Thirteen tonnes of cocaine seized in Dunkirk in two weeks
Customs officials carried out three major cocaine seizures at the port of Dunkirk, intercepting more than 13 tonnes of narcotics.
Finance
Latest reporting and analysis on finance.
German investor confidence plummets amid Mideast war: survey
German investor morale has plunged to its lowest level in almost a year as the Mideast war rattles market nerves in Europe's largest economy, said a ZEW survey released…
McKinsey says VW should close down almost all plants in Germany
In a stark assessment of Volkswagen's (VW) ongoing struggles, international management consultancy McKinsey & Company has reportedly advised the German automotive…
Polish President Nawrocki vetoes his country’s participation in EU’s defence loan
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, in a televised address to the nation, announced he has vetoed legislation which would allow Poland to access a €44 billion loan…
UK to drop historic figures from banknotes and change them to images of wildlife
Famous British figures, including Winston Churchill and Jane Austen, will disappear from Bank of England banknotes, to be replaced by animals.
Sharp rise in fuel prices forces Germany to release oil reserves
Germany has authorised the partial release of its national oil reserves to mitigate the sharp rise in oil and fuel prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in Iran,…
EU’s €44bn defence loan for Poland would mean it paying back twice that amount
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has submitted a bill to parliament that would enable Poland to avoid taking out a loan from the European Union’s Security Action…
ECB books third straight annual loss
The European Central Bank said Thursday it booked its third straight loss in 2025 due to the lingering impact of a record run of interest rate hikes.
How they do it there: Argentina posts 4.4% growth in 2025 under Milei
Argentina’s economy grew 4.4 per cent in 2025, according to the latest figures released by National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC).
Dutch Government bows to pressure over controversial tax on unrealised gains
Dutch finance minister Eelco Heinen has announced a dramatic reversal of the recently approved -- and passionately opposed -- Box 3 tax reform.
German budget deficit in 2025 deeper into the red
Germany’s public sector has incurred a record deficit in 2025, according to numbers published by the country’s Federal Statistical Office.
All the doomed UK has left is a cackling demented “That’s all, folks!”
The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, is an interesting (if only sort-of) example of what happens when life follows art.
The death of technocracy and the return of politics
Real political change tends to have more than one cause, and although it has become somewhat fashionable to reduce everything to a single issue – whether it is…
Poland’s tens of billions in debt for defence invites tough questions on priorities
Poland’s request for nearly €44 billion from the EU’s SAFE defence loan programme is being framed in Warsaw as a strategic breakthrough.
Mercedes-Benz reports steep drop in annual profits
Mercedes-Benz Group has released its full-year 2025 financial results revealing a dramatic decline in profitability that marks the company's weakest performance…
Dutch giant Heineken to cut up to 6,000 jobs on falling demand, despite solid profits
Dutch brewing giant Heineken has announced plans to eliminate between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs globally over the next two years.
Begrudging critics need to admit Trump is delivering a US boom
European incomprehension of President Trump has now been stretched to reluctant acknowledgement of the success of his economic policies with dire warnings of the…
Most Germans think welfare state is unfinanceable as reform attempts fizzle out
A large majority of Germans think their country’s welfare state cannot be upheld financially in its current form.
Polish finance minister says Poland ‘will not adopt euro’
Poland's finance minister said the country's economic boom that has seen Warsaw perform better than most Eurozone economies means there is no good reason for it…
No European winter electricity without nuclear, says Austrian grid manager
A senior figure in Austria's power sector has highlighted Europe's ongoing dependence on nuclear power to maintain electricity supplies during winter months.
German tax revenue jumps to €1bn record high as economy languishes
The combined tax income of Germany’s federal administration, its states and municipalities surpassed the mark of €1 billion for the first time ever last year,…
Central bank chiefs voice ‘full solidarity’ with US Fed, Powell
The heads of major central banks have thrown their support behind the US Federal Reserve and its chairman Jerome Powell, saying in a joint statement Tuesday that…
Large company bankruptcies skyrocket in Germany
The number of bankruptcy cases involving big companies in Germany sharply rose in 2025.
Low salaries, nuclear energy prices keep French inflation lowest in Europe
Inflation in France remains strikingly low compared with the rest of Europe, according to official data released January 6.
Moody’s lowers city of Budapest’s rating to junk
Ratings agency Moody's downgraded the city of Budapest's credit rating to junk level late Monday, pointing to weak liquidity and an increased default risk amid a…
Germany ‘joint borrowing’ for Ukraine is like France borrowing for American revolution
The events in Brussels at the end of this year confirm what many of us have been warning about for years: The EU is sleepwalking into a self-inflicted historical…
Bulgaria joins the Euro next week amid domestic scepticism
With Bulgaria set to adopt the Euro on January 1, 2026, many of its citizens — especially in poorer and rural regions — fear the change of currency could further…
Germany’s next generation will be poorer without large-scale reforms, says economics minister
Germany's Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche says her country's next generation will be poorer than the present one unless Germans started to work more hours.
Once Kyiv burns through its €90bn, will EU float another loan to keep it in fight?
Hallelujah, we have an agreement to keep Ukraine solvent!
Belgium wins battle over Russian assets, EU to lend Ukraine €90bn instead
European leaders have decided to loan €90 billion to Ukraine over the next two years using their own means instead of frozen Russian assets.