From the Heart of Europe | 13.12.2012, 15:00 UTC

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From the Heart of Europe 13.12.2012 | 15:00 UTC World Finance Greeks look for scapegoats A rumor circulating around Greece is causing quite a stir: Margarita Papandreou, the mother of former Prime Minister George Papandreou, has allegedly deposited money in Switzerland to evade taxes. Report: Greece most corrupt country in Europe Transparency International points to rampant corruption Greece struggles to slash public sector jobs Corruption Romania facing a new political order Prime Minister Victor Ponta was reelected with a convincing two-thirds majority in Romania's parliamentary election, enough to push through changes to the constitution. Observers fear a repeat of the "Hungarian model." Dubious Romanian candidates vie for power Hungary's Orban attempts to secure his position Romania's conservatives pull together Eurozone crisis Low expectations ahead of EU summit EU leaders have agreed to stabilize Europe's financial system with a banking union. But as the ideas become more concrete, disagreements among the decision makers have been growing ahead of this week's summit. Crisis in the eurozone EU seeks breakthrough on banking union Eurogroup OKs more funds for Greece, Spain Business Germany German middle class shrinks by the year, study says A fresh German study has found that the country's once robust middle class has been shrinking rapidly for years. It's also confirmed that low-income earners hardly ever move up the social ladder. Eurozone crisis Eurogroup releases Greek aid tranche The eurozone finance ministers have given the green light to disbursing the next installment in the Greek aid package, ending weeks of discussions. The money will help Greece stay afloat into next year. Greek buy-back program helps lighten debt load Greek aid is patchwork, ex-foreign minister says Growth German Ifo think tank sees economy picking up in 2013 Germany's renowned Ifo institute has insisted the country's economy would expand again as early as next spring, following a brief contraction period. It says domestic and extra-European demand will prevent a recession. News Politics Merkel lays out EU vision in Bundestag before summit Chancellor Angela Merkel has told German politicians that European partners' efforts to right the bloc's wavering economy "could not possibly be overestimated." Though she said there was "still much to do." Merkel lays out EU vision Low expectations ahead of EU summit European Union Report: Graphic cigarette pack warnings headed for Europe Germans are already warned in words that smoking is dangerous to their health and to those around them. A major daily has reported that soon, photos of smokers' damaged anatomies will seek to paint thousands of words. Europe EU clinches deal ahead of banking union showdown Thursday has brought an early morning deal between EU finance ministers on a new banking supervisor. It is a single but important step towards a full banking union. New EU banking supervisor   Unsubscribe   Personal Data   Feedback   Imprint © Deutsche Welle 2012