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29th Mar 2024

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John Major's cabinet considered holding EU referendum in 1994

John Major's government discussed holding a UK referendum about the European Union already in 1994 in order to ease Eurosceptic pressure, but could not agree what the referendum question should be, files released by the National Archives on Thursday revealed, the Guardian reports. Michael Heseltine, the then trade and industry secretary, supported the proposal, while William Waldegrave, the then chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, warned it might strengthen eurosceptics.

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Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

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