Euro Free

From the BBC:
"Eurozone comes out of recession"

The eurozone has emerged from recession after a record 18 months of economic contraction. The bloc's GDP grew by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2013, slightly ahead of forecasts, the Eurostat agency said. The growth was widely expected after the German economy rose 0.7% between April and June. However, the overall figure masks the mixed economic fortunes among the countries that make up the 17-country eurozone area. Germany and France both posted stronger-than-expected growth, expanding 0.7% and 0.5% respectively. Portugal, among the smallest and the weakest eurozone economies, showed the fastest growth, at 1.1%. The country was one of three that had to take a multi-billion-euro bailout.  But Spain, which had to seek outside support for its struggling banking sector, saw its economic output fall by 0.1% on the quarter. Italy and the Netherlands both saw output drop by 0.2%. European Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn said the figures suggested the European economy was gradually gaining momentum, but added there was no room for complacency. "There are still substantial obstacles to overcome: the growth figures remain low and the tentative signs of growth are still fragile," he said. "A number of member states still have unacceptably high unemployment rates; the implementation of essential, but difficult reforms across the EU is still in its early stages. So there is still a very long way to go."

^ Like usual things in the EU take much longer than any other place as they have to wait for every member states to agree and that is almost impossible. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23692102