Eurozone
ECB issues Sepa "expectations"
The European Central Bank (ECB) published a list of expectations on Friday for how it would like to see stakeholders act to implement the Single Euro Payments Area or Sepa, amid concerns that the initiative will be swept aside by the financial crisis.
Estonia to meet Maastricht criteria in 2009
Andres Lipstok, the governor of the Bank of Estonia, has said that the country will meet all the Maastricht criteria for euro entry later this year, reports say.
Buba's Weber: no surprise states keen on euro
It is no wonder that many of those in small boats are seeking to dock in the large ship European economic and monetary union (EMU), said Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank.
ECB Monthly Bulletin: March 09
The outlook for euro-area demand remains gloomy, says the latest Monthly Bulletin from the European Central Bank.
House price spillovers low in eurozone
Spillovers between countries from shocks to house prices across eurozone are of a relatively low magnitude, a new paper from the European Central Bank finds.
ECB's Bini Smaghi: go easy with easing
It is unsound to ease monetary policy too much too soon, even when insuring against the worst-case deflationary scenario, said Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
ECB books €2.7 billion surplus
The European Central Bank (ECB) earned a surplus of €2.66 billion ($3.34 billion) last year on the back of the euro's appreciation against the dollar and the yen, it emerged on Thursday. The central bank also revealed that it was owed €10.3 billion by…
Ex-Buba's Pohl sees euro threat
Karl Otto Pohl, a former president of the Bundesbank, has said that he believes countries are considering quitting the eurozone and that German politicians are concerned that they will end up shelling out for any member's debt defaults.
Trichet pushes for greater regulatory role
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has called for European Union to grant his institution a greater regulatory role.
EU backs pledge to fill IMF coffers to $500bn
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) needs to bolster its lending capacity to $500 billion, leaders of Europe's biggest economies have said. The move comes amid concern that the Fund will be unable to avert the collapse of some central and eastern…
Of currencies, crises and completions
The crisis presents an opportunity to complete Europe’s journey towards a true monetary union, argues John Nugée
EU could face fiscal-pact threat
The European Commission's November 2008 fiscal stimulus may undermine the Stability and Growth Pact, Jan Qvigstad, the deputy governor at Norges Bank.
A setback for European payments
Terry Dirienzo, product and marketing director for Experian Payments, a consultancy, bemoans a French suspension of work on the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa).
Demand for eurozone loans shrinks
Demand for loans from both businesses and households across the euro area fell sharply in the fourth quarter, the European Central Bank's (ECB) latest credit conditions survey indicated.
ECB: corporate credit weakening
Corporate credit is significantly weakening, said Jean-Claude Trichet and Lucas Papademos, the president and the vice president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
ECB official praises Slovakia's euro entry
The changeover from Slovak koruna to euro, which took place in January, was very smooth, said Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo, a member of the European Central Bank's Executive Board.
Enlargement and stability: ECB's new challenges
Enlargement and financial stability are the European Central Bank's (ECB) main new challenges, finds a paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Eurozone, Japanese inflation sink
Eurozone annual inflation fell to its lowest level since 1999 in January as data revealed price growth in Japan came to a near standstill in 2008.
Trichet urges markets to drop focus on capital
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank, has urged markets to abandon their fixation with banks' capital ratios, saying that officials were against raising requirements.
Orphanides comments highlight ECB divide
Comments by the governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus on Wednesday underlined the split between members of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council on whether eurozone interest rates should fall to zero.
Trichet: euro is not dollar's competitor
The euro was not created to compete with the dollar, said Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB).
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell: crisis impacting economy
The eurozone is experiencing a severe financial crisis that has begun to impact the real economy, said Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, a member of the European Central Bank's executive board.
ECB officials signal reluctance to cut to zero
Two senior officials at the European Central Bank (ECB) have indicated that the Frankfurt-based institution remains reluctant to follow the Federal Reserve's lead in cutting rates to near zero.
Labour markets matter for ECB policy
Disturbances in the wage-bargaining process are a significant contributor to inflation and output fluctuations in euro-area, a paper from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve finds.