The total value of registered debt owed by consumers in Ireland in the third quarter of this year three and a half times that of the same period in 2020 as interventions designed to protect households from the financial effects of Covid-19 were unwound, the Irish Times reported. The latest data from the Registry Trust data, which covers the third quarter, shows the number and total value of judgments registered against Irish consumers saw large rises over the period.

Italy has been asked to provide more than 7 billion euros ($8 billion) in capital to UniCredit to strike a deal over Monte dei Paschi and offload as much as possible of the state-owned bank to the stronger rival, Reuters reported. UniCredit, Italy's No. 2 lender, agreed on July 29 to discuss buying selected parts of Monte dei Paschi (MPS) from Italy's Treasury, which rescued the Tuscan bank in 2017, spending 5.4 billion euros. Under the terms of the bailout, Italy must cut its 64% stake in MPS by mid-2022 at the latest.

Italy’s president on Monday strongly criticized the violence that has erupted amid protests over the country’s new coronavirus workplace health pass requirement, saying it appeared aimed at jeopardizing Italy’s economic recovery, the Associated Press reported. President Sergio Mattarella spoke out as riot police again clashed with protesters at the port in the northern city of Trieste, at times using water canons to push them back. The protesters, who have included right-wing agitators in previous episodes, oppose Italy’s Green Pass requirement.

A surge in price growth in eastern Europe has opened a rift between central banks that have launched rate hikes to battle inflation and populist governments trying to defend a strong economic recovery, Reuters reported. The standoff is most apparent in Hungary and the Czech Republic, where national elections have complicated the task of central banks, which have led the way in the European Union in monetary tightening. Both have raised their key rates by more than a percentage point since June.

International Monetary Fund staff and Ukraine have reached an agreement on economic reforms that will pave the way for a first review of the country's 18-month stand-by arrangement and its request for an extension through the end of June, the IMF said in a statement, Reuters reported. It said that completion of the first review of the $5 billion arrangement, now slated to expire in December, would enable disbursements of about $700 million to the country.

Germany will cut a power surcharge levied on consumers to support renewable energy by 42.7% to help households cope with soaring energy prices, network operators said on Friday, Reuters reported. Germany and other governments in Europe are seeking to provide relief for consumers as gas prices skyrocket. The reduction in the German levy, to 3.723 euro cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), confirms a Reuters report on Thursday. It will not take effect until Jan. 1. read more The government will help fund the cut with 3.25 billion euros ($3.77 billion) in revenue collected from carbon taxes.

Britain will issue up to 800 temporary visas to foreign butchers in an effort to alleviate a labor shortage in the pork industry that has already led to the culling of some 6,000 healthy pigs, the Washington Post reported. The stopgap measure was crafted in response to “a unique range of pressures on the pig sector over recent months,” said George Eustice, a British minister in charge of food, in a statement. Among the causes he mentioned were the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic and import restrictions China has placed on British suppliers.

A prolonged increase in energy prices could have a negative impact on Italy’s local administrations forcing the government to step in to help keep offices, hospitals and schools functioning properly, Finance Ministry Undersecretary Maria Cecilia Guerra said, Bloomberg News reported. “I think it would be useful to look at the impact on local administrations because the increase in energy costs could be hard on them,” Guerra said in an interview in Rome.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned that the globalized nature of the euro area’s economy makes it highly vulnerable to systemic shocks from supply chain disruptions, Bloomberg News reported. “There are signs that the global economy could increasingly be a source of shocks for Europe rather than a stabilizer against volatility,” Lagarde said. Bottlenecks affect the “euro area more than other economies by virtue of our exposure to globalization,” she said.

Otima Energie, a small German power and gas retail company, on Wednesday declared itself insolvent, the latest victim of soaring energy prices, while E.ON, Entega and EnBW temporarily withdrew their gas deals from price comparison portal Verivox. Suppliers across Europe are struggling with rocketing prices due to factors ranging from insatiable Asian demand to Europe's carbon policy and a period of lighter winds.