Iceland
Membership
On 27th July the first intergovernmental conference on Iceland’s membership of the EU was held in Brussels. Although Iceland abides by nearly ¾ of... Finance
Studies/Reports
Paris Europlace, an organisation created in 1993 which rallies all international players in the financial market in Paris released a report in the... Energy
Parliament
75 watt lightbulbs have been banned from sale in the EU since 1st September. This ban that follows an initial ban of sales of 100 watt bulbs will... Germany
Financial Crisis
On 1st September the German government adopted an austerity plan to save 80 billion euros by 2014. In 2011 alone the amount of savings will total... Bulgaria
World Bank
During a visit to Sofia in August Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank promised to contribute to the development of rail and road... Coalition?
Netherlands
Discussions over the formation of a minority rightwing coalition between the Liberals of the VVD which won the general elections in June by a narrow... France
Growth
In a report published on 30th July the IMF announced its growth forecasts for France: it is reckoning on growth of 1.6% in 2011 and 1.8% in 2012. It... UK
Denmark
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen travelled to London on 12th August to meet his British counterpart David Cameron. They called for a... Diplomacy
Switzerland
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey spoke on 23rd August at the opening of the Conference of Swiss Ambassadors in Interlaken. She said she... Afghanistan
UK
British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg travelled to Afghanistan to visit British troops on 21st August. He hailed the courage and professionalism... Germany
Slovakia
On 25th August German Chancellor Angela Merkel was host to Slovakian Prime Minister Iveta Radicova in Berlin. During a joint press conference Ms... Climate
Germany
On 31st August the French, British, German Envrionment and Energy Ministers, Jean-Louis Borloo, Norbert Röttgen and Chris Huhne met in Berlin to... Discrimination/Roma
Parliament
On 2nd September the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek announced that the situation of the Roma in Europe would be the focus of debate... Denmark
Financial Crisis
The Danish government presented its draft budget 2011 on 24th August - this is still being affected by the crisis with a public deficit in Denmark... Investiture
Poland
Bronislaw Komorowski took office as President of the Republic of Poland on 6th August after being sworn in before the two chambers of the Polish... Brussels
Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court in Brussels delivered a decision on 29th July that suspends the Flemish decision imposing Dutch speaking inspectors on... Elections
Moldova
Together the four main opposition parties won the early general elections in Moldova with 50.7% of the vote and 53 MPs ahead of the Communist Party... Exhibition/Bonn
Culture
The Federal Republic of Germany's National Centre for Art and Exhibitions is putting on an exhibition entiled "Afghanistan. Saved Treasure". The 230... Visas
Bosnia-Herzgovina
The President of the Parliament of Bosnia, Dusanka Majkic announced on 2nd September the extension of the mandate of the director of the central... Indicator/Confidence
Financial Crisis
According to data published on 29th July by the European Commission the confidence indicator with regard to the economic state of the euro area had... Germany
Finland
On 1st September Finnish Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi travelled to Germany on her first official visit during which she met German Chancellor Angela... Humanitarian Aid
Eurobarometer
A special Eurobarometer survey on humanitarian aid reveals that there is a high rate of solidarity amongst EU citizens with regard to victims of... Roms
Council of Europe
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed his concern on 20th August with... Ukraine
Studies/Reports
The German Institute for European Policy (IEP) published a study on 30th August on the influence of the European Neighbourhood Policy on political... Growth
Germany
The German economy showed record growth in the second quarter. According to the federal statistics office Destatis - it recorded a quarterly growth... Energy
Germany
German nuclear power stations should witness an average 12 year extension to their life span announced Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen on 6th... Ireland
Financial Crisis
The financial evaluation agency Standard and Poor's decreased Ireland's debt mark from AA to AA- on 24th August giving it a negative perspective... Diplomacy/EU
Publications
Marc Pierini has published a book entitled "Diplomatic Telegrammes. Journey to the Heart of Europe's External Policy" in which he presents recent... Germany
Czech Republic
Czech Prime Minister, Petr Necas made his first official visit to Germany on 19th August where he notably spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.... Digital
Commission
The reflection group on digitisation set up by the Commission in April 2010 as part of a strategy that aims to help the transition of the cultural... Hungary
Financial Crisis
Hungary will be ready to take up discussions with the IMF in the autumn after these were broken off in July said the Economy Ministry on 25th August... Balkans
Germany
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle set off on a tour of the Balkans starting with Croatia on 25th August where he met President Ivo... France
Poland
After his visit to Brussels Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski travelled to Paris on 2nd September. After an interview with his French counterpart... Budget
Finland
The Finnish government announced on 19th August that it has raised its growth forecasts for 2010 and 2011. It now expects a GDP rise of around 2%... Finance
Commission
On 16th August the European Commission put forward proposals that are designed to enhance the supervision of the major financial conglomerates within... UK
Financial Crisis
The UK's GDP growth was re-assessed upwards in the second quarter of 2010. It lies at +1.2% instead of +1.1% during a previous assessment. The GDP in... Government
Belgium
Whilst Belgium is still trying to form a new government after the general elections on 13th June last and whilst it has been ensuring the rotating... Referendum/Turkey
Foundation
Turkey's present Constitution dates back to 1982 and no longer corresponds in the opinion of the Turkish political classes with international... France
Nuclear
After a meeting at the Elysée on 27th July with the Nuclear Policy Council which aimed to look into the report written by former EDF chair,... Roma
OSCE
On 30th August the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) spoke of its concern with regard to the present policy in France with... Parties
Publications
The Austrian Institute for European Policy and Security (AIES) has published a book by Dr Stefan Zotti on the political parties on a European level... Greece
Financial Crisis
On 5th August Greece successfully passed the first control of its accounts by the EU and the IMF three months after starting application of an... Carbon Tax
Eurobarometer
An survey undertaken by Eurobarometer and published on 29th July shows that Europeans do not support the idea of a special tax on products that are... Referendum/Moldova
Foundation
The referendum organised in Moldova on 5th September was invalidated because of the low turnout. In effect only 29.05% of the electorate turned out... USA/Tax
Commission
Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Security expressed her discontent on 6th August after the USA's decision to impose, as from 8th... EU/Presidency
Belgium
On 2nd September Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme together with Deputy Prime Ministers Steven Vanackere, Laurette Onkelinx, Joëlle Milquet and... Anti-Corruption
Romania
On 24th August the Romanian Senate adopted a new version of the law on the Anti-Corruption Agency. The successful running of this agency, created in... Justice
Commission
On 24th August the Commission issued an opinion on a proposal made on 21st May by seven Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Estonia,... EU/World
Foundation
The Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani was the guest of Slovenian Foreign Minister, Samuel Zbogar on 29th August at... France
Germany
The French Budget Minister, François Baroin travelled to Berlin on 24th August to discuss with German executives in charge of preparing the two... Division
Belgium
Belgium is more divided than ever over the failure of the attempt to form a government led by Elio di Rupo (PS) - this is the latest episode in the... NATO
Denmark
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen went to Denmark on 31st August where he notably met with Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, Danish Prime... Albania
Publications
A book on the political transition of Albania during the period following the collapse of communism (1991) to the present has just been published by... ECB
Financial Crisis
On 2nd September the President of the European Central Bank (ECB), Jean-Claude Trichet announced that the ECB had raised its growth forecast for 2010... Diplomacy
Hungary
During an Ambassadors conference on 31st August Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban indicated that the Hungarian government aimed to increase... Romania
IMF
The IMF and the EU accepted on 4th August the paymet to Romania of a further part of the 20 billion dollar aid granted in May 2009. In exchange the... Appointment
NATO
The Chief of Staff of the French Army, Stéphane Abrial was appointed "Supreme Allied Commander for the Transformation" of NATO on 29th July. This... Kosovo
Council
French General Xavier Bout de Marnhac was appointed on 27th July as head of the Rule of Law mission undertaken by the EU in Kosovo, EULEX KOSOVO. He... France
Financial Crisis
France has reviewed its growth forecast for 2011 down to 2% instead of 2.5% previously according to a press release published on 20th August by the... Georgia
Council
The 27 European Foreign Ministers decided on 26th July to extend the surveillance mission in Georgia by one year (EUMM) until September 2011. The... Inflation
Eurostat
According to an estimate published on 31st August by Eurostat inflation in the euro area in August 2010 rose to 1.6% - which is down in comparison... Energy
Studies/Reports
The French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) has published a paper entitled "The EU's Major Electricity and Gas Utilities since Market... ECB
Financial Crisis
On 5th August the ECB's Governing Council decided that key interest rates, main refinancing operations as well as those involving the marginal loan... Growth
Eurostat
The euro area and EU GDP witnessed growth of 1% in the 2nd quarter of 2010 according to estimates by Eurostat published on 13th August. This is a... Germany
Financial Crisis
On 25th August the German government adopted a draft law to restructure the banking sector whereby in the future German banks will have to pay the... Exhibition/Münster
Culture
The Pablo Picasso graphic museum in Münster, Germany is putting on a special exhibition entitled "Pablo Picasso - in the artist's workshop" until... Anti-Corruption
UN
On 2nd September the International Anti-Corruption Academy was inaugurated in Vienna by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The IACA will train... Switzerland
Financial Crisis
The Swiss economy grew by 1% in the first quarter in comparison with the previous one, ie twice that of the first government assessment that was... Diplomacy
France
French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave a speech on 25th August as part of the 18th Conference of Ambassadors in which he set out the priorities for... Programme
Slovakia
The new centre-right government in Slovakia that resulted after the elections on 12th June 2010 presented its working programme for 2010-2014. This... Interim Government
Belgium
Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt succeeded in reaching agreement on 19th December to form an interim government until 23rd March next... 20 years/Unification
Germany
On 31st August Germany celebrated the 20th anniversary of the signature of the unification treaty. On 31st August 1990 the representatives of the GDR... China
Commission
Algirdas Šemeta, European Commissioner responsible for taxation, customs union, audit and the fight against fraud inaugurated an international... UK
Studies/Reports
The Irish Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) has published an analysis of the UK's European policy entitled "Coalition in... Bulgaria
Financial Crisis
Bulgaria's Finance Minister Simeon Djankov announced on 1st September that the budgetary deficit consolidated over the first half of 2010 due to the... Confidence?
Italy
Silvio Berlusconi, the President of the Italian Council announced on 20th August that he would be seeking a confidence vote on the part of parliament... Exhibition/Sofia
Culture
An exceptional exhibition of a total 74 sculptures in bronze by French Impressionist Edgar Degas who was marked by the movement's ideas was... Russia
Luxembourg
On 24th August Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker together with his Finance Minister, Luc Frieden travelled to Sotchi in Russia for a... Elections/Sweden
Foundation
On 19th September next 7 million Swedes will be called to renew all of their national (Riksdag) and local (town councillors and county councils)... Citizens' Initiative
Studies/Reports
On 31st August the Bertelsmann Foundation published a study on the European Citizens' Initiative entitled "A Revolution in Disguise: The European... GDP
Spain
The National Statistics Institute in Spain (INE) announced on 26th August that the country's GDP had risen by 0.2% in the second quarter of 2010... UK
Retirement
On 29th July the British government announced a project to abolish the automatic age of retirement of 65 within one year's time. This project aims to... EU/USA
Presidency
In a press release on 17th August the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel ... China
Council
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Common Security Catherine Ashton started a visit of China on 30th August - this was the first... Unemployment
Germany
The Federal Employment Agency announced on 31st August that the gross unemployment rate remained unchanged stabilising at 7.6% and that the number of... Defence
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Defence Minister Anio Anguelov announced on 1st September that the Bulgarian army would be reduced by 6,000 men by 2015 and that it would... Reshuffle
Romania
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc undertook a government reshuffle on 2nd September, one of the most important since the country became democratic... Latvia
IMF
The IMF estimated on 12th August that many obstacles remained before Latvia could adopt the euro. The country experienced its worst ever recession in... France
Unemployment
The Employment, Solidarity and the Civil Service Ministry has just published the latest unemployment figures for June 2010. The number of category A... Exhibition/Giverny
Culture
The Impressionism Museum in Givery is putting on an exhibition until 31st October entitled "Maximilien Luce, neo-Impressionist, Retrospective."... Elections/Latvia
Foundation
On 2nd October next the Latvians are being called to vote to renew the 100 members of the Saiema (Parliament) elected for four years by proportional... Competition
Commission
Enrolment for the young translators competition "Juvenes Translatores" organised by the EU was launched on 1st September and will last until 20th... Environment
Commission
The European Commission adopted a decision on 1st September which defines the necessary criteria to achieve a good environmental status in European... Visit/Brussels
Poland
The President of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski travelled to Brussels on 1st September where he first met with the President of the Commission José... Inflation
Eurostat
The annual inflation rate in the euro area rose to 1.7% in July 2010. It increased by 0.3% in comparison with the month of June according to figures... Coalition
Italy
The leader of the Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini announced on 5th September "the end" of the PDL (People of Freedom), the party he founded with... Spain
Financial Crisis
Unemployment increased in August after decreasing for 4 months indicated the Spanish Labour Minister on 2nd September. The additional number of... Exhibition/Cluny
Culture
The Centre for National Monuments is presenting an exhibition "Cluny, the pinnacle of Romanesque Art" until 30th September celebrating the 11th... Biennale/Venice
Culture
The 12th Architecture Biennale of Venice opened its doors to the public on 29th August proposing up to 21st November a series of national pavilions... External Trade
Eurostat
According to initial Eurostat estimates for June 2010 published on 13th August the euro area recorded a external trade surplus of 2.4 billion euros... Ireland
Financial Crisis
The nationalised Irish bank Anglo Irish announced on 31st August that it had made a record half-year loss of 8.2 billion euros, a situation which... Diplomacy
Council
The 27 European Foreign Ministers launched the Union's new diplomatic service on 26th July - this should enable the EU to speak with one voice in the... Near East
Council
The Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the Security Policy, Catherine Ashton declared on 20th August that the Union was encouraging... Council
General Affairs and External Relations
On 27th July the 27 Foreign Ministers called on the Commission to issue an opinion on the request for EU membership on the part of Iceland. They... Italy
Financial Crisis
The Italian Chamber of Deputies finally adopted the austerity plan of 25 billion euros on 29th July - it had already been approved on 15th July by... Andorra
France
President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy undertook a visit to Andorra on 28th July of which the French heads of state have been joint... Poland
Lithuania
The Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite met the new Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski on 20th August. "We hope together with President... Kosovo
Council
French General Xavier Bout de Marnhac is the new director of the Police and Justice Mission in Kosovo (Eulex). The decision was taken on 27th July by... Deficit
Greece
The Greek Finance Minister announced on 10th August that Greece had reduced its budgetary deficit by 39.7% between January and July 2010 which is... Pensions
UK
The British government announced on 29th July its project to abolish the official age of retirement (65) within the next year. The project aims to... Near East
Council
The head of European diplomacy Catherine Ashton called on 2nd September for "all parties involved" to abstain from any type of "provocation that... External Service
Council
On 26th July European Foreign Ministers launched Union’s new diplomatic service which should enable it to speak with one voice on the international... France/Germany
Germany
On 31st August the French and German Transport Ministers, Dominique Bussereau and Peter Ramsauer confirmed their goal of creating strong... Iran
Council
European Foreign Ministers decided on 26th July to step up sanctions against Iran whose nuclear programme represents “a serious cause for... Italy
UK
On 4th August British Prime Minister David Cameron travelled to Rome where he met the President of the Italian Council Silvio Berlusconi. Their... Growth
Eurostat
According to the first estimates published by Eurostat on 2nd September the GDP in the euro area and the EU increased by 1% in comparison with the... Germany
Ukraine
During his first official visit to Germany since his election Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal... ITER
Agreement
At an extraordinary meeting at Cadarache on 27th and 28th July the seven project partners of the Iter project (European Community of Atomic... Unemployment
Eurostat
According to Eurostat unemployment in the euro area rose to 10% of the working population in July 2010, which was stable in comparison with June but... Sustainable Growth
UN
Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, announced on 9th August the creation of a high level committee on sustainable growth that will be placed under... Roms
Commission
The Council of Europe, by way of its president, recently expressed its concern about the policies that are being undertaken at present in Europe,... Serbia
IMF
During a meeting with Serb Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic on 30th August the IMF spoke of the need to adopt a law "rapidly" on fiscal responsibility.... Regulation
Studies/Reports
The Bruegel Institute published a paper on 31st August on financial integration on a world scale. This study shows the difficulty of bringing about... EBRD
Luxembourg
On 30th August Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker was host to Thomas Mirow, Chair of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development... Commission
Loans
The European Commission paid the second part of its loan to Latvia to a total of 1.2 billion euros on 27th July together with the first payment of... Estonia
Financial Crisis
The Estonian government has raised its GDP growth forecasts for 2010. The country is again experiencing growth after years of recession. The Finance... Nuclear
Studies/Reports
After a meeting at the Elysee on 27th July with the Nuclear Policy Council that aimed to look into the report written by former EDF CEO François... Eurostat
Population
According to data released by the European statistics office, Eurostat, published on 27th July the EU’s population has risen above the 500 million... Immigration
Italy
On 30th August on the occasion of the celebration of the second anniversary of the Italian-Libyan Treaty, Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi asked for... Treaty ratified
Italia
Italian deputies have voted at the unanimity on july, 31th the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, just one week after the positive vote from the... France
Financial Crisis
According to statistics published by INSEE on 2nd September the unemployment rate decreased to 9.3% in the second quarter in mainland France after... UK
Turkey
Visiting Turkey on 27th July British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he would fight for Turkey to be able to join the European Union. He... Agreement/EU
Switzerland
Switzerland and the EU came to a mutual acknowledgement agreement on AOC's (Appellations d'origine contrôlée) and IGP's (Indications géographiques... Constitutional Court
Belgium
The Constitutional Court of Belgium delivered a decision on 29th July which suspends the Flemish decree obliging French speaking primary schools in... Exhibition/Vienna
Culture
The Austria Kunstforum in Vienna is presenting one of the biggest exhibitions ever devoted to Frida Kahlo until 5th December. This exhibition is... Iran
Council
The 27 European Foreign Ministers decided on 26th July to step up sanctions against Iran whose nuclear programme represents a "deep cause of concern"... Supervision
Financial Crisis
The European Union succeeded in reaching an agreement of principle on 2nd September after months of negotiations over a project that aims to enhance... Croatia
Slovenia
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic travelled to Slovenia on 13th August where he met his Slovenian counterpart Danilo Turk. The two leaders observed an... Mostra/ Venice
Culture
The 67th edition of the Mostra of Venice will take place from 1st to 11th September at the Lido in Venice. More than 80 films will be presented this... Serbia
UK
The British Foreign Minister William Hague called on Serbia on 31st August for it to agree with the EU on a new version of the Kosovo resolution... Bluefin Tuna
Commission
EU scientists have succeeded as part of the third year of work of the SELFDOTT project, research funded by the European Union, to the tune of 2.98... Roma
France
French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner spoke on the telephone on 31st August with Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi.... Georgia
Council
European Foreign Ministers decided on 26th July to extend the surveillance mission in Georgia (EUMM) by one year until September 2011. The EUMM... Germany
Turkey
In an interview in the Bild Zeitung published on 27th July Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign Minister said that Turkey was not ready to enter the... Governance
Eurobarometer
A Eurobarometer survey undertaken in May and published on 26th August reveals that most Europeans support greater economic governance across the... Spain
Unemployment
The Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on 30th July that the unemployment rate in the second semester had reached 20.09%... Unemployment
France
According to the latest figures published on 25th August by the Labour, Solidarity and Civil Service Ministry the number of those looking for work... Defence
Germany
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg declared on 23rd August that he supported a reduction in the staffing of the armed forces and the... Develop
Commission
As part of the FLEX mechanism that is designed to help the most vulnerable countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) overcome the... France
Andorra
The President of the Republic of France, Nicolas Sarkozy visited Andorra rapidly on 28th July; the heads of the French State are joint princes of... Referendum
Moldova
The constitutional referendum in Moldova that was supposed to put an end to an interminable political crisis was deemend invalid due to the...