TWO of the eurozone’s six triple A-rated countries, France and Austria, were downgraded from AAA to AA last night by credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s.

SPAIN and Italy exceeded expectations in raising short-term money in abundance and at much reduced rates on the markets.

THE battle to devise an EU treaty governing member states’ finances faces a new hurdle with both the European Commission and the European Parliament threatening to reject it unless they have a role.

TALK about a second programme or bailout for Ireland is not helpful, the European Commission has said following media speculation about the issue.

MEMBERS of theEuropean Parliament are pushing for a commitment to create eurobonds, joint debt issuance and a financial transaction tax, as part of the price for the proposed EU treaty enforcing strict government budgets.

ONE-IN-FIVE young Irish people aged 15 to 25 years are not in work, education or training, the third highest proportion in the EU.

IRELAND had the third highest trade surplus in the EU for the first nine months of the year at €32.4 billion — worth a third of the value of the Germany surplus.

TAXPAYERS and shareholders lost more than €127 billion in Irish banks in little more than two years and, at best, the state can hope to get back €30bn.

IRISH consumers are still paying a fifth more than their average EU counterpart for goods and services despite the country’s GDP having fallen by more than 13% in the past three years.

THE secretary general of the Department of Finance, Kevin Cardiff was cleared to become a member of the EU Court of Auditors by the European Parliament amid claims of political abuse and intimidation by some MEPs.