https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The cost of petrol or diesel at the pump is starting to drop from Thursday as new measures to control pricing kick in. Here are the details of Italy’s plan to limit the price shock. https://www.thelocal.com/20260320/what-italy-is-doing-to-push-down-the-price-of-fuel Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:05:43 +0100 what-italy-is-doing-to-push-down-the-price-of-fuel Buoyed by immigration, the Spanish economy has enjoyed positive headline figures in recent years and will continue to lead the way in the bloc in 2026, but Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez admits the benefits aren't yet trickling down to locals. https://www.thelocal.com/20251218/spain-to-be-fastest-growing-eu-economy-in-2026-but-benefits-not-trickling-down Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:32:33 +0100 spain-to-be-fastest-growing-eu-economy-in-2026-but-benefits-not-trickling-down Austria’s economy is set to grow again in 2026, but new forecasts suggest many households will see their incomes fall despite the recovery. https://www.thelocal.com/20251218/why-austrias-economy-is-improving-while-many-households-feel-worse-off Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:15:29 +0100 why-austrias-economy-is-improving-while-many-households-feel-worse-off What’s the difference between living in Sweden and Norway? Is life in one country better than the other? Who better to ask than three unbiased Swedes living in Norway. https://www.thelocal.com/20251017/norwegian-office-workers-are-lazy-how-do-swedes-rate-life-in-norway Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:24:44 +0200 norwegian-office-workers-are-lazy-how-do-swedes-rate-life-in-norway Sweden's government is expected to halve VAT on food in the budget to be presented later this month, in a move to kickstart the country's weak economy and win over voters ahead of next year's election. https://www.thelocal.com/20250902/swedens-government-expected-to-halve-vat-on-food-in-election-budget Tue, 02 Sep 2025 12:04:50 +0200 swedens-government-expected-to-halve-vat-on-food-in-election-budget Salaries are higher in Frankfurt while Munich has higher housing costs, according to a recent report. The Local looks at average salaries and apartment prices to get a sense of how affordable Germany’s big cities really are. https://www.thelocal.com/20250728/berlin-frankfurt-and-munich-how-expensive-is-life-in-germanys-big-cities Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:45:31 +0200 berlin-frankfurt-and-munich-how-expensive-is-life-in-germanys-big-cities Many experts predicted that Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, would lower the key interest rate at its next meeting in August. Have higher-than-expected inflation rates changed that prediction? https://www.thelocal.com/20250711/how-likely-is-it-that-sweden-lowers-the-key-interest-rate-in-august Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:21:12 +0200 how-likely-is-it-that-sweden-lowers-the-key-interest-rate-in-august Swedish household capital saw a cut of 501 billion kronor in value in the first quarter of this year, new figures from the SEB bank have revealed, due in part to American trade policy. https://www.thelocal.com/20250610/swedish-households-501-billion-kronor-worse-off-and-trumps-to-blame Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:35:33 +0200 swedish-households-501-billion-kronor-worse-off-and-trumps-to-blame Swedish property prices saw a modest increase in May. Why was that, and what could make them rise in the future? https://www.thelocal.com/20250610/whats-the-latest-on-swedish-property-prices Tue, 10 Jun 2025 13:44:22 +0200 whats-the-latest-on-swedish-property-prices If you are a new arrival in Switzerland, or are about to move here, you may be wondering whether foreign nationals are taxed at a higher rate than the Swiss. This is what you should know. https://www.thelocal.com/20250424/do-foreigners-pay-more-taxes-in-switzerland Thu, 24 Apr 2025 14:21:42 +0200 do-foreigners-pay-more-taxes-in-switzerland The Swedish government presented its spring amendment budget on April 15th. https://www.thelocal.com/20250414/what-do-we-know-about-swedens-2025-spring-budget-so-far Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:08:46 +0200 what-do-we-know-about-swedens-2025-spring-budget-so-far The government expects Swedish economic recovery to be delayed by at least half a year as a result of high US tariffs and the global trade war, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson told a press conference announcing Sweden's spring amendment budget. https://www.thelocal.com/20250415/sweden-was-on-the-road-to-economic-recovery-then-trump-happened Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:24:26 +0200 sweden-was-on-the-road-to-economic-recovery-then-trump-happened Swedish government officials are to meet food industry giants on Thursday to discuss soaring food costs and rising consumer anger. https://www.thelocal.com/20250320/swedish-government-to-hold-talks-on-countering-rising-food-prices Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:47:04 +0100 swedish-government-to-hold-talks-on-countering-rising-food-prices The Swedish government is set to hold talks with food producers and distributers as a movement urging consumers to boycott Swedish grocery stores grows. https://www.thelocal.com/20250313/swedish-government-to-hold-food-cost-crisis-talks-as-boycott-gains-momentum Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:55:38 +0100 swedish-government-to-hold-food-cost-crisis-talks-as-boycott-gains-momentum Swedish households saw their wealth increase faster than average in 2024, despite falling in the last quarter of the year due to a turbulent stock and housing market. https://www.thelocal.com/20250305/swedish-household-wealth-grew-faster-than-average-in-2024 Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:02:37 +0100 swedish-household-wealth-grew-faster-than-average-in-2024 The Swedish economy is on track for recovery, a new report from Swedish bank Handelsbanken forecasts, despite uncertainties on the global stage. https://www.thelocal.com/20250122/salaries-mortgages-and-the-krona-whats-next-for-the-swedish-economy Wed, 22 Jan 2025 13:33:08 +0100 salaries-mortgages-and-the-krona-whats-next-for-the-swedish-economy A Swedish government inquiry has proposed that the fee for applying for citizenship be almost doubled from 1,500 kronor to 2,900 kronor, bringing it in line with costs in Germany and Italy. https://www.thelocal.com/20250114/swedish-inquiry-proposes-more-than-doubling-fee-for-citizenship Tue, 14 Jan 2025 12:24:40 +0100 swedish-inquiry-proposes-more-than-doubling-fee-for-citizenship Public health insurers have been hiking up contribution rates, which means millions of people in Germany are having to dig deeper into their pockets this year to cover their health insurance. https://www.thelocal.com/20250113/how-much-health-insurance-costs-in-germany-have-gone-up-this-year Mon, 13 Jan 2025 17:17:37 +0100 how-much-health-insurance-costs-in-germany-have-gone-up-this-year Pensions are always a hot-button topic in Switzerland. We look at whether it's worth setting up a private pension plan. https://www.thelocal.com/20240221/explained-is-it-worthwhile-setting-up-a-private-pension-plan-in-switzerland Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:50:11 +0100 explained-is-it-worthwhile-setting-up-a-private-pension-plan-in-switzerland A new study reveals where in Germany people have more purchasing power. While average income levels are the primary determining factor, localised living costs also play a role. https://www.thelocal.com/20241203/the-german-districts-where-your-money-goes-further Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:29:06 +0100 the-german-districts-where-your-money-goes-further