Barroso: EU economic recovery gathers pace, higher growth

ECONOMIC recovery is accelerating in the European Union and growth this year will be higher than initially forecast, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday.

The head of the EU executive told the European Parliament the 27-country bloc had come through the economic crisis strongly but risks remained.

He said structural reforms must be speeded up and unveiled plans to raise new sources of finance for infrastructure projects in the bloc that represents 500 million people but is often accused of punching below its weight on the world stage.