The Government is set to officially reject accusations by US senators this week that the country acts as a tax haven for multinationals.

FINANCE Minister Michael Noonan fears our financial services industry may be at risk from Britain’s opt-out from closer EU integration.

European finance ministers will attempt to draw up stricter budget rules to avoid another government debt crisis, as the surging euro cast doubt on the continent’s fragile economic recovery.

AN EU think tank says Ireland will have the fastest-growing western European economy between now and 2020.

EU targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions will add costs to the European economy in the short-term but these will be outweighed by the greater cost of doing nothing, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said today.

Dutch voters today delivered their verdict on the proposed EU constitution, and polls indicated they would deepen the crisis over the future of the European Union by following France’s lead and rejecting the document.

The Dutch began voting in their first national referendum today, choosing whether to accept – or more likely, reject – a proposed European Union constitution.

THE Dutch are expected to put the final nail in the coffin of the European Constitution today by following the French example and voting overwhelmingly against it.

As Dutch leaders made an 11th-hour plea for a “Yes” vote on the European Union constitution, polls suggested a disillusioned public will reject the charter in a referendum tomorrow by an even larger margin than the stunning “No” delivered by France.

The European Union constitution faced its first test at the grass-roots level today as Spaniards started a referendum vote, with the prospect of low turnout threatening to get the landmark document off to a sluggish start.