Bureau Chief, Brussels
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Jan 30, 2013

Analysis: Pall of bank “legacy assets” hangs over euro zone

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – In September last year, at a below-the-radar meeting in Helsinki, three euro zone finance ministers came up with a two-word phrase that sounded harmless at the time but has since troubled European leaders a great deal.

Banks’ “legacy assets” sound innocent enough but in the context of Europe’s debt crisis, and particularly for Ireland and Spain, the question of how to deal with existing bad debts is a time bomb that has not been defused.

Jan 23, 2013

EU mystified at how Cameron’s renegotiation will happen

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European officials and diplomats were left scratching their heads after David Cameron’s big speech on Wednesday, expressing confusion about how and when the prime minister expects to overhaul Britain’s ties to the European Union.

Cameron promised voters an in/out referendum on British membership of the EU if he is re-elected in 2015, saying the referendum would take place by the end of 2017, once Britain has re-negotiated its relationship with the EU.

Jan 16, 2013

Finland’s Katainen: EU without UK like “fish without chips”

BRUSSELS, Jan 16 (Reuters) – The European Union without
Britain would be like “fish without chips”, the prime minister
of Finland said on Wednesday as he made a detailed case for
Britain remaining a strong and influential player in Europe.

Speaking two days before Prime Minister David Cameron
delivers a much-anticipated speech setting out how he wants to
change Britain’s relationship with the European Union, Jyrki
Katainen said he was sure the British would not abandon Europe.

Jan 16, 2013

Brussels on edge ahead of Cameron’s EU speech

BRUSSELS, Jan 16 (Reuters) – It’s been called a tightrope
walk, an attempt to thread a needle in the dark and like sailing
between Scylla and Charybdis. The classical allusion may be a
stretch, but one way or the other, Britain’s David Cameron faces
a tough ask on Europe.

When he stands up to speak at 10 a.m. on Friday, the prime
minister will confront a highly expectant audience, not just in
the room before him in Amsterdam, but on TV across Europe and
particularly on the other side of the Channel at home.

Jan 8, 2013

Ireland urges Britain to be cautious with EU ties

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland, which holds the presidency of the European Union for the next six months, urged Britain not be too adversarial in pushing for change in its relationship with the EU on Tuesday, saying it should remember its close history in Europe.

Prime Minister David Cameron, responding to growing Euroskepticism among voters at home, has said he wants to overhaul Britain’s 40-year-old links with Brussels and is expected to flesh out his thinking in a speech later this month.

Dec 18, 2012

Insight: Marathon talks set Europe on path to banking union

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – When 20 European Union leaders gathered in Oslo’s sub-zero temperatures on December 10 to celebrate winning the Nobel Peace Prize, there was an unspoken item on the agenda: banking union.

France and Germany planned to hold talks on the margins of the prize-giving to see if they could find a deal that would put the European Central Bank in charge of all euro zone banks.

Dec 18, 2012

Marathon talks set Europe on path to banking union

BRUSSELS, Dec 18 (Reuters) – When 20 European Union leaders
gathered in Oslo’s sub-zero temperatures on Dec. 10 to celebrate
winning the Nobel Peace Prize, there was an unspoken item on the
agenda: banking union.

France and Germany planned to hold talks on the margins of
the prize-giving to see if they could find a deal that would put
the European Central Bank in charge of all euro zone banks.

Dec 14, 2012

EU leaders promise further steps to quell crisis

BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) – European leaders agreed to
press on with further steps to shore up their finances and
sustain momentum in tackling the debt crisis on Friday, a day
after clinching a deal on banking supervision and approving
long-delayed aid to Greece.

After more than eight hours of late-night talks at a summit
in Brussels, leaders promised to push ahead with setting up a
mechanism to wind down problem banks, although it was unclear
when the facility would be completed.

Dec 13, 2012

EU ending 2012 in best shape in years

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union has scored a series of mini-victories in recent months and is ending 2012 in perhaps the best shape of the past four years, Finland’s Europe minister said on Thursday.

The European Central Bank’s promise to backstop euro-zone bonds, an agreement on forming a banking union, a deal to keep Greece afloat and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize have all helped buoy spirits after three years of near-relentless crisis.

Dec 12, 2012

After fraught 2012, EU leaders hope for summit deal

BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) – After a hectic year of crisis
management, during which Greece had a close brush with the euro
zone exit, European Union leaders aim to strengthen banking
oversight and work on wider reforms at their sixth summit of
2012 starting on Thursday.

With Silvio Berlusconi vowing to contest an Italian election
early next year, a full bailout of Spain still on the cards and
a German general election in September casting a long shadow,
2013 promises to be the EU’s fourth turbulent year in a row, and
that’s without mentioning Greece, Ireland or Portugal.

    • About Luke

      "Luke is bureau chief for Reuters in Brussels. The 25-strong, multimedia bureau covers all European Union issues, from trade, energy and agriculture to foreign policy, competition, regulation and economic affairs. The bureau is also responsible for coverage of NATO and Belgian politics, economics and company news. In his beat, Luke covers foreign affairs, with a focus on the Middle East and Iran, and writes about EU economic policy. He was previously based in London, where he was defence correspondent, and before that had postings in Jerusalem, Baghdad, Rome and Johannesburg."
      Joined Reuters:
      1997
      Languages:
      English, Italian, French, Spanish
    • More from Luke

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      Under Fire: Untold Stories from the Front Line of the Iraq War
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