Mediaboss Marketing

May. 16, 2014

Data released by European statistics agency Eurostat shows that growth in euro zone rose 0.2 percent in first quarter, which translates to annual growth rate of 0.8 percent; while data represents fourth straight quarter of expansion, it is half what economists expected; growth is so feeble that it could be years before Europe recovers. MORE

European Court of Justice ruling that Google can be forced to remove links from some searches will be carried out by data privacy regulators at 28 different agencies across the European Union; court has given little guidance to agencies in applying the ruling, which could result in jurisdiction shopping as different European countries interpret ruling in different ways. MORE

Editorial warns that European Court of Justice decision to make Google comply with requests from individuals to remove links on search results pages could undermine press freedoms and free speech; contends that desire to allow individuals to erase data they no longer wish to disclose is understandable; urges lawmakers not to create a right so powerful that it could limit press freedoms or allow individuals to demand that lawful information in a news archive be hidden. MORE

Credit is harder to come by in some of more troubled euro zone countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece; many small and medium-size businesses are struggling to get loans that would help them rebuild, finding interest rates are much more expensive than in thriving European Union countries; situation is hampering economic recovery. MORE

Adam B Bartos, Czech journalist running in May elections for European Parliament, has campaigned on anti-Semitic sentiments and anti-European Union messages; parties outside the mainstream are expected to win as many as quarter of the Parliament's 750 seats, indicating rise of far-right leaders. MORE

Influential group of British Euroskeptics, after talks with Continental politicians, accept that early treaty change with European Union is neither likely nor necessary in order to change Britain's ties to the EU; move gives Prime Min David Cameron some breathing room as European nations seek to avoid treaty rewrite. MORE

European Union report says European labor market remains stagnant despite signs of growth; jobless rate was 11.8 percent in March in 18 nations that share euro currency. MORE

European Union statistics agency Eurostate reports annual rate of inflation in the euro zone rose to 0.7 percent in April 2014, from 0.5 percent in March; rate remains well below European Central Bank's official target of slightly less than 2 percent. MORE

Members of European Union condemn execution death of Clayton D Lockett in Oklahoma, brutal ordeal that dragged on for 43 minutes; authorities used improvised cocktail of drugs to kill Lockett due to shortages of sodium thiopental, drug commonly used for lethal injections, resulting in badly enacted execution. MORE

Originally posted here:
European Union's - Times Topics - The New York Times