Inflation in the eurozone was up by 0.9% in November. In October it had been 0.7%.

In November of last year, inflation was running at 2.2% on average in the region.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Sérgio Monteiro, said today that the government is "creating the conditions" for the privatisation of TAP and will proceed "as soon as possible, perhaps in the first quarter of 2014.”

Monteiro said the government will only go ahead “when the conditions are right from the point of view of competitiveness in the market.”

The President of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy, today expressed his optimism about recent Portuguese economic data, hailing the successes achieved by the coalition Government.

"I have followed closely the recent economic data from your country and the trend is positive," said Rajoy in an informal chat with press at his official residence Moncloa Palace, during a Christmas get together.

The general secretary of the Socialist Party has accused the prime minister of hiding information from the Portuguese electorate.

In response, the vice president of the parliamentary group of the ruling Social Democrats, Teresa Leal Coelho, said today that there is no bargaining going on, whether hidden or not hidden, over the terms under which the country will exit the bailout programme in June.

New research has shown that more than two million foreign purchasers now own property in the UK.

The figures, which come from an analysis of HMRC data, show the increase in overseas landlords has been 39% in the last five years.

Britain’s Foreign Office has recognised that there is a “substantial problem” for Brits whose property in Spain is now threatened with demolition for violating local planning regulations.

At least 4,000 houses owned by Brits are involved in some kind of property dispute, according to Foreign Office estimates.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has opened a museum in his honour, which he said has extra room to be filled by future trophies.

Ronaldo, 28, is currently on the three-man shortlist to be named the Ballon d'Or winner for a second time.

The successful clothing retailer Primark has just opened its first store in France.

The company says it has a “huge expansion opportunity” in Europe. It has already opened stores in Portugal, Spain and Germany.