During the general and senatorial elections that took place on 21st October the party of outgoing Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Law and Justice (PiS) was easily beaten by the Civic Platform led by Donald Tusk which won 41.64% of the vote clinching 208 of the 460 seats in the Sejm (Diet). The PiS won 32.04% of the vote and 164 seats. The Left and Democrats (LiD) came third and won 13.17% of the vote (52 seats) followed by the Popular Party (PSL) led by Waldemar Pawlak which won 8.83% of the vote and 35 seats. Civic Platform also won in the senatorial elections in which the party won 59 seats in comparison with 38 for PiS. The PSL won 1 seat like the LiD and 1 seat went to an independent candidate, former Prime Minister Social Democrat Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. The participation rate was the highest ever since 1989 rising to 55.3%.

On 19th October the 27 Heads of State and Government came to an agreement on the Reform Treaty. "This is a victory for Europe," said José Socrates, the Portuguese Prime Minister and President of the Council of the European Union. He announced that the Reform Treaty will be formally signed on 13th December next in Lisbon. The text establishes the citizens' right to petition, the creation of the post of a stable president of the European Council, the granting of real power to the High Representative for the CFSP and the extension of the qualified majority vote. The text now has to be ratified by each Member State.

The Portuguese Home Minister signed the treaty establishing and governing the European Gendarmerie Force (Eurogendfor). Created in 2004 Eurogendfor comprises five European Union member states (Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal) which have police forces with military status. The European force fulfils military police missions (notably of substitution) during prevention phases, the end of crises and military disengagement of crisis management operations; its mission is provide stability during key points in military and civil phases in conflicts.

On 18th and 19th the first edition of the European Parliament's Cultural Diversity Days took place. "Don't forget culture in the reform treaty talks" was the appeal made by MEPs present. The event had a strong cinematic flavour, and included screenings of contenders for Parliament's LUX European cinema prize that will be delivered on 24th October. The three films running in the competition are "Auf der anderen Seite" (The Edge of Heaven) by Fatih Akin, "4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile (4 months, three weeks and two days)by Cristian Mungiu and "Belle toujours" by Manoel de Oliveira.

A report that was presented on 15th October by the European Commission indicates that the gap is widening in the European Union with regard to access to broad band. The report points to the lack of competition and loopholes in regulations as being the main obstacles to expanded access to broadband. The highest penetration rates are in Denmark (37.2%) and the lowest in Bulgaria (5.7%). The Commission would like to integrate solutions to compensate for these shortcomings in the proposed reform of the telecommunications sector that it has to undertake on 13th November next.

The 27 Foreign Ministers approved the military operation to protect camps of refugees from Darfur; this is due to start in November in Chad and the Central African Republic in support of MINURCAT (a UN police operation) and the UNAMID (UN-African Union operation). Under the orders of two generals, one Irish and the other French the operation will comprise 1,500 French, 350 Irish, 200 Swedish, 100 Belgian and 100 Polish soldiers.

On 18th October the European Court of Justice supported the European Commission's decision with regard to the reimbursement by France Télécom of at least 800 million euros in subsidies to the French State. In 2004 the Commission considered tax advantages granted to France Télécom between 1991 and 2002 as illegal and condemned the French operator to reimburse the French State with between 798 million and 1.14 billion euros excluding interest. Two years later it decided to prosecute France at the Court because nothing had yet been done to recover the amounts in question. "Over two years after the adoption of the decision, the subsidy in question still has not been reimbursed," according to a decision delivered by the Court which decided to condemn France for its "lack of co-operation".

During the 30th anniversary of the European Court of Auditors on 18th October, Hubert Weber insisted on the future of public auditing, on continuing "results audits", based on efficacy and effectiveness as well as on the enhancement of advisory activities by superior auditing institutions. He insisted on the key role played by these institutions in the future.

On 18th and 19th October a seminar took place in Belgrade on the fight against trafficking in human beings. Around 600,000 people are affected by this, notably women. The seminar aimed to study the modalities of the Convention of the Council of Europe with regard to the fight against human trafficking and its follow-up method, called GRETA, so that these measures can be promoted. In order to be applied the Convention has to be ratified in 10 countries.

On 14th and 15th October German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Russian President Vladimir Putin in Wiesbaden for the 9th German-Russian Consultations. She said she was pleased with the way relations between the two countries had become increasingly diversified. In addition to oil and gas contracts Germany and Russia have increased co-operation in the economic, research and security areas. Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin also discussed the Iranian nuclear issue and the future status of Kosovo. They also went to the forum "Saint-Petersburg Dialogue" where several economic co-operation agreements were signed.

The application decision with regard to the ratification by France of the agreement "on the application of article 65 of the convention on the Grant of European patents, agreed in London on 17th October 2000" (the so-called London Protocol") was published on 18th October in the Journal Officiel. The Protocol confirms the position of the French language in the European Patent system - it is one of the three official languages of the European Patent Office along with English and German - and offers French and European companies the opportunity to enhance and prolong their R&D work. It guarantees a single protection certificate of industrial protection within the European Union.

President Valdas Adamkus hopes to convince the European Union of the necessity to extend the lifespan of the current Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in 2009. Indeed as long as the new plant has not been completed (delivery planned for 2015), Lithuania runs the risk of suffering an energy crisis. Mr Adamkus has taken up contact with Sweden and the Ukraine to ensure electricity supplies for his country via these two neighbouring states. With regard to the closure of the Ignalina Power Plant the European Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs recalled that this had been one of the prior conditions to Lithuania's accession to the European Union and that exceptions could not be made.

Civic Platform (PO) led by Donald Tusk won the general and senatorial elections that took place on 21st October with 41.46% of the vote after 90.8% of the votes had been counted. It will have 208 seats in the Diet (Lower Chamber), that counts 460 in all. It easily came out ahead of the conservative party Law and Justice (PiS) led by outgoing Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski credited with 32.04% of the vote and 164 seats. Only two other parties, the Centre Left Alliance (LiD) and the Peasants' Party (PSL) succeeded in achieving more than 5% of the vote, which is necessary to be represented in the Diet, winning 13.17% and 8.83% of the vote respectively ie 52 and 35 seats. In the Senate that has 100 seats, the PO won 59 seats, the PiS 38, the LiD 1 and the PSL 1. One independent senator, former Social Democrat Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz also won a seat.

Alojz Peterle won the first round of the presidential election that took place in Slovenia on 21st October. After 99.6% of the votes had been counted the former Prime Minister and present MEP had won 28.50% of the vote ahead of Danilo Turk, a former diplomat who has the support of the left with 24.54% of the vote; after him follows a centre-left candidate, Mitja Gaspari with 24.15% of the vote. The extremist candidate won 19.3%. The second round between Alojz Peterle and Danilo Türk will take place on 11th November next.

On 15th October a stabilisation and association agreement was signed between the European Union and Montenegro. This heralds the first stage in the accession procedure to the European Union. This agreement plans for the establishment of an area of free trade. Its application is however governed by its ratification by the European Union's 27 Member States and by Montenegro.

The Swiss People's Party (UDC) won the Swiss general elections on 21st October strengthening the status of the country's leading party with 29% of the vote (+2.7 points) and 62 seats (+7) in the National Council, the Lower Chamber in Parliament. The Socialist Party recorded a heavy setback with 19.5% of the vote (-4.5) and 43 seats (-9). The Free Radical Party (PRD) won 15.6% of the vote (-1.7) and 31 seats (-5); the Christian Democrat Party (PDC) 14.6% of the vote (+0.2) and 31 seats (+3). The Greens made major progress with 9.6% (+2.2) and 20 seats (+7).

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushenko declared on 17th October that he would accept the Prime Minister put forward by the future coalition between the Yulia Timoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine-Self-Defence. Yulia Timoshenko former Prime Minister is the favourite following a coalition agreement signed by both parties. The Timoshenko Bloc came out ahead of the Head of State's party during the general elections on 30th September last.

According to Eurostat figures published on 16th October the annual inflation rate of the euro area in September lay at 2.1%, that of the European Union was up lying at 2.2%. In August these rates lay respectively at 1.7% and 1.9%. In September 2007, the lowest annual rates were observed in Malta (0.9%), Denmark (1.2%) and the Netherlands (1.3%), and the highest rates in Latvia (11.5%), Bulgaria (11.0%) and Estonia (7.5%).

Eurobarometer has published a survey on the relationship of citizens in the new Member States with regard to development aid. The study reveals a lack of awareness of the European Union in terms as a player in development aid. "55% think that the European Union provides assistance to developing countries. More than a quarter however do not know and 18% wrongly declare that the European Union provides no aid to poor countries in order to help with their development." The report maintains that more detailed information has to be provided on this subject. However it appears that people do have a definite opinion with regard to the priorities given to development aid.

On 10th October the European Investment Bank published a report on company responsibility which is the very focus of its model company. The bank believes that taking account of company responsibility comprises a vital instrument for transparency and awareness of responsibility. This publication looks into the way to reconcile environmental, social and economic issues with company solvency and financial viability.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its world economic growth forecasts 2008 in a report published on 17th October. According to the most recent information growth should drop to 4.75% next year ie 1/2 a point below previous forecasts. However the report stresses that the world's growth will "remain rigorous" thanks to "fundamental parameters that are generally sound and high expansion on the part of emerging countries." The review is mostly a result of the crisis in subprime loans that struck the USA.

The G7 Finance, which rallies Finance Ministers and central bank governors of the seven most industrialised countries (Germany, Canada, USA, France, Italy, Japan and the UK) met on 19th October in Washington, expressing their satisfaction with strong world growth but indicated that it might be affected by the financial market turbulence, high oil prices and the weakness of the American housing market. Ministers and governors called on China to make its exchange rates more flexible to strengthen its currency, to slow the increase of its trade surplus and to fight against inflation. Finally they spoke of the sovereign funds to an audience of representatives from countries which have created state controlled investment funds.

According to a study published on 15th October on the integration of immigrants conditions for family reunion have worsened in the 28 countries surveyed ie the European Union (except Romania and Bulgaria) as well as in Norway, Switzerland and Canada. The study shows that France has the most restrictive conditions for family reunion in Europe. Sweden has the most favourable policies followed by Portugal. Five countries have policies which are considered unfavourable: Latvia, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Austria.

The European Union Institute for Security Studies has published a paper by Nicole Gnesotto and Giovanni Grevi entitled "The World in 2025". This study, with a preface by Pascal Lamy, Director General of the WTO, focuses on "the trends, factors and players which are forming our future," (energy crises, ecological disasters, new clashes between leading powers, general collapse in the Middle East). The authors describe the main demographic, economic and geopolitical developments in the world in the future and the strategic ecological or sanitary risks that our planet is facing.