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Dutch face friendly fire as corona bond bad cops
Too much, even for the Dutch? Politicians and economists in the Netherlands have accused Prime Minster Mark Rutte’s government of going too far in rejecting “corona bonds” to help countries hit hardest...
View ArticleEurope completes first export deal with Iran to dodge US sanctions
Europe completed its first export of goods to Iran using a mechanism meant to dodge U.S. tariffs in order to send medical supplies to the Islamic Republic, France, Germany and the U.K. announced...
View ArticleBerlin and Paris pitch competing solutions to ‘corona bonds’ conundrum
Germany and France have proposed competing solutions to a north-south divide over financial assistance to overcome the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. French Finance Minister Bruno Le...
View ArticleBreton and Gentiloni’s EU bonds proposal receives cool reception
A call by two European commissioners to tackle the coronavirus crisis with long-term financial bonds received a cool reception from their boss on Monday, with the Commission’s chief spokesperson making...
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Germany’s corona bond offer to Italy is … nothing
BERLIN — “How about never — is never good for you?” That classic putdown captures the reality of Germany’s response to repeated pleas from Mediterranean countries in recent days for the issuance of...
View ArticleItaly’s Conte warns of EU collapse ahead of crucial financial talks
The risk of the EU collapsing over the coronavirus crisis “is real,” Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned Thursday ahead of a crunch meeting of the bloc’s finance ministers. Conte told the BBC...
View ArticleWestern Balkans call for exemption from EU medical export restrictions
The foreign ministers of six western Balkan countries have urged Brussels to exempt their countries from EU export restrictions on medical protective equipment. As the coronavirus spread across the...
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France’s freewheeling Thierry Breton rises to the crisis
Much like a leopard, a CEO can’t change its spots. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to. In the months since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has muscled...
View ArticleItaly’s Conte threatens to derail EU summit over corona bonds
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte threatened to block a planned statement from EU leaders on their response to the coronavirus crisis unless they agree to use so-called corona bonds to help with...
View ArticleGerman foreign minister: EU ‘must correct mistakes’ exposed by crisis
The EU’s next budget must be a “revitalization program” to help Europe recover from the coronavirus pandemic but should also link financial assistance to respect for the rule of law, according to...
View ArticleG7 leaders chide Trump over WHO funding stop
Several world leaders have rebuked Donald Trump for his decision to stop funding the World Health Organization, telling the U.S. president that multilateral cooperation is essential to fight the...
View ArticleFinland puts brakes on EU unemployment scheme
Finland has raised concerns about the EU’s unemployment reinsurance scheme, threatening to delay adoption of the coronavirus crisis instrument next week. Finance Minister Katri Kulmuni told her EU...
View ArticleMerkel backs EU bonds to fight coronavirus crisis
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday she is in favor of issuing EU bonds via an existing clause in the union’s treaties to finance the bloc’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis....
View ArticleEU struggles to unite on economic reboot
Angela Merkel has spoken — but that doesn’t mean the fight about how to fund the EU’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis is over. As leaders prepare for a videoconference on Thursday, EU capitals and...
View ArticleAngela Merkel: More time needed to discuss EU recovery fund
A videoconference among EU leaders Thursday won’t result in a decision on the size of a planned coronavirus recovery fund, Angela Merkel said. “A European economic recovery plan could support the...
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Europe’s far right knows how to waste a good crisis
The coronavirus pandemic has provoked bitter divisions in the EU, brought back borders — and should have been a gift to ultra-nationalist Euroskeptics. Instead, the virus has wrong-footed the far right...
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Beijing doubles down in EU propaganda battle
PARIS — Beijing’s not backing down. China is pushing ahead with a propaganda campaign critical of Western democracies and their handling of the coronavirus, even after protests from Paris and a...
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Capitals criticize key plank of Brussels’ recovery plan
A powerful array of EU countries including Germany is lining up against a key element of the post-coronavirus economic recovery plan floated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von...
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German ‘corona presidency’ plan pivots to crisis management
BERLIN — As the European Union faces its biggest crisis ever, the Germans are taking over. On July 1, Europe’s leading economy will for six months hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU,...
View ArticleBerlin tries to cool coronavirus tensions near French border
Germany’s foreign minister sought to reassure France on Thursday after reports that Germans in a border region have lashed out at French commuters over fears of them spreading coronavirus. Germany...
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