Analysis

Expert analysis, features and profiles of key topical issues in the European Union.

Life is sweet for beekepers in Greece, but for how long? — 21 April 2013, 13:32 CET

In March, Greece voted in Brussels against a ban on pesticides considered harmful to bees. The Commission wants the insecticides banned for use on four major crops in a bid to prevent a collapse in the bee population.

Kosovo: key dates since independence — 19 April 2013, 21:12 CET

EU-sponsored talks finally produced a hard-won normalisation accord Friday between Serbia and breakaway Kosovo which was hailed in Brussels as a key step away from a violent past and towards closer ties with the EU.

Anti-euro party new wild card in German election year — 16 April 2013, 17:12 CET

A new anti-euro party in Germany is emerging as an election-year wild card and a potential threat to Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose coalition government is ruling with a narrow margin.

Cyprus braces for Russian cash exodus — 16 April 2013, 15:34 CET

Russian investors were shocked by having to contribute heavily to the international bailout of Cyprus, the east Mediterranean island which now faces a tall order in restoring its allure.

Cyprus hopes of gas lifeline by 2020 draw scepticism — 10 April 2013, 13:09 CET

Cypriot hopes that by 2020 the island will be earning desperately needed revenue from gas exports to pay off its mountainous debt met with scepticism from industry analysts gathered in Nicosia this week.

EU trainers bring ragtag Malian troops up to speed — 10 April 2013, 10:19 CET

At the foot of a hill by the banks of the Niger River a ragtag company of Malian soldiers crouch on the baked earth, Kalashnikov assault rifles poised.

With back against wall, Portugal pushes on with austerity — 10 April 2013, 10:21 CET

Despite the risk of aggravating the recession and unemployment, Portugal's government is wagering that following the austerity prescribed by its creditors will help it regain market confidence and avoid a second bailout.

Even BMW drivers seeking aid in crisis-hit Cyprus — 08 April 2013, 18:00 CET

The Cyprus Red Cross has long cared for the needy, but the island's financial woes run so deep that people unaccustomed to hardship are turning up for food aid -- including some who still drive BMWs.

Euro exit poses high risk option for Cyprus — 05 April 2013, 11:39 CET

An exit from the eurozone may look tempting for Cyprus in the throes of economic collapse but it poses a high-risk option for an island economy heavily reliant on imports, analysts say.

Serbia, Kosovo blame each other for talks failure — 03 April 2013, 23:09 CET

Serbia and Kosovo on Wednesday traded blame for the failure at EU-sponsored talks to reach an accord on how to ease long-standing tensions, but both say they are ready to do more to compromise.

Crisis? What crisis? - 'Only in Cyprus' — 31 March 2013, 15:29 CET

With a stoical calm, Cypriots have endured two weeks of a world headlines-hogging financial crisis which has crippled their small and mostly peaceful nation while also placing it firmly on the world map.

Russia tones down anger on Cyprus but questions remain — 31 March 2013, 15:29 CET

When the terms of the first and now abandoned EU bailout deal for crisis-stricken Cyprus were announced, Russian President Vladimir Putin bared his fangs to describe the proposal as "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous".

Bank workers in firing line as Cyprus bailout bites — 28 March 2013, 16:16 CET

As Cyprus reels under a bailout that painfully pares back its finance sector, many bankers, auditors and accountants are facing unemployment, with some being forced to consider leaving the island for good.

Cyprus businesses squeezed by bank closure — 26 March 2013, 17:59 CET

With banks in Cyprus closed for the 11th straight day on Tuesday, businesses were finding it increasingly difficult to operate, amid concerns some of them might even have to shut down.

Eurogroup chief faces heavy flak over Cyprus deal — 26 March 2013, 14:52 CET

Two months into the job as head of eurozone finance ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem's handling of the Cyprus bailout and his suggestion it might apply elsewhere have sparked sharp questions over the Dutchman's readiness for the post.

Germany on edge as crisis awakens old ghosts — 26 March 2013, 15:27 CET

Germany imposed its position at the Cyprus rescue talks but at a heavy cost to its image in Europe, where angry protesters in debt-mired states waving Nazi posters blame it for a merciless austerity drive.

Cyprus faces years of suffering: analysts — 25 March 2013, 14:06 CET

Cypriots face years of economic hardship due to a harsh eurozone bailout deal, while the Mediterranean island's future in the single currency remains deeply uncertain, analysts said Monday.

The main points of the Eurogroup-Cyprus deal — 25 March 2013, 09:42 CET

These are the main points of a deal reached early Monday between the eurozone nations and Cyprus, as presented in a statement released by the Eurogroup of finance ministers.

Welfare cuts hit the hungry on Hungary's eastern edge — 25 March 2013, 05:37 CET

Tucked away on Hungary's eastern fringe, the village of Gemzse lies in one of the European Union's poorest regions.

Greek Cypriots show faith in church to save island — 24 March 2013, 16:40 CET

Greek Cypriots flocked to Sunday mass hoping the island's powerful Orthodox Church, with assets worth hundreds of millions of euros, can help pull it out of its worst economic crisis in decades.

EU fish discard ban poses many questions — 24 March 2013, 22:38 CET

The sight of valuable fish being thrown back into the sea, mostly to die, has been a public relations headache for the fishing industry and driven calls for a discard ban by celebrity chefs and environmentalists.

Pain mounts for big depositors in two main Cyprus banks — 23 March 2013, 20:42 CET

Big depositors in Bank of Cyprus, the island's largest lender, anxiously awaited the outcome of last-ditch talks between the government and eurozone officials on Saturday on the scale of the hit they will take.

Ex-Cyprus central bank chief rues EU 'blackmail' — 22 March 2013, 22:19 CET

A former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus on Friday accused the EU of "blackmail" in its bailout plan for Cyprus and said its approach to the crisis put the entire European project at risk.

Banking at heart of Cyprus economic collapse — 24 March 2013, 16:42 CET

The Cyprus banking sector, which has driven prosperity on the Mediterranean island for two decades, has in the end been the trigger for the collapse of the country's economy due to its exposure to the Greek debt crisis.

Cyprus gas boom lifeline still only on paper — 22 March 2013, 18:05 CET

The bankruptcy-threatened Mediterranean island of Cyprus is often painted as having a lucrative lifeline -- offshore gas deposits that could just pull it back from the financial brink.