Germany is feasting on the rest of Europe

The situation in Athens seems to have calmed down, but former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke thinks Europe has an even bigger issue to worry about: Germany.

George Osborne introduces new 'living wage' but cuts working-age benefits

George Osborne has unveiled an unexpected boost for low-paid workers, introducing a compulsory national “living wage” in a budget that also contained an assault on many of the measures introduced by Labour to tackle poverty.

Eurozone returns to healthy growth after QE bounce – but what next?

There’s a return to healthy growth in the eurozone. Surprised? It’s called the QE bounce. First the head of the central bank says he will inject £1.1tn into the 19-member economic bloc under a programme of quantitative easing (QE).

Rapid UK economic growth slows slightly in third-quarter

(Reuters) - Britain's rapid economic recovery eased in the three months to September, as services output growth slowed and manufacturing expanded at the weakest pace in 18 months, official data showed on Friday.

Angela Merkel scolds Italy and France over the faltering eurozone recovery

Angela Merkel has delivered a sharp rebuke to Italy and France for hindering the eurozone's recovery by breaking longstanding fiscal rules.

French lawmaker says 'unavoidable' to scrap deficit target : Les Echos

(Reuters) - The head of France's ruling Socialist party told Les Echos newspaper on Wednesday that it was "unavoidable" that France would abandon an EU target to cut its public deficit to 3 percent of GDP next year.

Something's got to give in Italy: better it be Draghi with a bag of cheap loans

European Central bank boss Mario Draghi came to London last month to criticise his fellow Italians.

UK economy back at pre-crisis level

The UK economy grew by 0.8% in second quarter of 2014, official figures show The figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show the economy is now 0.2% ahead of its pre-crisis peak, which was reached in the first quarter of 2008.

Euro zone's debt rises in first quarter, set to peak this year

(Reuters) - Euro zone public debt rose to 93.9 percent of economic output in the first quarter of this year, approaching the peak it is expected to reach later in 2014, official data showed on Tuesday.

Schaeuble says EU must focus on competitiveness, not exchange rate

(Reuters) - Europe must focus on improving the competitiveness of its economy rather than the exchange rate, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday, brushing aside French calls for EU action to weaken the euro.

Irish finance minister says new EU calculation could add over 1 percent to GDP

(Reuters) - New EU rules on calculating economic output could boost Ireland's gross domestic product by over 1 percent and mean a little less austerity next year, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said on Wednesday.

No wage rises until jobless rate falls to 5% says MPC member

Average wages may not rise until the jobless rate has fallen to 5%, a Bank of England policymaker has suggested.

Euro zone first-quarter growth disappoints, puts pressure on ECB to act

(Reuters) - The euro zone economy grew much less than expected at the start of the year and inflation remained locked in the 'danger zone' below 1 percent, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to ease monetary policy at its next meeting in June.

Independent Scotland would face immediate $38.52 billion debt: report

(Reuters) - An independent Scotland would face an immediate debt repayment of 23 billion pounds ($38.52 billion) to the UK Treasury, British media reported, citing a leading economics research body's estimate.

Finland to raise taxes, cut spending to bring down deficit

(Reuters) - The Finnish government will raise taxes and cut spending to bring down the budget deficit, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen said on Tuesday.

Euro Zone Government Debt Falls For First Time Since Crisis

The debts of euro-zone governments fell in the three months to September, the first decline since the end of 2007, and an indication that the currency area may be getting on top of one of its most pressing problems.

EU loses AAA rating in S&P downgrade

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's incited the ire of European Union officials on Friday when it snatched away the region's top AAA rating, citing tensions between member states and a deterioration in their overall financial health.

Eurozone manufacturing growth slips in September

Eurozone and UK manufacturing growth slipped back in September, according to the latest purchasing managers surveys.

French public debt to rise to 95.1 pct of GDP by end-2014: Report

PARIS: France's public sector debt will rise to 1.95 trillion euros by the end of 2014, or 95.1 percent of economic output, up from 93.4 percent of GDP this year, a media report said on Monday.

Don't quit Europe, businesses tell U.K.

Should Britain quit the European Union? U.K. businesses overwhelmingly say "absolutely not."