Latest Europe Headlines

All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Europe’s Drought May Be Worst in 500 Years: Report

Aug 23 2022 // Europe is currently in the throes of a drought that appears to be the worst in at least 500 years, according to a preliminary analysis by experts from the European Union’s Joint Research Center.Some 64% of the EU is...

Confusion About ESG Prompts EU Watchdog to Urge Rethinking of Rulebook

Aug 22 2022 // Europe’s markets watchdog is calling for a rethink of the region’s ESG investing rulebook after finding that the existing framework is being misinterpreted.At issue is the tendency of fund managers and their...

War-Damaged Ukraine Nuclear Plant Could Threaten Europe’s Energy Grid

Aug 19 2022 // Diplomats concerned about an atomic accident at a war-damaged nuclear power plant in Ukraine should also turn their attention to a larger and looming danger, according to engineers who study critical infrastructure.Already...

Insured Losses From February’s European Windstorms Estimated at €3.7B: PERILS

Aug 19 2022 // Insured losses for the European windstorm series, which affected the British Isles and continental Europe in February 2022, are estimated at €3.739 billion (US$3.8 billion), according to PERILS, the independent...

Scope of EU Ban on Russian Coal and Fertilizers Jolts Insurers

Aug 15 2022 // The European Union jolted insurers and shippers by clarifying that a ban on EU entities servicing exports of Russian coal and some fertilizers applies to shipments anywhere in the world.An EU ban on imports of Russian coal...

Wildfires Burn, Farmers Struggle as Another Heatwave Bakes Western Europe

Aug 12 2022 // European nations sent firefighting teams to help France tackle a “monster” wildfire on Thursday, while forest blazes also raged in Spain and Portugal and the head of the European Space Agency urged immediate...

Britain’s Proposed Post-Brexit Financial Reform Explained

Aug 12 2022 // Britain’s government proposed a far-reaching financial services law last month to exploit “freedoms” to write its own capital market rules since leaving the European Union.Approval of what is the biggest...

Historic Drought, Low River Levels Threaten to Cripple Trade Across Europe

Aug 11 2022 // In the midst of an arid summer that set heat records across Europe, the continent’s rivers are evaporating.The Rhine — a pillar of the German, Dutch and Swiss economies for centuries — is set to become virtually...

Europe’s Rhine River on Brink of Becoming Impassable as Water Levels Drop

Aug 3 2022 // Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall perilously close to the point at which it would effectively close, putting the trade of huge quantities of goods at risk as the continent seeks to stave off an economic...

EU Mulls New Unit With Antitrust Veterans to Enforce Tech Rules

Jul 28 2022 // The European Commission is considering creating a new directorate that may be headed by two top antitrust officials to enforce tough new rules aimed at reining in the powers of Big Tech, two people familiar with the matter...

Reuters: EU Finds Evidence Employees’ Smartphones Compromised by Spyware

Jul 28 2022 // The European Union found evidence that smartphones used by some of its staff were compromised by an Israeli company’s spy software, the bloc’s top justice official said in a letter seen by Reuters.In a July 25...

Record Temperatures, Wildfires Wreak Havoc on Europe’s Wineries and Vineyards

Jul 26 2022 // In Portugal’s Douro Valley on July 7, a wildfire burned close to Oscar Quevedo’s Quinta da Alegria vineyard. By the middle of the night, flames surrounded it. The vines around the edges, amounting to about a...

Return of Coal as Alternative to Russian Gas Threatens European Firms’ ESG Ratings

Jul 26 2022 // European companies turning to coal as an alternative to Russian gas face a hit to their environmental, social and governance ratings, leaving them scrambling to impress investors still vocal on sustainability.Despite an...

London’s Financial Center Struggles to Find Its Way in Post-Brexit Britain

Jul 25 2022 // London is in danger of becoming a mere “regional stock market” down the line unless it significantly raises its game — that is the warning from Mark Austin, the latest person charged with sprucing up the...

Europe Wildfire Damage Jumps 75%; Models Need More Development: Chaucer

Jul 22 2022 // Damage from large wildfires in Europe has jumped dramatically, with a 75% increase in the amount of land burned in the latest year, according to analysis by Chaucer, the specialty re/insurer, which warns that modeling for...

Analysis: Britain’s Proposed Post-Brexit Financial Services Law Underwhelms Industry

Jul 21 2022 // Britain’s reform of post-Brexit financial services is more about catching up with rivals than unleashing a “Big Bang 2.0” as it sidesteps calls to cut taxes on banks or ease curbs on hiring foreign staff...

Update: Climate Change Alarm Sounded as Wildfires Rage Across Europe

Jul 20 2022 // Emergency services battled wildfires across swathes of southern Europe amid mass evacuations on Wednesday, as warnings sounded in London after Britain’s hottest day that the fight against climate change needed to be...

Britain Initiates Post-Brexit ‘Transformation’ of Financial Services

Jul 20 2022 // British financial regulators will have to promote the global competitiveness of the country’s financial sector, though a plan for more government oversight of their work has been put on hold for now, finance minister...

Record Heatwave Scorches Europe, as Wildfires Continue to Rage in France, Spain

Jul 19 2022 // Britain was forecast to see temperatures hit 40C (104F) for the first time on Tuesday after logging its warmest night on record, while wildfires raged across parched countryside in France, Spain and elsewhere.As a heatwave...

New UK Finance Minister Targets Flexibility of Post-Brexit Financial Regs, Solvency II

Jul 19 2022 // Britain’s government must focus on sound public finances and avoid further fueling inflation by pumping up demand, new finance minister Nadhim Zahawi is due to say in his first major speech on Tuesday.Zahawi will...