Bloomberg Italian President Sergio Mattarella asked economist Carlo Cottarelli to form a government with new elections due as early as the fall, as populist leaders railed against the president and the European Union for blocking their bid for power. Cottarelli, 63, a former executive director of the International Monetary Fund, pledged Italy would stay in the euro and called for ...

Bloomberg Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her goal for the UK to remain in the customs union and single market in a meeting with Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, in Brussels. Sturgeon’s aim was to ensure that the EU understands Scotland’s concerns, according to a statement from her office. She said in an interview with Politico ...

Bloomberg Spain’s Socialists are facing an uphill task in reconciling differences between opposition parties as they seek to garner support for dislodging Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The no-confidence motion filed on May 25 by the Socialists, the largest opposition group, needs the backing of several other parties to succeed. The trust vote request, triggered by the sentencing last week of ...