Just one week before the general and senatorial elections that are to take place on 21st October the polls provide the ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS) with a very slight lead (36%) ahead of the Civic Platform (PO) led by Donald Tusk (35%). Leftwing forces led by former President of the Republic (1995-2000), Aleksander Kwasniewski, under the banner of Left and Democracy (LiD) are lagging far behind the former two parties (15%). The strength of mobilisation of voters against the ruling parties and the electoral participation rate, notably that of Polish expatriates will be decisive for the results of the election.

Seven candidates are vying for the votes of the Slovenian electorate in the first round of the presidential election on 21st October. Polls all forecast Alojz Peterle, former Prime Minister and presently MEP, as winner of the first round. Uncertainty surrounds the candidate in second place and who might qualify for the second round : Danilo Türk, Mitja Gaspari or Zmago Jelinic. The second round will take place on 4th November.

Swiss voters are being called to elect the 200 members of the National Council and 41 of the members of the State Council on 21st October. The electoral campaign has been surrounded by scandal, which is quite unusual in this country. According to the most recent Electoral Barometer published by the Swiss Radiodiffusion Company (SSR) on 10th October last, the Swiss People's Party UDC/SVP, a populist movement whose leading figure is Christoph Blocher is due to win 27.3% of the vote followed by the Socialist Party with 21.7%, the Free Democratic Party with 15.5%, the Christian Democrat Party, 15.4% and the Ecologist-Greens Party with 10%.

On 10th October Portuguese Foreign Minister, Luis Amado chaired the troïka meeting of the EU with South Africa represented by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zumale. This meeting was part of the Trade and Development Agreement that was signed between the EU and South Africa. The creation of new areas of co-operation were discussed, notably in terms of security and energy. Debate also included the application of the Strategic Partnership between South Africa and the EU.

As part of the negotiations on Croatia's accession to the EU two new chapters were opened on 12th October; health protection and external relations. Croatia has to adopt a new charter for consumer protection to bring its legislation in line with that of the community acquis. It has to transpose European directives with regard to blood, tissues and cells. With regard to external relations Croatia has to present an action plan for its remaining preparations in terms of legislation and bringing international agreements into conformity with the acquis, especially in the field of export controls.

During a hearing on 9th October before the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee at the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Trichet, chairman of the European Central Bank said that he wanted more information before deciding on ECB interest rates. He announced that the inflation forecast for the Euro area would probably rise beyond 2% in the months to come. In addition to this the financial markets seem to be improving and measures had to be taken to re-establish confidence, notably in terms of risk management and transparency. He called on China and the USA to allow their currencies to rise in value. He repeated that "exchange rates should reflect economic basics." This declaration reflects the stance adopted by Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the Eurogroup.

On 11th October MEPs voted on the composition of the European Parliament after the European Elections in 2009. The number of seats will be limited to 750. The new distribution of seats put forward by Alain Lamassoure (PPE-DE, FR) and Adrian Severin (PSE, RO) balances out the number of seats according to the development of the populations in the 27 Member States. The report includes a revision of the way seats are attributed for the period 2014-2019. The Foundation published a study on this subject on 10th September last.

On 11th October MEPs approved the modification to the regulation estblishing a community framework to the collation and management of data necessary for the application of the common fisheries policy.

On 11th October the European Parliament gave the go-ahead to the EU-US aviation agreement which was signed at the EU-US summit of 30th April 2007. As soon as this agreement is applied the transport of passengers and freight from a third state towards the USA on a flight starting in the EU will be possible. Some issues still have to be negotiated such as the liberalisation of domestic flights and the right to establishment which will remain sensitive areas for the USA.

Most MEPs say they are ready to support the reform treaty after the final text is presented by the Portuguese presidency. They stress how effective co-operation between the German and Portuguese presidencies has been. The PPE-DE, PSE and ALDE groups guaranteed their support of the text saying that the Member States should now do their utmost for it to be accepted. Opponents mentioned the means of ratifying the treaty and the text's illegibility.

On 9th October the European Commission announced the conclusion of a new agreement with China in order to monitor the trade in textiles for one additional year. With this agreement the Commission is attempting to avoid the chaos caused in the European textile sector in 2005 after the suppression of textile quotas. This will be a slow transition towards the free exchange of textiles.

On 10th October the Commission adopted a communication on an integrated maritime policy and an action plan for the years to come. Scientific discoveries, significant technological progress, globalisation, climate change and marine pollution are changing the EU's relationship with the seas and oceans. An integrated maritime policy will allow it to meet future challenges. This proposal is based on a public consultation completed in June last and which was the result of work done by a committee chaired by Joe Borg, European Commissioner for the Seas. The communication and the action plan go together with a report on the consultation results which reveal massive approval by interested parties of this Commission initiative.

On 10th October the European Commission informed Romania that it faces a provisional 25 percent cut in European Union farm payments unless it can reverse certain serious shortcomings in its administration and financial control system before payments to farmers take place (payment year begins 1 December 2007). The Commission is therefore giving Romania one month to improve its agricultural subsidy system.

On 11th October the European Commission adopted two operational programmes which will frame actions under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund in Estonia for the next seven years. The programmes are entitled: "Development of economic environment" and "Development of living environment".

On 11th and 12th October Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and the Neighbourhood Policy travelled to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. This trip bears witness to the Commission's commitment to establishing close relations with regions bordering on the Union. She spoke with Presidential Aide, Serguey Yastrzhembsky and Governor Georgui Goos with regard to development perspectives for Kaliningrad and European support to the region with a view to improving border crossings. The Union intends to atribute 132 million euros to the region over the 2007-2013 period via cross-border co-operation programmes.

Four months after the adoption of an EU strategy for Central Asia, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana visited three of the five republics in Central Asia between 8th and 10th October. In Turkmenistan, Kirghizstan and Kazakhstan he called for an enhancement of inter-regional co-operation in terms of energy (in order to diversify Europe's supply sources in oil and gas) and for the enhancement of the fight against drug trafficking (to put an end to Afghan opium and heroine trafficking in the area).

On 11th October the EU's High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana warned the Turkish government that cross border operations targeting Iraqi camps of the Workers' Party of Kurdistan (PKK) would destabilise and increase insecurity in Iraq. Recalling that the Kurd separatist movement was registered on the list of terrorist organisations of the EU Javier Solana exhorted the Turkish Prime Minister to respect the territorial and national sovereignty of its neighbour.

On 14th October Serb and Kosovar delegations took up direct talks once more on the final status of Kosovo. Under the auspices of the Troïka both parties put forward more detailed proposals that had been mentioned in New York on 28th September. The Troïka then spoke with each of the delegations separately with regard to possible points of agreement.

On 5th October Javier Solana, CFSP High Representative welcomed the Belarus initiative to organise a European March on 14th October. He condemned all impediments made to the freedom of expression and maintained the EU's support with regard to the democratisation process that civil society would like to set in motion. He stressed the ambivalence of relaitons with the ruling power which is seeking EU support on the one hand but continues to send those who brandish Union symbols to prison on the other. He called for the respect of Democratic rules and Human Rights.

On 12th October German MPs extended, by an overwhelming majority (453 votes in favour, 79 against and 48 abstentions), the German army's commitment and the deployment of reconnaissance Tornado airplanes in Afghanistan until October 2008.

According to a study published by the Senate with regard to a comparative analysis of legislation in six countries (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, UK, Italy, the Netherlands), Europe is not fighting in harmony against the dangers of addiction to gambling money. In the six countries including Italy where the fight against addicition to gambling is assimilated to the fight against illegal gambling, minimal measures have been adopted: the prohibition of minors from most money gambling, the reduction in the attractiveness of one-arm-bandits by limiting the amounts won and preventing players from using other forms of payment apart from coins. Apart from these common points laws fight against addiction to gambling in quite different ways. English and Belgian laws are the only ones to acknoweldge explicitly gambling as a pathology.

According to Eurostat figures published on 12th October industrial production increased increased by 1.2% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU27. In July production grew by 0.7% in the euro area and by 0.6% in the EU27. In August 2007 compared with August 2006, industrial production rose by 4.3% in the euro area and by 4.0% in the EU27. In August 2007 the highest increases were registered in Portugal (+2.5%), Germany and Latvia (both +1.7%), while the largest decreases were recorded in Slovakia (-2.5%), Denmark and Romania (both -2.0%).

The report "Europe's Environment-the fourth assessment" which was written after unprecedented co-operation in terms of information sharing aims to provide reliable details about the relationship societies have in 56 countries with the environment.

In a report published on 10th October the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) invites the states of the former USSR to accelerate reform in the area of environment. The study reveals inequalities that reign between high economic growth in this area and the lack of environmental reforms. To fight this problem the report lays down 63 practical recommendations in areas ranging from the conservation of biodiversity to environmental education and suggests a 9 point plan to accelerate reform with regard to the environment.

"Notre Europe" has published a study called "An Open Europe in a Multipolar World: Lessons from the Portuguese Experience" (N°60, 36 pages). The author, Alvaro de Vasconcelos, director of the Institute Security Studies of the EU lays out a plan for diplomatic and strategic action by the Union in the international arena modelled on his own country's experience.