Europe

German photovoltaic solutions provider Tauber-Solar said on Tuesday that it has taken over the insolvent German business of Austria's Encome Energy Performance, strengthening its services in the photovoltaic and battery storage sector, RenewablesNow.com reported. Effective from February 1, Tauber-Solar has assumed the operating and maintenance (O&M) activities of Encome Energy Performance Deutschland GmbH. The asset deal covers 150 O&M contracts for over 360 PV systems and includes the transfer of 28 employees.

The Bank of England lowered interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Thursday, judging a sharp upward revision to its inflation forecasts for this year will prove temporary, while two officials called for a bigger rate cut against a backdrop of weaker growth, Reuters reported. The cut to 4.5% was in line with economists' expectations in a Reuters poll, but the two dissenting votes from external members Catherine Mann and Swati Dhingra in favour of a bigger rate cut to 4.25% were not.

The Czech Republic’s central bank cut its key interest rate again Thursday with inflation higher than expected after keeping the rate unchanged at its previous policy meeting in December, the Associated Press reported. The cut, which had been predicted by analysts, brought the interest rate down by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.75%. The bank started to trim borrowing costs by a quarter-point on Dec. 21, 2023 to boost the economy. Further cuts of half a percentage point followed last year on Feb. 8, March 20, May 2, and June 27. Cuts of a quarter of a percentage point came on Aug.

Retail spending weakened in the eurozone at the end of last year as consumers continued to prefer to save rather than splurge against a chilly economic backdrop, the Wall Street Journal reported. Retailers sold 0.2% less in December than in November, a little worse than forecast, figures from EU statistics body Eurostat showed Thursday. Meanwhile, November’s spending was flat, according to new data revising down previous estimates for a slight increase, meaning sales booked no growth during any of the final months of the year.

The head of Italy's fashion chamber said he has appealed to its government to protect the country's second-largest industry from possible tariffs from the Trump administration, the Associated Press reported. “We hope they don’t arrive,’’ Italian National Fashion Chamber President Carlo Capasa said Wednesday during the presentation of the calendar for the next Milan Fashion Week later this month.

French factory production unexpectedly dropped at the end of the year, contributing to a backsliding in the eurozone’s second-largest economy, with few signs of a rapid rebound at the start of 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported. Total output of goods was 0.7% lower on month in December, reversing a slight increase in November, statistics agency Insee said Wednesday. That was a worse result than the stagnation forecast by economists, according to a poll compiled by The Wall Street Journal, and means output decreased in seven out of 12 months last year.

Allowing Thames Water to run out of money by not approving restructuring plans is “a risk which cannot be run”, the High Court has been told, PA Media reported. Thames Water Utilities Holdings Limited, the parent company of Thames Water Group, England’s largest water company, is set to run out of cash by March 24 and risks entering special administration if a judge does not approve its plans to inject up to £3 billion to keep it afloat.