Belgium forex news

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - The European Commission said it has received support for further regulation of non-EU audit firms following a public consultation launched in January.Measures would regulate and supervise non-EU audit firms, as well as increase cooperation with competent authorities from non-EU countries...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - Euro zone GDP growth grew 0.7 pct in the first quarter from the fourth quarter, and was up 3.1 pct year-on-year, EU statistics office Eurostat said.The figures show an upward revision of provisional figures reported on June 1...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - Euro zone May industrial output rose 0.9 pct from April, and was up 2.5 pct year-on-year, EU statistics agency Eurostat reported.Economists polled by Thomson Financial News had forecast a month-on-month rise of 1.0 pct and an increase of 2...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - The European Commission's powerful antitrust policy came under fresh scrutiny today following two key judgments from the EU's second-highest court which ruled that the EU executive owes damages to Schneider Electric and imposed excessive restrictions on a rough diamond distribution agreement between Alrosa and De Beers...

ROME (Thomson Financial) - Bank of Italy governor Mario Draghi said Eurozone GDP will rise about 2 pct in the second quarter on an annual basis supported by high export growth and lively consumer demand.Eurozone first-quarter GDP was up 3 pct year-on-year and up 0...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - Former French finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn is the EU candidate to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a source for the EU's Portuguese presidency said.Earlier, a diplomatic source told Thomson Financial News that Strauss-Kahn has the support of the majority of EU finance ministers to become the successor to current IMF managing director Rodrigo Rato who will step down in October...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia said euro zone finance ministers last night maintained their pledge to achieve budget balance by 2010, but acknowledged the difficulties France and Italy face in reaching this goal...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - Germany's finance minister Per Steinbruck says it is too early to tell whether France's plans to balance its budget by 2012 -- instead of 2010 as agreed by finance ministers in April -- will undermine the credibility of the stability and growth pact...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - French finance minister Christine Lagarde reiterated France's intention to postpone the budget break-even until 2012 -- from the 2010 deadline that all EU member states agreed in April -- to undertake economic reforms in the country...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - EU finance ministers gave final approval to the entry of Cyprus and Malta into the euro zone on Jan 1, 2008, officials said.This brings to 15 the number of countries sharing the single European currency.victoria.main@thomson...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy and euro group Jean-Claude Juncker have put a diplomatic face on their differences over euro zone deficit rules.Instead of dwelling on France's intention to flout a euro zone commitment to eliminate its budget deficit by 2010, Sarkozy and Juncker made much of the country's economic reform programme during a joint press conference after the monthly euro group meeting...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that euro group president Jean-Claude Juncker backs Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the next head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).At the monthly gathering of euro zone finance ministers, Sarkozy tried to garner support for the French socialist candidate...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he does not "see eye to eye" with European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet on monetary policy.Sarkozy told reporters after attending the monthly gathering of euro zone finance ministers that he briefly discussed this matter with Trichet...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet called on France and other euro zone countries to respect the EU's deficit rules."The stability pact has to be respected," he said ahead of a gathering of euro zone finance ministers, where French president Nicolas Sarkozy will outline plans to delay the elimination of France's deficit in two years...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy came under strong pressure to respect France's deficit commitments ahead of his appearance at tonight's gathering of euro zone finance ministers.Sarkozy, who is currently meeting with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, will tell ministers that he intends to delay by two years the elimination of the French deficit...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said Germany still aims to achieve a balanced federal budget by 2010."There is no reason to give up the commitment we made in April in Berlin," Steinbrueck said before talks with his fellow euro zone finance ministers...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - German finance minister Per Steinbrueck said he welcomes the strengthening of the euro."I love a strong euro," Steinbrueck told reporters on his way into the monthly meeting of euro zone finance ministers. "I am not worried...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - Euro group president Jean-Claude Juncker said Europe must retain the post of managing director of the International Monetary Fund.On his way into the monthly gathering of euro zone finance ministers, Juncker told reporters the US had provided the new president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia said that it is "very important" that France demonstrates budgetary discipline.Almunia was speaking to reporters ahead of tonight's monthly gathering of euro zone finance ministers, where French president Nicolas Sarkozy will outline his plans to delay budget balance by two years...

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso will discuss the French deficit when he meets French president Nicolas Sarkozy here this afternoon, Barroso's spokesman Johannes Laitenberger said.Laitenberger told reporters that there is no formal agenda for the meeting, which he said will be "just part of the exchange of views between the two major actors who are often in touch over the phone"...