Europe
ECB cuts rates to 2% as Trump tariffs cloud outlook
Eighth reduction in current cycle comes with inflation below target but trade uncertainty threatening growth forecasts across the eurozone
Europe · page 8 of 8
Europe
The archive
Europe
ECB cuts deposit rate to 2% as inflation dips below target
The quarter-point move brings the deposit facility rate down from its 4% peak, but policymakers signal caution on further easing amid trade uncertainty and sticky core inflation.
Europe
EU clears Bulgaria for euro adoption in January 2026
The European Commission and ECB have confirmed Bulgaria meets convergence criteria, but domestic opposition remains fierce as the country prepares to become the 21st eurozone member.
Europe
Bulgaria cleared to adopt euro in 2026 despite rule-of-law gaps
European Commission and ECB approve 21st eurozone member after inflation falls to 2.7% and debt sits at 24.1% of GDP, but FATF gray listing and corruption concerns remain unresolved.
Europe
Eurozone inflation drops to 1.9% in May, clearing path for ECB rate cut
Flash data shows headline inflation below the 2% target for the first time since 2021, with services prices cooling sharply after an Easter distortion.
Europe
Klaus Schwab claims Christine Lagarde discussed early ECB exit for World Economic Forum role
WEF founder says he met ECB president in April to plan leadership transition for early 2027, but Frankfurt insists she will serve her full term ending in October.
Europe
Europe's nitrate crisis deepens as farm lobby blocks water protection
Three decades after the Nitrates Directive, a third of Europe's freshwater still exceeds pollution limits while the Baltic Sea hosts the world's largest dead zone. Political pressure from farmers is weakening what little enforcement exists.
Europe
Poland's gold reserves overtake the European Central Bank's
The National Bank of Poland now holds 509.3 tonnes of gold, marginally more than the ECB's 506.5 tonnes, after a decade of accelerated purchases that began in earnest after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Europe
EU roadmap targets Russian fossil fuel exit by 2027 but LNG loopholes persist
The European Commission's delayed plan bans new Russian gas contracts this year and all imports by 2027, yet Russian LNG flows rose 18% in 2024 and France increased purchases by 81%.
Europe
Commission opens disciplinary probe into Hololei over Qatar gifts
Senior official Henrik Hololei faces internal investigation for alleged conflicts of interest and unauthorized gift acceptance linked to EU-Qatar aviation agreement, five months after European prosecutors launched criminal inquiry.
Europe
Euro zone economy grows 0.4% in first quarter, beating forecasts
Flash Eurostat data shows stronger start to 2025 than surveys indicated, but US tariffs and weak sentiment cloud the outlook for the rest of the year.
Europe
Latvia central bank chief says tariff chaos gives Europe chance to become superpower
Mārtiņš Kazāks argues the trade war forces overdue integration but warns recession risk is not trivial as IMF cuts euro area growth to 0.8% for 2025.
Europe
ECB cuts rates to 2.25% as Trump tariffs darken eurozone outlook
Third quarter-point reduction this year reflects deteriorating growth prospects after US imposes 10% blanket tariff on EU goods, with further 10% threatened for July.
Europe
ECB cuts rates for seventh time as trade war fears eclipse inflation fight
Benchmark rate falls to 2.25 percent, its lowest since November 2022, as Trump tariffs force policymakers to prioritise growth over lingering price pressures.
Europe
ECB set for third rate cut as tariff uncertainty clouds growth outlook
Markets price 94% chance of quarter-point reduction to 2.25% as trade tensions override previous expectations of a pause in the easing cycle
Europe
EU antitrust remedies study finds less than half fully effective despite high implementation rates
A European Commission-commissioned study evaluating two decades of non-cartel decisions reveals a stark gap between remedy implementation and actual market impact, with structural remedies outperforming behavioural ones.
Europe
Europe maps its leverage against Trump trade threats
ECFR policy brief details the EU's economic and regulatory tools to deter US coercion, from the Anti-Coercion Instrument to financial market rules.
Europe
ECB cuts rates to 2.5% as German fiscal shift drives bond yields to 2023 highs
The European Central Bank lowered its deposit rate by 25 basis points while Germany's plans for massive defence and infrastructure borrowing triggered the sharpest Bund sell-off since 1997, pushing eurozone borrowing costs in opposite directions.
Europe
Southern eurozone economies outpace stagnant north as Germany contracts
Spain, Portugal and Greece drive euro area growth while Germany records a second consecutive annual contraction, exposing a deepening north-south divide that economists say cannot be bridged by the periphery alone.
Europe
Von der Leyen launches simplification drive to revive EU competitiveness
European Commission president unveils Competitiveness Compass promising 25 per cent cut in administrative burdens, but green groups and unions warn against deregulation by stealth.
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