Italy's Renzi says to use EU presidency to push for budget flexibility pact

FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - Italy will propose offering European Union member states that undertake structural reform more flexibility on budget rules when Rome assumes the presidency of the 28-member bloc later this year, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Friday.

Poland hurt by EU aid freeze over suspicious road deal

Polish officials have voiced dismay over an EU decision to block nearly 1bn euros (£859m) of funding for Polish road projects amid suspicions of fraud.

Analysis: Germany faces recession risk as crisis hits confidence

BERLIN (Reuters) - After breezing through the euro zone debt crisis for the past two years, Germany's economy could fall into recession as anxious businesses hold off on investment and exports wither.

EU summit to take only minor steps on debt crisis

Euro zone leaders will take the next cautious steps in their year-long effort to quell the region's debt crisis at a summit on Friday, but the meeting is unlikely to produce a breakthrough.

The top item on the agenda for the 17 heads of state and government is to agree a "competitiveness pact," a deal Germany and France are pushing the rest of the euro zone to adopt to show their commitment to overhauling their economies.