Germany criticises Greek bailout agreement

Germany criticised an outline deal between Athens and its bailout monitors as insufficient, upsetting eurozone attempts to smooth the way to a new €85bn rescue for Greece. (Financial Times)

Bulgaria employers won’t have to approve paid annual leave schedule

The Bulgarian government has announced that workers do not have to approve a paid annual leave schedule. (Focus)

Crisis, corruption and “regime change” in Moldova

FEATURE: The Moldavian oligarchs and their government are continuing to cry to the EU about the situation in the country to get more financial aid which will be apparently stolen. Nonetheless, the EU cannot refuse because it is scared by idea of losing the region to Russia. (Global Research)

Czech finance minister flags up danger for 2016 budget deficit target

Finance minister Andrej Babiš is facing the begging bowl from government colleagues and other state authorities and has admitted for the first time that the agreed 70 billion state budget deficit target for 2016 might not hold. (Český rozhlas)

Serb Central Bank unexpectedly cuts rate on dinar, inflation

Serbia’s central bank unexpectedly cut its key interest rate to a record, taking advantage of a strong dinar and below-target inflation to aid the economy as the government pursues fiscal cuts negotiated with the International Monetary Fund. (Bloomberg)

Italy’s economic upturn widens north-south divide

FEATURE: Vito Pertosa is bubbling with pride as he recounts how Mermec, his company in the Puglia region of southern Italy, recently won a €50m contract to supply the Japanese railways with a measurement technology system for their Shinkansen bullet trains. (Financial Times)