Author: Euronews

Germany’s inflation rate eased to 2.5% in February year-on-year, confirming the country’s rising consumer prices slowdown. ADVERTISEMENTInflation in Germany continues to cool, hitting an annual rate of 2.5% in February, down from 2.9% in January and 3.7% the month before. The German Federal Statistical Office confirmed the provisional figures on Tuesday, making this the lowest rate at which prices in Germany have risen since June 2021, when inflation stood at 2.4%.”The price situation for energy products continues to ease,” said Ruth Brand, president of the Federal Statistical Office. “The increase in food prices has slowed markedly and is now below the overall inflation rate for the…

“For most Russians, who choose to ignore the war, the economy is really the biggest issue,” one expert said. ADVERTISEMENTRussians are finding a few imported staples, like fruit, coffee and olive oil, have shot way up in price. Most global brands have disappeared — or been reincarnated as Russian equivalents under new, Kremlin-friendly ownership. A lot more Chinese cars are zipping around the streets. Those who want a particular luxury cosmetic may be out of luck.Other than that, not much has changed economically for most people in President Vladimir Putin’s Russia, more than two years after he sent troops into…

The revival of Europe’s domestic mining sector could reduce the continent’s dependence on Chinese rare earth minerals, as well as risks such as price volatility and loss of competitiveness. ADVERTISEMENTEurope’s mining sector has been on the decline for several decades now, due to a variety of factors: At the beginning of the last century, Europe accounted for about 40% of global mining output. Now, that’s down to 3%.  China’s growing dominance of the battery and rare earth minerals production and supply chain has been an ongoing threat to Europe, as it significantly contributes to China’s electric vehicle sector and makes the continent,…

The Eurogroup meetings and the release of the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) are poised to provide insights into the trajectory of regional economic development and interest rate outlooks this week. ADVERTISEMENTAmid European Central Bank (ECB) President Lagarde’s hints on a June rate cut, the European stock markets continued to refresh their all-time highs with the Euro Stoxx 50 Index hitting above 4,900 and DAX topping 17,800 for the first time in history. The movement also mirrored a continuous record-breaking momentum on Wall Street after Chair of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) Jerome Powell signalled to lower the interest rates sometime…

Leading business strategist Olivier Sibony explains the science behind reducing error and how to make good business decisions. ADVERTISEMENTDecision making is key in business and I’m sure all of us can think of someone we’ve worked with who is a terrible manager.It’s not just about being a nice person – your best friend can be a bad boss. And while being understanding and supportive is pretty important in people management, the psychology of being a good leader goes a bit deeper.In the latest episode of The Big Question, we sat down with Prof Olivier Sibony of HEC Paris Business School,…

The Treasury is making a mint from Britain’s increasingly cash-free society. ADVERTISEMENTOne of the surprise findings of the recent UK Budget was that the country’s increasing removal of cash has given the Treasury a boost of £12 billion.That is because it is becoming harder for smaller organisations and businesses to avoid paying Value Added Tax (VAT).For example, a tradesperson such as a builder, plumber or electrician would traditionally submit a price for their work with VAT added on, as the government requires.Sometimes, there might be a negotiation between trader and buyer which meant the job could be done for “cash…

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is “confident” the US will stay committed to the military alliance after November’s presidential election, despite Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s threat to allies. ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking in an interview with Euronews on Monday hours after Sweden’s NATO accession was celebrated in a flag-raising ceremony at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg insisted that NATO is “a good deal for the United States.””NATO is important for Europe but also for the United States. They have 31 friends and allies, something Russia or China doesn’t have at all,” Stoltenberg, who is due to step down as NATO chief in October,…

India and EFTA now need to ratify the agreement before it can come online, with Switzerland planning to do so by next year. ADVERTISEMENTIndia has signed a trade agreement with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that includes a commitment of $100 billion (€91 billion) in investments and creating one million direct jobs in India in the next 15 years.India committed to reducing import tariffs on industrial products from the four European countries, which together make up the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).”The landmark agreement between India and EFTA is set to bring significant economic benefits, such as better integrated and…

The agreed text strikes a balance between respecting national labour law and ensuring minimum standards of protection, the council said. ADVERTISEMENTEU member states and lawmakers today (11 March) provisionally agreed on new rules for platform workers, aiming to improve working conditions and regulate the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms. The deal comes after several member states last month derailed a political agreement that was reached earlier between the member states and the European Parliament.The rules were first proposed by the commission in December 2021, to protect workers for apps such as Uber, Deliveroo and Glovo who are often…

Much of the growth in arms imports by European countries between 2019 and 2023 is due to the massive transfers of weapons to Ukraine in 2022 and 2023, according to a recent study. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean countries have nearly doubled their arms imports between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, boosting their purchases by 94% in the period observed, according to a new study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Much of this increase was due to the transfers of arms to Ukraine, which is still fighting off the Russian invasion and which, between 2022 and 2023, received 23% of the region’s arms…