Alitalia will be put up for sale starting in two weeks with the aim of finding a buyer for the entire airline to stave off liquidation, a senior Italian official said. A day after Alitalia collapsed into administration, Carlo Calenda, the economic development minister, set some goals for talks around the airline’s future, the Financial Times reported. “Within 15 days the commissioners will be open to expressions of interest,” Mr Calenda said in a radio interview on Tuesday.

In a year filled with European elections, no one wants another debt crisis—even if this requires pretending that Greek politicians will implement pro-growth reforms they’ve repeatedly shunned, The Wall Street Journal reported in a commentary. That’s the meaning of this week’s tentative agreement between Greece’s creditors and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government. Though the details aren’t public, Athens has agreed to make certain reforms in exchange for an approximately €7 billion disbursement from a 2015 bailout package so Greece can meet July debt repayments.

The eurozone’s economy has showed more signs that it has escaped its post-crisis doldrums, as figures published on Wednesday indicated that growth in Europe’s single currency area accelerated at a faster pace than in either the UK or the US in the first quarter, the Financial Times reported. An early estimate of gross domestic product suggested the eurozone recovery remains on track, with the region’s economy matching its solid performance at the end of last year in the opening three months of 2017.

Swiss commodities trading group ECOM has received approval from German cartel authorities to purchase German cocoa grinder Euromar Commodities GmbH which declared insolvency in December, Euromar's insolvency administrator said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Production at Euromar's plant at Fehrbellin near Berlin could resume in coming days, the administrator, Rolf Rattunde, said in a statement. A sale contract for Euromar's factory, equipment and site had been signed and approved by Euromar's creditors in March but German cartel authorities had to approve the purchase.

When the Italian airline Alitalia went bankrupt in 2008, the government swooped in with taxpayer money and Pope Benedict — a regular rider — offered the carrier a blessing. Six years later, as Alitalia stumbled into debt yet again, the government engineered another rescue, the International New York Times reported.

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 precipitated the biggest reversal in real earnings in Ireland since the second World War, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Irish Times reported. The agency has collated data on the average earnings of industrial workers between 1938 and 2015, providing an insight into the shifting fortunes of workers here over the past 70 years. The recent financial crisis saw real weekly earnings drop by 4 per cent from €642 in 2008 to €616 in 2011.

The Government will argue that the Republic could need special EU support to cope with the economic shock from Brexit, according to a new official strategy document, which says that Irish negotiators are now turning their attention to the key economic issues, the Irish Times reported. Another key issue highlighted in the new document is that the State will argue strongly for proper arrangements for a transitional period after Britain leaves the EU but before a new trade deal between Britain and Europe is finalised, to try to minimise the disruption of Brexit.

Greece has wrapped up a deal with creditors on details of reforms to unlock the next disbursement from its €86bn bailout programme, the Financial Times reported. The deal covers a wide range of fiscal and structural measures, from fresh cuts in pensions to liberalising Sunday trading. It cheered markets and potentially opens the door to talks on debt relief for Greece. Pierre Moscovici, the EU economics commissioner, suggested on Tuesday that progress was possible, saying the time had come to turn the page on “this long and difficult austerity chapter” for Greeks.

The Bank of England faces a monetary policy dilemma as it prepares to mark 20 years of independence this week, the Financial Times reported. Should it respond to the unwelcome return of inflation with higher interest rates? Or should it worry about the latest evidence of a slowdown, by maintaining rates at the rock bottom 0.25 per cent rate? As the central bank prepares for its May interest-rate decision alongside the publication of quarterly forecasts, the signals from the Monetary Policy Committee are becoming increasingly hawkish.

The business year 2016 and the first quarter 2017 at airberlin were dominated by the transition to a new business model at the airline, Aviation Tribune reported. Structural issues of the old business model and high restructuring costs have impacted the reporting periods. airberlin CEO Thomas Winkelmann said: “Old airberlin’s indistinct market position, the strongly season-dependent route network and the high operating costs have together led to highly unsatisfactory financial results. The new strategy we launched in autumn 2016 is a major step to turn around the airline’s fortunes.