European monetary union

Marking a significant milestone, the euro commemorates its 25th anniversary since its inception. Introduced initially in 11 countries, the single European currency has grown to encompass approximately 350 million users across 20 countries in the eurozone. Bulgaria eyes becoming the 21st member, intending to join the currency union early next year.

A West African monetary union has agreed to lift its suspension of Mali, imposed in January 2022 over the ruling junta's timeline for returning to civilian rule, it said in a statement.

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) came to the decision during an extraordinary session held in Guinea-Bissau on Saturday, it said in the communique received on July 9 by AFP.

Annual inflation in the Eurozone fell to 8.5% in January, according to Eurostat's preliminary data. This is the third month in a row that inflation has slowed.

The data comes ahead of the European Central Bank's first key meeting of the year. Later in the day, the Federal Reserve in the United States is expected to announce another interest rate hike.

Behind the horrors of war, amidst successive international crises, a favorable reality for Europe (and Greece) is quietly unfolding. What was once a factor of division and weakness for the European Union is now a pillar of unity and strength. The euro, at the heart of the EU's first major crisis of the 21st century, has evolved from a weak core to a European unifier.

Even if Bulgaria's membership in the Eurozone is not approved, this does not mean that any sovereignty of the real monetary policy of the BNB will be preserved. An analysis by Krasen Stanchev, ClubZ.

"Sovereignty" is not linked to and is not "betrayed" by the introduction of the euro

By Panagiotis Ioakeimidis*

The crisis in Ukraine, along with other factors confirms that long-term geopolitical competitions have returned to the forefront and are creating new realities in our region

Regional issues, including security issues such as Greek-Turkish relations, are now viewed from the vantage point of this competition.

German lawmakers elected Social Democrat Olaf Scholz as the new chancellor today, ending 16 years of conservative rule under Angela Merkel. Scholz, 63, won a clear majority, backed by 395 lawmakers in the lower house.

In the Bundestag, Olaf Scholz and his 16 ministers will be sworn in today and will take office as the first three-party coalition to rule the country.

Ljubljana – Rating agency Standard & Poor’s affirmed on Friday Slovenia’s AA- rating with a stable outlook. The step acknowledges that Slovenia “remains a stable country in the long run despite the difficult situation due to Covid-19”, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday.

Leading Italian economist Luigi Buttiglione recently spoke to Kathimerini about the public health crisis and the corresponding financial and economic crises. Following his tenure as senior economist at the Research Department of Banca d'Italia (1989-2000), he has achieved an impressive career in the global financial sector.

Greece's benchmark 10-year bond yield tumbled by about 50 percent on Thursday, returning to the 2 percent level from 4.1 percentage points previously, after the key move by the European Central Bank to incorporate Greece in its emergency bond-buying program.