Investor Confidence in EU Drops after Trump’s Brussels Trade Deal

THE GUARDIAN: Agreement is said to ‘dampen the mood’, with the US viewed as the winner at the expense of the eurozone

Investor confidence in the EU has fallen sharply after Donald Trump’s trade agreement with Brussels, amid mounting concern about the economic hit from the US president’s tariff war.

The latest snapshot from the Sentix index showed that investor sentiment fell significantly at the start of the month after the deal last week between Trump and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.

The data provider said its weekly survey of thousands of investors in more than 20 countries showed that the pact was a “deal that dampens the mood”, with Trump and the US viewed as “winners” at the expense of the eurozone.

“The result is devastating for the eurozone,” said Manfred Hübner, the managing director of the Sentix economic index. “The current situation and expectations are both declining. The wrinkles of concern in the economy are deepening again.” » | Richard Partington | Senior economics correspondent | Monday, August 4, 2025

Eurozone Sinks into Recession as Cost of Living Crisis Takes Toll

THE GUARDIAN: GDP shrank 0.1% in first quarter of 2023 and final three months of 2022 after revisions to earlier estimates

The eurozone slipped into recession in the first three months of the year, after official figures were revised to show the bloc’s economy shrank as the rising cost of living weighed on consumer spending.

Figures from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical agency, showed gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.1% in the first quarter of 2023 and the final three months of 2022 after revisions to earlier estimates. A technical recession is generally defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. » | Richard Partington, Economics correspondent | Thursday, June 8, 2023

Yanis Varoufakis: Deutschland tritt aus dem Euro aus, wenn ... | Mission Money

Er galt als der große Euro-Schreck während seiner Amtszeit als griechischer Finanzminister! Doch waren die Vorwürfe von Politikern und Medien gegen Yanis Varoufakis wirklich gerechtfertigt? Im Interview mit der Mission Money vertritt Varoufakis spannende Positionen. Deutschland dürfe nicht für Pleite-Staaten haften, fordert er. Und außerdem werde Deutschland aus dem Euro austreten, wenn ein ganz bestimmtes Szenario eintritt....außerdem im Gepäck des Griechen: Zahlreiche Ideen, wie man die Euro Zone retten könnte! Das alles in unserem exklusiven Interview!!!! Hinweis: Das Video verfügt über einen Untertitel.

Trouble in the Eurozone: New Italian Government Puts Pressure on Establishment

Would Italy Exit the EU, Quit the Euro? | Al Jazeera English

During Italy's failed bid to form a government last week, the country's economy minister was vetoed by the president because he had previously discussed leaving the euro. But it is not hard to find Italians who believe adopting the currency has been a mistake. So, why is the currency such a sensitive topic in Italy?

Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba reports from Rome.

Euro für alle: Juncker überrascht mit Forderung zum Ausbau der Eurozone und des Schengenraums

Angesichts von Spaltungstendenzen in Europa hat EU-Kommissionspräsident Jean-Claude Juncker eine Ausweitung der Eurozone und des Schengenraums gefordert. "Wenn wir wollen, dass der Euro unseren Kontinent mehr eint als spaltet, dann sollte er mehr sein, als die Währung einer ausgewählten Ländergruppe", sagte der Luxemburger Christdemokrat am Mittwoch vor dem Europaparlament in Straßburg. Der Euro sei dazu bestimmt, die "einheitliche Währung der Europäischen Union als Ganzes zu sein".

Greek Government Trades Austerity for Bailout, Again

Eurozone Economy: Gearing Up for Another Greek Drama?

Greek Rescue Deal: Political Tumult Beckons as Alexis Tsipras Returns Home

THE GUARDIAN: Some members of Greek prime minister’s Syriza party have already denounced bailout accord as harbinger of further catastrophe

For the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, the hard work begins now. The rescue deal hammered out in Brussels may have brought relief to Athens but its battle-hardened government knows that it also comes at enormous cost.

Within minutes of Tsipras giving his “victory” speech, some in his Syriza party were denouncing the bailout accord – the third emergency funding programme for the debt-stricken country since 2010 – as the harbinger of further catastrophe.

“After 17 hours of ‘negotiations’ the leaders of eurozone member states reached an agreement that was humiliating for Greece and the Greek people,” declared the dissenters, coalesced around the energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis.

Political tumult beckons. Tsipras returns to Athens with a deal so excoriating that not even his closest allies on Monday appeared willing to defend it. » | Helena Smith in Athens | Monday, July 13, 2015

Eurozone Tells Greece Not to Expect Debt Relief in Near Future

A tattered EU flag flutters in front of the Parthenon in Athens.

THE GUARDIAN: Hopes fade for quick solution to thwart Grexit as Eurogroup finance chiefs show incredulity as new Greek finance minister arrives without detailed proposals

The Greek government has been told by its eurozone partners not to expect debt relief any time soon, amid fading hopes of decisive action to stop the country tumbling out of the currency union.

Eurozone finance ministers arriving for emergency talks in Brussels made it clear they were waiting on Athens to sign up to further reforms and were in no hurry to discuss debt relief.

But there was incredulity when it emerged Greece’s new finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos had not come armed with detailed proposals. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Breaking News: Greece Debt Crisis: Eurozone Refuses Bailout Extension

BBC AMERICA: Eurozone finance ministers have rejected a Greek request to extend a bailout programme beyond 30 June.

Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said talks on a new bailout had been ongoing on Friday when Greece called a surprise referendum over the terms of any deal.

By doing so they broke off the process, he said. » | Saturday, June 27, 2015

Dire Warning from Greek Bank Boss

BBC AMERICA: If I had any doubts about the dire state of the Greek banking system, and why it matters so much for the Greek government to reach an agreement with creditors today to escape default, those doubts were dispelled in an interview with the chairman of Greece's fourth-biggest bank, Nikolaos Karamouzis.

Mr Karamouzis confirmed to me that the European Central Bank (ECB) has agreed to keep Greek banks alive today.

But he warned there was a genuine risk of Greek banks being forced to close their doors tomorrow and cease dispensing cash for days, if the Greek government led by Alexis Tsipras fails today to convince eurozone finance ministers and government heads that it is taking credible steps to balance its books. (+ BBC video) » | Robert Peston, Economics editor | Monday, June 22, 2015

Greek Exit Real Prospect as Eurozone Hardens towards Belligerent Athens

THE GUARDIAN: Tsipras’s abrasive tone and accusations of ‘criminal conduct’ by IMF stokes more anger as EU officials prepare to gather at Luxembourg last chance saloon

Fears that the five-year Greek financial crisis will culminate in debt default and exit from the euro have intensified as Athens hardened its rhetoric against its creditors and insisted it would miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund unless it received debt relief.

With just 48 hours to go before a meeting of eurozone finance ministers, seen as the last realistic chance to reach a deal before Greece has to pay the IMF at the end of June, Alexis Tsipras, showed no sign of bowing to demands for cuts in pensions and increases in VAT. Instead, the Greek prime minister accused the Fund of “criminal responsibility” for the situation and said lenders were seeking to “humiliate” his country.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, reflected the anger in Brussels at the way Tsipras has been approaching the deadlocked negotiations by saying he had “sympathy for the Greek people but not the Greek government”. Juncker was until recently rated as one of Tsipras’s only allies.

EU officials were on Tuesday night making preparations for a crisis meeting of leaders on Sunday if, as now expected, the talks between finance ministers on Thursday prove fruitless. Amid the third straight day of sharp declines on the Athens stock market, EU leaders are for the first time talking openly about Greek default and its ejection from the euro. » | Larry Elliott, Ian Traynor in Brussels, and Helena Smith in Athens | Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Grexit Beckons: Greece On Brink of Euro Exit as It Faces Economic Meltdown

THE TELEGRAPH: Embattled country could be forced out by Germany after politicians warn 'enough is enough' as it lurches towards default on €1.5bn debt

Greece is on the brink of economic meltdown after Germany appeared poised to push the country out of the eurozone.

With the embattled country set to default on a €1.5billion (£1.1billion) debt repayment, senior German politicians warned that “enough is enough”.

London’s FTSE 100 slipped 1.1 per cent to a three-month low on Monday as investors reacted to Greece’s failure to reach a deal with its creditors.

Global oil prices also fell after negotiations collapsed after just 45 minutes on Sunday, amid fears that Greece is now heading towards financial catastrophe.

As the crisis intensified, it emerged that George Osborne, the Chancellor, will later this week chair an emergency meeting as ministers seek to protect Britain’s economy from a potential Greek exit from the single currency - dubbed a Grexit.

Officials want to ensure that the Government has “contingency plans” in place to ensure that UK businesses are not damaged by a Greek withdrawal. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Editor | Tuesday, June 16, 2015


THE TELEGRAPH: Enough is enough, Greece must leave the euro: The Greek debt crisis is now five years old, and still there is no workable settlement in sight. One apparent denouement follows another, lending Europe a sense of permanent crisis and conflict, not so dissimilar to an outright war, at least in terms of the entrenched positions adopted and the vitriol of the language. » | Telegraph View | Tuesday, June 16, 2015

DIE WELT: Merkel will "alles tun", um Griechenland zu halten » | Mittwoch, 17. Juni 2015

Greece Warns EU Leaders: Allow Us to Fail and It's 'Beginning of the End' for Eurozone

DAILY EXPRESS: IN a stark warning to EU leaders, Greece has warned that if it's allowed to plunge into bankruptcy it would be the "beginning of the end" for the eurozone.

The debt-stricken country's Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, has raised the stakes as his government submitted yet another draft proposal to its creditors over the terms of an urgently-needed EU bailout loan.

Commenting on a potential Greek exit from the euro in an interview in Italy, Mr Tsipras said: "It would be the beginning of the end of the eurozone.

"If the European political leadership cannot handle a problem like that of Greece, which accounts for two per cent of its economy, what would the reaction of the markets be to countries facing much larger problems, such as Spain or Italy which has two trillion of public debt?"

He added: "If Greece fails markets will go now to look for the next. If the negotiation fails, the cost to European taxpayers will be huge." Read on and comment » | Lana Clements | Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Greek Crisis Talks Collapse in Acrimony as Syriza Defies EMU

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: 'The only way to solve Greece is to treat us like equals; not a debt colony,' says Greek finance minister

Greece is on a collision course with the eurozone’s creditor powers after emergency talks ended in acrimony on Monday night, triggering the most serious political crisis since the launch of the euro.

The Leftist Syriza government reacted with fury to eurozone demands that it must stick to the country’s discredited austerity plan, describing the draft text as “absurd and unacceptable”.

Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, said Eurogroup finance ministers had ignored a deal already agreed with the European Commission for a four-month delay and a “new contract for growth”, returning instead to old demands. "The only way to solve Greece is to treat us like equals; not a debt colony,” he said, predicting that EU authorities would soon have to withdraw their latest “ultimatum”.

The talks were halted after four hours of stormy exchanges, risking a traumatic showdown that could precipitate the biggest default in world history and force Greece out of the euro by the end of the month. » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Monday, February 16, 2015

Greece's Leaders Stun Europe with Escalating Defiance

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: "The euro is like a house of cards. If you pull away the Greek card, they all come down,” says Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister

Greece’s finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has spelled out the negotiating strategy of the Syriza government with crystal clarity.

“Exit from the euro does not even enter into our plans, quite simply because the euro is fragile. It is like a house of cards. If you pull away the Greek card, they all come down,” he said.

“Do we really want Europe to break apart? Anybody who is tempted to think it possible to amputate Greece strategically from Europe should be careful. It is very dangerous. Who would be hit after us? Portugal? What would happen to Italy when it discovers that it is impossible to stay within the austerity straight-jacket?”

“There are Italian officials – I won’t say from which institution - who have approached me to say they support us, but they can’t say the truth because Italy is at risk of bankruptcy and they fear the consequence from Germany. A cloud of fear has been hanging over Europe over recent years. We are becoming worse than the Soviet Union,” he told the Italian TV station RAI. Read on and comment » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Monday, February 09, 2015

What Does Syriza’s Victory Mean for Greece and the Eurozone?

Greece must bow to austerity or go bust, says EU » Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Monday January 26, 2015

Dismantle the Euro, Says Nobel-winning Economist Who Once Backed Currency Union

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A leading economist who once argued for the creation of the euro now claims the single currency should be abandoned as it is fuelling unemployment and dividing Europe.

A Nobel prize-winning economist will on Thursday withdraw his support for the euro saying it has created a “lost generation” unemployed youngsters and should be broken up.

Sir Christopher Pissarides was once a key proponent of a single currency but will on Thursday accuse the euro of “dividing Europe” and say action is needed to “restore the euro’s credibility in international markets” and the “trust that Europe’s nations once had in each other”, according to the Daily Mail.

Speaking at the London School of Economics, where he teaches, Professor Pissarides will say: “The euro should either be dismantled in an orderly way or the leading members should do the necessary as fast as possible to make it growth and employment-friendly.

“We will get nowhere plodding along with the current line of ad hoc decision-making and inconsistent debt-relief policies. » | Miranda Prynne, New Reporter | Thursday, December 12, 2013

'Euro System Failed, States Can Go Back to National Currencies'

A third bailout for Greece is now necessary and unavoidable - according to EU and German officials. But Chancellor Angela Merkel, who's trying to calm a riled-up electorate, insists that a lot less money will be needed this time round. The early figure being floated for a new Greek bailout is 10 billion euros, though as recent history suggests, that's likely to go up. But the Alternative for Germany Party election candidate Paul Hampel, says that Germans are well aware, of the true purpose of the bailouts.