Finance Minister Michael Noonan has appealed for the EU to slow down the process of putting a financial transaction tax in place, saying he was not willing to participate if the legislation was pushed through on a fast-track basis.

As Athens is caught in the middle of a game of brinkmanship with its creditors, the EU warned they wanted new reforms even before they sign up to the second bailout and its austerity programme.

MICHAEL NOONAN has come mid-table in a ranking of EU finance ministers.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's main coaltion partner has called on him to step down.

SPAIN vowed yesterday it would not follow ailing neighbour Portugal in seeking a European bailout, and a successful Spanish bond auction suggested markets do not immediately fear contagion.

SWEDEN’S finance minister Anders Borg has come out in favour of low corporation tax rates, saying raising them would be dangerous for the Swedish industry.

IT is overwhelmingly in Britain’s national interest for Ireland to have a stable economy and banking system, British Chancellor George Osborne said yesterday.

IRELAND will be allowed to retain its 12.5% corporation tax rate, but is under pressure in bailout talks to give fewer tax breaks to foreign multinationals, say EU sources.

THE morning after the night before, as we all saw recently, is never the best time to be too definite about anything of real importance.

EU finance ministers are split on how much information to publish from the stress tests being carried out on 91 European banks, in a move that is likely to damage their credibility.

The European Union and the International Monetary Fund pledged nearly one trillion US dollars to defend the embattled euro, hoping to turn back relentless attacks on the eurozone’s weakest nations and allow the continent to resume its hesitant economic recovery.

Environmental campaigners slammed Europe’s governments tonight after latest talks to settle funding levels for climate change broke down without agreement.