’s small steel industry finally gives up the ghost and shuts
• French TV seeks protectionist measures against Netflix
• Romania gets €11.8 million from the EU to improves its sewage system
• Germany and its industrial interests clash with the EU and its green agenda
• Merkel & Hollande meet this week to discuss the establishment of “a Franco-German partnership for European defence.”
• Greek diplomats investigated over mines charity €9 million fraud
• EU more than triples budget to promote “Grown in Europe” labeling for food to €200 million
• Loan default rate rose again in Spain in 2013 to yet another record high.  What recovery?
• More Italian politicians arrested on charges of corruption
• European new car sales in January are the lowest since 2003.  What recovery?
• France push for FTT agreement before May.  It is a mad tax that will drive business to HK and Switzerland and hurt pensions
• The former head of Italy’s Senate Agriculture Committee is arrested for corruption
• State Aid to banks in the EU 2008-2012 amounted to more than €473 billion.

Wednesday

• Dutch tourism sector joins in the protests against offshore windfarms
• Mrs Merkel’s coalition in danger after one resignation, and allegations of child pornography involving an SPD MP
• Greenpeace try and disrupt French German summit in Paris by dumping coal at the palace
• Romania moves to HALVE some public sector salaries over widespread concern that some civil servants are paid too much
• Czech Republic set to hand over its budgetary powers to the EU and join the Euro
• France’s fourth richest man Senator and arms manufacturer, Serge Dassault, arrested over vote-buying

Thursday

• Spanish power co Iberdrola (owns Scot Power) cuts investmnt in Spain to concentrate on lucrative UK renewables market
• Romanian construction levels slump 3.1% year on year in December.  What recovery?
• Kosovo confirms its intention to join the EU
• Dutch unemployment rises 0.1%.  What recovery?
• The Spanish parliament has voted overwhelmingly to deny Catalonia its independence referendum.
• Italy to complain to the Commission that the UK’s ‘traffic-light’ system warning on fatty foods will damage its cheese and sausage exports
• The UK pays Greece £2 million to help deal with their illegal immigrants.
• Think tank Bruegel estimates that Greece requires another bailout worth $55 billion.
• Macedonian officials forced to deny allegations that a mass poisoning attempt was made on ethnic Albanians
• Bulgaria writes to the EU asking for more aid
• Denmark, the country with the most wind turbines in Europe, concludes that EU renewable targets are too expensive
• Georgian troops will join the EU military mission to Central Africa Republic
• Germany’s wages fell behind prices last year
• EU’s new telescope to cost €1 billion.
• ECB takes €437 million profit from Greek bonds
• Conservative MEPs will not put forward a candidate for the next European Commission President

Friday

• IMF tells Spanish banks to capitalize on QE false rally in markets to raise money & lend more despite loan defaults at highest levels ever
• More than 850,000 Romanians are bankrupt
• The European Commission gave €200 million to 90 migration-related projects to “all regions of the developing world.”
• Former Mayor of Rome arrested for fraud
• Greece’s 4 biggest banks fail stress test and need another €5 billion in capital
• Consumer confidence in the EU dropped last month.  What recovery?
• Building permits in the Netherlands hit a 60 year low.  What recovery?