Economy of the European Union

EU Unemployment Rate Reaches Historic Low: Bulgaria Reports Notable Decline to 4.3%

In a significant turn, the unemployment rate across the Eurozone hit a remarkable record low of 6.4% in November 2023, marking a decline from the previous 6.5% in October and notably lower than the 6.7% reported a year earlier in November 2022.

A vision for a Europe governed by rule-based order

Wolfgang Schaeuble resembled a commanding political figure in both Germany and Europe. It would not be an overstatement to assert that, for a substantial span of challenging years, the Eurogroup operated within the sphere of his influence - member-states actively sought his favor, aligning themselves with his policy initiatives.

Europeanism of a German cut

Wolfgang Schaeuble assumed the role of Germany's finance minister in late October 2009, serving in this capacity for a full eight years. During this period, he collaborated, beginning with my own appointment a few weeks earlier, with nine successive Greek finance ministers. This observation alone serves as a clear indication of the impact he had on navigating the eurozone and Greek crises.

The road to restoring Greece’s A credit rating

A significant reduction in the debt ratio, the strengthening of economic resilience, and improvement in Greece's governance indicators are the three essential steps required for the country to fully normalize and regain an A credit rating, as it had before the debt crisis, thus aligning with the average credit rating of eurozone economies. This analysis comes from the Bank of Greece.

Inflation seen easing to 3% in November

The European Union-harmonized inflation rate in Greece fell to 3% in November, according to Eurostat's preliminary data, after the jump of 3.8% it had made in October.

In the eurozone, inflation continued to slow closer to the ECB's 2% target, at a faster pace than expected. Inflation in the bloc hit a two-year low of 2.4% in November, from 2.9% in October.

EU Commission Projects Bulgaria's Economic Slowdown in 2024

The European Commission's latest autumn economic forecast reveals Bulgaria's anticipated economic slowdown in 2023 and 2024, followed by a predicted rebound in 2025. Projections indicate a decrease in imports and exports alongside steady household consumption levels, set to rise gradually in the coming months of 2024.

Greek growth stays above EU average

The European Commission sees Greece's economic growth at 2.4% in 2023 and 2.2% until 2025, above the eurozone and EU average, in its fall economic forecasts released on Wednesday, pointing out that this growth is supported by the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan and a resilient labor market.

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