Europe

Sampo Terho, a former member of the European Parliament and one of the top figures of the new populist and Eurosceptic party called Peerussuomalaiset (the True Finns), is pushing for Finland’s exit from the Eurozone, an outcome he considers inevitable.

Terho kicked off his party leadership campaign on Friday, telling a press conference that it was hard for Finland to keep its exports competitive because of its euro membership. "The only way to sustain our competitiveness is internal devaluation, which we carried out," he said, referring to a hard-fought labor reform that sparked anti-government demonstrations and strikes in 2015.

"The other option, if looking forward to the 2020s, 2030s and 2040s, is to return to our own currency … When we take this long look, that option seems possible, even likely," Terho said.

A survey of 2,500 Swiss companies by UBS bank found 65% of chief executives believed there would be further withdrawals from the embattled union, after Britain became the first nation in EU history to rescind its membership.

The poll underlined the importance that Swiss business leaders assign to relations with their biggest export market even as Britain’s vote to leave the bloc undermines some EU cohesion.

The survey released on Monday showed 65 percent of respondents want an institutional framework agreement with the EU, 27 percent favour keeping the existing bilateral accords, and 8 percent back scrapping the bilateral agreements.

A large beer truck crashed into an upscale department store in central Stockholm on Friday, killing at least two people, according to Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who said all indications were that it was a terror attack. One person was arrested. But a spokesperson for the police said they cannot confirm whether anyone had been arrested yet, according to Reuters.
"We are thinking of the dead and the injured and their families. I am urging the public to be vigilant and keep updating the police," Lofven said.

The EU and Switzerland agreed on Thursday to reopen talks on upgrading trade and political ties, following Bern’s retreat last year on a controversial immigration quota that highlighted the difficulties Britain will face over Brexit.

At a press conference in Brussels, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that both sides had agreed to conclude a new framework agreement by the end of the year.

Switzerland and Italy are in a diplomatic spat over Switzerland’s decision to close three border crossings at night in a bid to fight crime.

The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Swiss ambassador for urgent talks Tuesday, emphasizing that the closings violate Europe’s norms on free circulation. Switzerland, unlike Italy, is not a member of the European Union but has signed up to the passport-free Schengen zone and free movement of persons accords.

Switzerland ranked 21th in the Tobacco Control Scale report, back from 18th in 2013. The report is published once every three years, the last one, which was referring to 2013, being made available in 2014.

The 2016 Tobacco Control Scale was launched on March 23 at the 7th European Conference on Tobacco or Health (ECToH). It presents the results of the development and implementation of tobacco control policies in 35 European countries, using a tool called Tobacco Control Policy Scale.

The merger between the Deutsche Börse and the London Stock Exchange has been vetoed by the European Commission because of competition concerns, ending a third attempt in 17 years to unite the financial hubs of London and Frankfurt.
In a statement on Wednesday, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Britain’s decision to leave the 28-nation bloc had played no role in banning the tie-up.

London may be on the cusp of falling down from its post as top financial center of the planet, finds a new report, although rival European cities still lag far behind.

The Z/Yen Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI), released last week, retained London’s top spot but uncovered widespread feelings of uncertainty among financial professionals, especially as concerns over potential fallouts from Brexit continue. The report’s ranking of 88 financial hubs placed London at the top, followed by New York City and three Asian cities: Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo.