Greece’s gross domestic product should return to its pre-pandemic level by the end of next year, according to its final budget for 2022, Bloomberg News reported. That outlook for the economy to shake off the slump in the fourth quarter reflects better-than-expected growth of 6.9% seen for this year, a projection that is still lower than that of the European Commission. For 2022, the forecasts envisage expansion of 4.5%. The country’s improved growth outlook will help reduce a budget deficit and debt burden which remains the highest in Europe, an ongoing scar from its decade-long crisis.

British and European Union negotiators highlighted significant gaps on Friday in their positions on trading arrangements for Northern Ireland despite a senior British minister expressing confidence of breaking the impasse, Reuters reported. Britain and the EU agreed to intensify efforts to resolve difficulties over trade from the UK mainland to the British province this week after Brussels cautiously welcomed a change in tone from London following weeks of verbal sparring.

The head of the European Central Bank warned that high oil and gas prices are hitting consumers in the 19 countries that use the euro harder than in other major economies and underlined that the bank won’t add to the squeeze by raising interest rates anytime soon, the Associated Press reported. Christine Lagarde’s message that it’s “highly unlikely” the bank will increase borrowing rates from record lows next year comes as other central banks around the world, including the U.S.

Business registrations in Hungary were up 1% in the third quarter of 2021 on a quarterly basis after falling by 2.2% in Q2, state news wire MTI reports, citing data by statistical agency Eurostat, the Budapest Business Journal reported. Bankruptcy declarations dropped by 8.5% in Q3 after they had risen by 2.7% in Q2. Business registrations in the EU in July-September were down 3.4% following a 5.6% growth in Q2.

The European Commission said Thursday that it could approve aid to fund production of semiconductors in the 27-nation bloc amid a global chip shortage and intense worldwide competition to fill the need, the Associated Press reported. The EU’s executive arm expects that the scarcity of semiconductors — a key component in everything from smartphones to cars — will last, affecting the region’s economy. Automakers have been among the hardest hit by the shortage, which has slowed or halted production.

German prosecutors have widened their investigation at automotive supplier Continental AG to include former Chief Executive Elmar Degenhart and finance chief Wolfgang Schaefer, whose surprise departure was announced late on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The car parts maker is one of the manufacturers under investigation on suspicion of hiding illegal levels of pollution following a regulatory clampdown on toxic fumes triggered by Volkswagen's 2015 admission that it had cheated emissions tests.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed a ban on debt packager referral fees in a bid to protect consumers, YahooFinance reported. The UK watchdog said on Wednesday that debt packagers – who are regulated providers of debt advice and refer customers on to other providers of debt solutions – should not be allowed to be paid a commission. Under the current setup, they rely on 90% of their income from referral fees paid by these other firms.

Inflation in Britain rose to its highest level in nearly a decade in October after soaring energy prices hit household bills, the New York Times reported. The Consumer Price Index rose to 4.2 percent from a year earlier, the highest since November 2011, and up from 3.1 percent in September, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. The price increases were more than twice the central bank’s target of 2 percent, increasing the likelihood that policymakers will go ahead with the interest rate increases they have signaled are coming.

Italian prosecutors have asked a judge to drop a case against Vivendi's owner and CEO for alleged market manipulation and obstruction of regulators in the French group's stakebuilding in Italy's Mediaset, one judicial and one legal source said, Reuters reported. Prosecutors had investigated allegations that Vivendi's billionaire owner Vincent Bollore and CEO Arnaud De Puyfontaine used the prospect - and then collapse - of a deal to buy Mediaset's pay TV arm to drive down the Italian firm's shares and buy them on the cheap in 2016.

The Irish High Court has refused to approve a Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA) for a businessman with over €3m in debts, the Irish Examiner reported. Mr Justice Mark Sanfey said that he could not approve the PIA for Daniel Drew. In his judgement, the judge said the court had no jurisdiction to entertain an application to approve the PIA, which had been rejected at a meeting of Mr Drew's creditors in 2019. In his judgement, the judge said that Mr Drew operates a petrol and convenience store in Turner's Cross, Cork.