Portugal

Day-ahead power markets were linked from Portugal to Finland on Tuesday as the European Union seeks to integrate electricity markets by the end of this year across the 28-nation bloc.

Spain and Portugal joined the existing 15-country market coupling project, linked through an interconnector between Spain and France.

Hotel prices have increased across Europe in May, according to the monthly Hotel Price Index released by hotel search site trivago.

Based on the 50 most popular European cities on trivago.co.uk, one night in May will cost an average of GBP 110 which is a 12% increase compared to April.

Rating agency Moody's has increased Portugal's rating to Ba2, in a first such move since the debt-ridden country embarked on a bailout program in 2011.

By Eleni Chrepa & Nikos Chrysoloras

The Greek government will bring social security costs for workers below the European Union average for the first time in July when it cuts contributions to the pension and health-care systems, Labor Minister Ioannis Vroutsis said.

Greek beaches have been awarded 408 Blue Flags for excellent water quality, putting the country in second place out of 51 countries after Spain, according to the Blue Flag program which is managed by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education.

VIENNA - The Subotica Synagogue has been included in the list of seven most endangered monuments in Europe, the leading European organisation for heritage protection Europa Nostra released.

MILAN - Simo Boltic and Vladimir Torubanov of Serbia have won the silver medal in K2 500 at the 2014 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Milan.

Boltic and Torubanov finished the Sunday race in 1:29.093, just 0.20 seconds behind Tibor Hufnagel and Gergely Boros of Hungary.

Portugal's Fernando Pimenta and Emanuel Silva took the bronze, completing the race in 1:29.153.

Private-sector deposits in Cypriot banks rose slightly in March, the first monthly increase since November, while deposits in other southern European countries hit by the eurozone debt crisis remained relatively stable, ECB data showed.

Greece is the only country among the European Union's 28 members states where fewer than half of its workers claim to be dissatisfied with working conditions, a poll published by Eurobarometer on Thursday has found.

Bulgaria posts the second highest growth of new car sales in Q1 2014, shows data of the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

First is Portugal with a 40.5% growth, while in Bulgaria were sold 4619 new cars, or by 30.4%. 

The number of new car sales in EU continues its upward trend for a seventh consecutive month.