Earlier this week, EU Farm Commissioner Dacian Ciolos proposed farm aid of two hundred twenty million dollars. The goal was to help European farmers recover at least fifty percent of their losses. By Wednesday, Mr. Ciolos had raised the amount to over three hundred million dollars. EU officials estimate the bacterial outbreak has cost farmers millions of dollars.

But that is not the only issue troubling Europe. European governments and the International Monetary Fund are considering as much as sixty-five billion dollars in new loans to Greece. Greek debt continues to drop in value as some officials now admit that earlier rescue loans were not enough.

This week, the Greek cabinet approved measures to cut budget deficits. But thousands of government workers protested the planned cuts on Thursday.

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Separately, French Finance Minster Christine Lagarde is continuing her campaign to become the next head of the IMF. She visited China this week after traveling to India. Mexican Central Bank Chief Agustin Carstens also wants the job. He is seeking to become the first non-European to lead the international lender.And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. I’m Mario Ritter.

Contributing: Lauren Frayer