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• UPDATE 1-Obama tells Merkel economic policies must improve lives Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 10:19 AM ET

  BERLIN, June 19- The need to balance budgets should not distract from the ultimate goal of economic policy, namely improving people's lives, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday in what appeared to be a dig at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's focus on austerity.

• ANALYSIS-Half-way to lost decade, Europe's growth task as tough as ever Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 | 10:01 AM ET

  LONDON, June 19- Half-way towards a lost decade for Europe's economy, pessimism persists about the political will to halt a worrying slide in the region's potential growth.

• Germany leans on EU states to weaken car emissions law Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 8:37 AM ET

  *Berlin pressuring member states to weaken rules- sources. With EU governments and lawmakers aiming to finalise the rules next week, which most of the 27 member states back, Germany has stepped up the pressure on them to water down limits on vehicle emissions to protect the country's mighty car industry, particularly luxury makers such as BMW and Daimler.

• Spain's credit squeeze thwarts small companies' export plans Tuesday, 18 Jun 2013 | 8:36 AM ET

  Jose Posada, owner of Galicia-based Posada Marron Glace, which last year sold 1 million euros of delicacies, mostly abroad to countries like Japan, Russia and Angola, wants to push into China and Central America.

• Portuguese teachers strike over austerity plans Monday, 17 Jun 2013 | 9:49 AM ET

  LISBON, Portugal-- Thousands of Portuguese students have missed mandatory end-of-year exams because of a 24- hour strike by teachers opposing government plans to extend their working week and reduce staff numbers. Education Minister Nuno Crato announced a July rescheduling for those who missed their exams.

• French Socialists call for weaker euro, eased EU budget rules Sunday, 16 Jun 2013 | 2:43 PM ET

  PARIS, June 16- France's ruling Socialists on Sunday called for a weaker euro and changes to EU rules on budget deficits, accusing the center-right governments of Britain and Germany of creating economic hardship across the European Union.

• IMF head says 'very happy' with EU troika cooperation Friday, 14 Jun 2013 | 1:19 PM ET

  WASHINGTON, June 14- The head of the International Monetary Fund said she was satisfied with the cooperation between the IMF and European lenders, amid criticism about the flaws in the relationship.

• IMF says risks to successful Portugal bailout still high Thursday, 13 Jun 2013 | 11:00 AM ET

  LISBON, June 13- The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday Portugal's economic outlook was "somber" and its public debt condition "very fragile" although Lisbon has met the latest targets in its 78 billion euro bailout. It also said the political and social consensus behind Portugal's bailout was fraying.

• ECB rebuffs Bundesbank call for new limits on its mandate Wednesday, 12 Jun 2013 | 10:59 AM ET

  KARLSRUHE, Germany, June 12- The European Central Bank defended itself in a German court on Wednesday against suggestions that its role should be more limited, clashing with Germany's Bundesbank over its main tool in calming the euro crisis.

• UPDATE 2-Vodafone moves for Kabel Deutschland in quad-play push Wednesday, 12 Jun 2013 | 8:38 AM ET

  *Vodafone could pay for deal with existing resources. *Vodafone shares ex-div, Kabel Deutschland hit new high. LONDON/ FRANKFURT, June 12- British mobile firm Vodafone has approached Kabel Deutschland about a bid for Germany's biggest cable operator that could top 7 billion euros and help fend off competition in its most important European market.

• ECB Board Member: Room to Cut Rates Further Wednesday, 12 Jun 2013 | 1:21 AM ET

  

  The European Central Bank has room to cut interest rates further, Executive Board member Peter Praet said on Tuesday, adding that the central bank is paying "great attention" to euro zone inflation.

• UPDATE 3-ECB and Bundesbank square off over bond-buying plan Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013 | 1:35 PM ET

  KARLSRUHE, Germany, June 11- The European Central Bank vigorously defended its bond-buying programme in a German courtroom on Tuesday, arguing that the scheme many credit with saving the euro from collapse was within its mandate and had not spawned unlimited risks.

• EURO GOVT-Global monetary stimulus fears hit euro zone bonds Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013 | 12:20 PM ET

  *Bank of Japan refrains from measures to reduce volatility. Lower-rated euro zone debt underperformed German Bunds after the Bank of Japan announced no new measures to stem bond market volatility, further unsettling investors worried about the outlook for the U.S.

• ECB to defend bond-buying plan in German courtroom duel Monday, 10 Jun 2013 | 6:00 PM ET

  BERLIN, June 11- The European Central Bank will defend its bond-buying programme in a German court this week against charges it is really an illegal scheme to fund euro zone members through the back door.

• ANALYSIS-Euro bailout Troika nears end of road with patchy record Monday, 10 Jun 2013 | 4:00 PM ET

  The uneasy trio of European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank was assembled in haste in March 2010 after Greece's public debt and deficit exploded and it was about to lose access to market funding.

• Germany could expand small business loan scheme to EU strugglers Saturday, 8 Jun 2013 | 10:05 AM ET

  BERLIN, June 8- Portugal and Greece are interested in the same kind of support for lending to small business that Germany agreed with Spain this week, a spokeswoman for the German finance ministry said on Saturday, but they will need a state financing body to qualify. "Portugal and Greece are interested in similar measures," she said.

• German demand offers trade relief to southern Europe Friday, 7 Jun 2013 | 10:09 AM ET

  "That will benefit especially the peripheral European economies who are selling more goods to Germany and attracting more German tourists," Schmieding said.

• UPDATE 2-EU, IMF clash over "mistakes" in handling Greek bailout Thursday, 6 Jun 2013 | 12:52 PM ET

  BRUSSELS, June 6- The European Commission clashed with the International Monetary Fund on Thursday over their handling of the first Greek bailout, which the IMF said had pushed an extra burden on euro zone taxpayers by letting Athens delay restructuring its debts.

• Portuguese parties remain divided over austerity Thursday, 6 Jun 2013 | 9:55 AM ET

  LISBON, Portugal-- Portugal's main opposition Socialist Party says its differences with the government over economic policy are insurmountable and prevent the forging of a political consensus that the country's bailout creditors would like to see.

• EU agrees to tighten its ban on "shark finning" Thursday, 6 Jun 2013 | 8:29 AM ET

  *Portugal votes against the ban. *Ban closes loophole used by Portugal and Spain. BRUSSELS, June 6- The European Union agreed on Thursday to tighten an existing ban on "shark finning", or slicing fins off sharks often while they are still alive, which environmental campaigners say is cruel and threatens the survival of some species.