European Union

 Frankfurt extends the limit on emergency liquidity assistance for local lenders by another 800 mln euros

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble used the "hot and cold" treatment vis-à-vis Greece on Wednesday, first saying progress made by the previous government was wiped out by the radical leftists since January before stressing, later in the day, that he does not expect a "Grexit" ? even if markets have hedged against the prospect.

Wigemark announced on Wednesday that the EU will organize a high-level meeting in May with Bosnia's leaders and representatives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as the next step in the implementation of the EU's new initiative for Bosnia.

Greece signed an investment deal worth up to 500 million euros a year with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Thursday, gaining a rare financial endorsement from the region for its attempts to remain solvent.

Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis visited on Wednesday the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, which is turning into a new "Lampedusa" as some 3,000 illegal migrants ? all from Third World countries ? have arrived just in 2015!

A woman protesting against European Central Bank policy leapt onto a desk in front of ECB President Mario Draghi on April 15as he spoke at a news conference, disrupting the normally technical presentation before she was carried away.
   

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Wednesday that no one expects a solution for Greece at the next Eurogroup meeting later this month.

Addressing a conference in New York on Wednesday, the German FinMin underlined that Greece is currently in a very difficult position.

By John O?Donnell & Marc Jones

FRANKFURT - The European Central Bank has no plans to curb or curtail its money-printing program although it expects eurozone economic recovery to broaden and strengthen.

Last month the ECB embarked on an asset-buying program with 60 billion euros a month of news money, which it has said will last until at least September 2016.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister, Bogdan Aurescu and the Minister for European Economic Space and European Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, Vidar Helgesen have reiterated on Wednesday their countries' support for the full implementation of the Minsk Memorandums, according to a release by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) sent AGERPRES.

The German government said on Wednesday that it was unrealistic to expect eurozone countries to be able to pay out a new tranche of aid to Greece this month.