Portugal

By Jeff Black & Alessandro Speciale

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi signaled policy makers are ready to take action in June should they see low inflation becoming entrenched.

The dollar gained against the euro on Wednesday amid concern the European Parliament elections starting on Thursday may shift the balance of power in the 18-nation region.

The yen reached a three-month high earlier after the Bank of Japan refrained from expanding stimulus.

Bulgarian households had the lowest electricity bills in the European Union in the second half of 2013, Eurostat data has revealed.

A family in Bulgaria pays EUR 8.8 per kWh of energy on the average, compared to EUR 20.1 for the EU as a whole.

Romania (EUR 12.8) and Hungary (EUR 13.3) rank second and third, according to the European statistical agency.

In March 2014 compared with February 2014, seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector fell by 0.6 % in the euro area and by 0.5% in the EU.

Photo: Storm above Serbia seen from space

BELGRADE -- NASA has published a satellite photo showing Europe seen from space, where a huge cloud system, covering Serbia at its center, dominates.

The system has engulfed most of Europe, except Spain and Portugal, but seems to be the most concentrated above our country, and the region.

Croatian PM says Ukraine is "falling apart"

ZAGREB -- Croatian PM Zoran Milanović has said that Ukraine was disintegrating as a state, while Russia "crossed the line of what is permissible" when it comes to Crimea.

Speaking for Croatian Radio, he noted that the situation in Ukraine was "far too complex to be summarized in two sentences," and added:

Day-ahead power markets were linked from Portugal to Finland on Tuesday as the European Union seeks to integrate electricity markets by the end of this year across the 28-nation bloc.

Spain and Portugal joined the existing 15-country market coupling project, linked through an interconnector between Spain and France.

Hotel prices have increased across Europe in May, according to the monthly Hotel Price Index released by hotel search site trivago.

Based on the 50 most popular European cities on trivago.co.uk, one night in May will cost an average of GBP 110 which is a 12% increase compared to April.

Rating agency Moody's has increased Portugal's rating to Ba2, in a first such move since the debt-ridden country embarked on a bailout program in 2011.

By Eleni Chrepa & Nikos Chrysoloras

The Greek government will bring social security costs for workers below the European Union average for the first time in July when it cuts contributions to the pension and health-care systems, Labor Minister Ioannis Vroutsis said.