A round-up of recent public finance stories from Europe you might have missed.

Austria and Luxembourg accused of undermining EU credibility                 

Luxembourg and Austria came under attack on Tuesday after the two countries stood firm and blocked plans to increase transparency in tax reporting. (euobserver.com)

Putin says Russia shouldn't revise economic priorities

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his state-of-the-nation address acknowledged that a downturn in the country's economy was based on internal factors, but insisted the government shouldn't cut back on promised spending. (The Wall Street Journal)

Polish parliament approves pension-fund revamp to cancel bonds

Polish lawmakers today approved the takeover and cancellation of government bonds held by privately managed pension funds, allowing the cabinet to cut state debt and gain leeway for public spending. (Bloomberg)

Greece posts $3.68bn primary budget surplus

The Greek government posted a primary budget surplus of €2.67bn for the first 11 months of the year, remaining on track to meet annual fiscal targets, data from the Finance Ministry showed. (The Wall Street Journal)

Finland economy slowly reviving after slump, Central Bank says

Finland’s economic prospects are brightening as demand for its exports begins to recover after a deeper-than-expected recession, its central bank said. (Businessweek)

Vatican gets mixed report card on finance reforms

European inspectors gave the Vatican a mixed report card Thursday in its efforts to comply with international norms to fight money laundering and terror financing. While they praised the speedy overhaul of its legal code, they said the jury is still out about how those new laws are being implemented. (TheTandD.com)