Brussels: EU agrees deal on tougher tobacco rules, Merkel figh...

To view this email as a webpage, click here     Thursday December 19 2013     European Union News   EU agrees deal on tougher tobacco rules   Agreement will permit 10ml refillable cartridge for electronic cigarettes to have more nicotine than a carton of 200 cigarettes       Merkel fights EU energy subsidy probe   Berlin and Brussels are on a collision course after Angela Merkel vows to defend German companies against a probe into energy subsidies     EU agrees deposit guarantee scheme deal   The EU has agreed to guarantee bank deposits of up to €100,000, with the funding for the scheme to come from an increased bank levies     Europe agrees to pool control of bank wind-ups   EU countries back deal to create common resolution regime and fund, with a design heavily influenced by German efforts to keep its taxpayers off the hook     West had been ready to loan Ukraine €20bn   Total would have broadly matched the bailout package Russia pledged to Ukraine on Tuesday – and what Ukraine had publicly demanded     Nato chief calls for EU action on defence   Nato secretary general warns that Europe has become 'introverted' and 'preoccupied' by its own internal economic crises     Putin is a spoiler, not a strategist   Russia-Ukraine deal is latest sign of hardball tactics. The west should be wary of the Russian president but recognise his fundamental weakness     EU's eastern flank shows signs of trouble   The European Partnership summit in Warsaw was supposed to draw six former soviet republics closer to the EU, but instead the strains showed     Brussels probe into UK-EDF nuclear deal   The European Commission will examine the contract between the UK government and French utility EDF for Hinkley Point C nuclear power station     ECB blow to European bank backstop   Deal sharply criticised by ECB vice-president as it makes no arrangements to cover funding gaps from a bank collapse over the next decade     Benefits curbs on EU migrants to be rushed through   Cameron says accelerating start of restrictions will make Britain a less attractive place for EU migrants 'who want to come here and try to live off the state'     Cameron to block EU defence ambitions   A draft of the summit's conclusions obtained by the FT suggests the European Commission will not gain significant new powers this week               Manage email    Forward this email   Feedback    Manage portfolio Subscribe to the FT Follow the FT   Unsubscribe | My Account | RSS | Privacy Policy | About Us | Help   © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2013 You have received this email because you have signed up from the NBE preference page. This email was sent by a company owned by Pearson plc, registered office at 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL. Registered in England and Wales with company number 53723.