Congress of Deputies

Italy's Letta sees anti-EU surge if no answers to crisis

Thomson ReutersMay 8, 2013 17:24

MADRID (Reuters) - Europe risks a wave of anti-EU votes in 2014 European parliamentary elections unless a June summit of European Union leaders offers a concrete response to economic crisis, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said on Monday. "If the European summit in June... results in a bureaucratic, routine, formal conclusion, with a great abstract plan that needs two years to be implemented...we risk creating a climate in Europe in which the winning parties will be anti-European," Letta said.

Spanish P.M. defends policies, says economy will recover in 2014

Agencia EFEMay 8, 2013 11:32

Madrid, May 8 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called Wednesday for staying the course on the reforms implemented by his government and said that adjusting the deficit target had avoided "the strangulation" of society. The forecasts included in the economic reform plan submitted to the European Union are "realistic," Rajoy told Parliament. Some economic indicators are performing "spectacularly" and are well above forecasts, the prime minister said. "Spain is back on its feet and is reliable," Rajoy told lawmakers.

Spain says budget cuts, reforms beginning to pay off, country no longer in need of bailout

The Canadian PressMay 8, 2013 09:37

MADRID - The Spanish government claims its austerity measures and reforms are paying off. Conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told Parliament on Wednesday that Spain was no longer close to a financial abyss and the threat of needing a bailout had receded. Rajoy said his policies were "beginning to work," though he said much remained to be done. The premier claimed one major achievement was the sharp drop in recent months of the country's borrowing costs on bond markets. He said that could save the country up to 1 billion euros ($1.31 billion) this year.

EU regulator takes aim at Google over Apple mobile patent lawsuit

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 13:39

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said it believed Motorola Mobility, a unit of Google, was abusing its market position by seeking and enforcing an injunction against Apple in Germany over patents essential to mobile phone standards. The Commission said in a statement it had informed Motorola Mobility of its preliminary view in a charge sheet known as a statement of objections.

Government support dips as Spaniards tire of crisis, corruption

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 11:20

MADRID (Reuters) - Public support for Spain's ruling center-right party has slipped following a high-level corruption scandal and ongoing recession, and Spaniards remain pessimistic about the political and economic outlook, a poll showed on Friday. Half of Spaniards consider the political situation to be "very bad" and ranked corruption as Spain's number two problem behind unemployment, according to a survey by the state-owned Sociological Investigations Centre (CIS), carried out in April.

Spain, Italy want EU summit to act on banking union

Agencia EFEMay 6, 2013 17:45

Madrid, May 6 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his Italian counterpart, Enrico Letta, agreed here Monday to ask that next month's European Union summit make final decisions on the eurozone's banking union and how to deal with youth unemployment. At a press conference after their meeting in Madrid, the two leaders said that they will work to bring joint proposals in both areas to the gathering.

Italian Premier Letta heads to Spain, calling it an ally for growth and against social pain

The Canadian PressMay 6, 2013 06:45

MILAN - Italian Premier Enrico Letta sees Spain as a partner in the battle to reduce Europe's focus on budget austerity. Letta heads to Madrid on Monday to meet with Spanish leader Mariano Rajoy, his fourth European capital since taking office eight days ago. Ahead of the meeting, he called Spain "our ally to make Europe the continent that places more attention on growth and social discomfort." He said his government will focus on creating economic growth without adding debt, acknowledging it will be "very difficult."

Germany to promote investment in small business in Spain

Agencia EFEApril 29, 2013 17:31

Loja, Spain, Apr 29 (EFE).- Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Monday here signed an agreement to facilitate private investment in small and medium-sized firms in Spain to make a dent in the country's record jobless rate of 27.16 percent. De Guindos and Schaeuble discussed the agreement at a press conference prior to participating in a forum on the future of the European Union in the southern Spanish city of Loja.

Spain admits recession worse but gets deficit leeway

Thomson ReutersApril 26, 2013 09:45

By Julien Toyer and Robin Emmott MADRID/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Spain acknowledged that its economy would shrink more than initially expected in 2013 and its budget deficit would be higher than promised, but the European Union gave it more time to bring the shortfall back down to bloc limits. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was a keen advocate of austerity in his first year in power, has tried since February to find a middle way in the argument over Europe's economic future between pro-austerity and pro-growth camps.

Spanish unemployment tops 27%, protests near parliament

Agence France-PresseApril 25, 2013 15:15

Spain's unemployment rate surged past 27 percent to a new record in the first quarter of 2013, official data showed Thursday as a deep recession ravaged the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. A record unemployment number also emerged in neighbouring France, the eurozone's second-biggest economy, as the labour ministry said jobseekers in France surged by 36,900 in March to 3.224 million, beating a record set in 1997. Spain's new figure put its jobless rate just below that of bailed-out Greece -- the highest in the European Union at 27.2 percent.