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Press Summary Archive

February 2009

27 Feb 2009

Merkel hints that Germany may come to Ireland's aid; Former Bundesbank President: Eurozone bailout would open a Pandora’s Box

26 Feb 2009

De Larosiere report calls for a pan-European advisory council on financial risk; Commission calls for restructure of “zombie banks”

25 Feb 2009

Commission report to call for financial ‘early warning system’; German Foreign Minister: “Turbo-capitalism of the past few years is dead”

24 Feb 2009

German Finance Minister wants to help eurozone countries which have “difficulties with their payments”; ECB says German plan breaches “no bailout” clause in EU Treaty

23 Feb 2009

MEPs can make extra million from claiming allowances

20 Feb 2009

European Parliament agrees plan to introduce criminal sanctions on employers hiring illegal immigrants; UK Government: no “legal basis” for the EU to set criminal sanctions

19 Feb 2009

World Bank President calls for EU support for central and eastern Europe; Polish PM invites central and eastern EU states to meet separately on financial crisis

18 Feb 2009

German Finance Minister: Ireland may need a bailout; Commission criticises Irish recovery plan as “unclear” and “underdeveloped”

17 Feb 2009

Irish rerun referendum on Lisbon unlikely to be until after June

16 Feb 2009

New poll: 51% of Irish would vote Yes in second referendum on Lisbon Treaty; Poll prompts calls for early referendum date

13 Feb 2009

EU’s Police College suspected of fraud

12 Feb 2009

European economic crisis summit called by Prague for 1 March

11 Feb 2009

German Constitutional Court: Lisbon Treaty is unreadable and “threat to freedom”

10 Feb 2009

Czech Presidency calls economic summit before end of February following “protectionist” steps by Sarkozy; EU Finance Ministers meet today to agree a plan on “toxic debt”

09 Feb 2009

Business leaders call on the Government to “adopt uncompromising stand” against over-regulation

06 Feb 2009

MEPs: We need to change the Posted Workers Directive to end “social dumping”

05 Feb 2009

Wildcat strikes to be called off after concessions made to unions;

04 Feb 2009

Commission launches 1.8m euro publicity campaign to target Lisbon No voters

03 Feb 2009

Strikes over foreign EU labour spread; Commission says it will not be pressured into revising rules

02 Feb 2009

New Open Europe research: EU regulation has cost the UK £107 billion over past decade - accounting for 72% of the total cost of regulation in the UK