The outcome of the Irish referendum on 12th June on the Lisbon Treaty remains uncertain. Although all of the polls forecast a win for the "YES", turn out has become one of the main issues in the last days of the electoral campaign. A poll undertaken on 6th June in the Irish Times credited the NO with 35% in comparison with 30% for the YES; 28% were still undecided and 7% said they did not want to vote. It is the first time that the NO has emerged in the majority. The most recent poll published on 8th June by Red C for the Sunday Business Post grants a 3 point lead to the YES with 42% in terms of voting intentions in comparison with 39% for the NO and 19% undecided. The most recent poll confirms that the result will be a tight one but the movement in favour of the YES seems to be keeping its head above water. All will depend on convincing the undecided in a country where the electorate usually take last minute decisions and on attracting the Irish to the polling stations.

During an informal meeting on 5th and 6th June in Oslo Education Ministers adopted a final declaration on the contribution made by education to intercultural dialogue. In this declaration they stressed that "Europe was still extremely diversified. This is why discussions on intercultural dialogue, the promotion of multilingualism especially in the area of education are of greatest importance for our future."

On 5th June MEPs adopted two reports enabling an enhancement of parliamentary control and the democratic legitimacy of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Jacek Saryuse-Wolski's report (EPP-ED, PL) adopted by 520 votes in favour, 107 against highlights the need to harmonise the decision making process in the area of foreign policy, notably by introducing the qualified majority vote. He also insists on the diversification of energy sources, vital for the Union's independence with regard to unstable regions. Helmut Kuhne's report (PSE,DE) adopted 500 votes in favour, 106 against and 36 abstentions, addresses the Eurpean Security Strategy and suggests the consultation of Parliament before the launch of any military operations. Javier Solana, High Representative for the CFSP spoke to MEPs.

On 3rd June the European Commission stepped up its efforts to promote the use of the charge-free European emergency number 112 in the EU. 112 was launced in 1991 for all Member States to facilitate access to emergency services. Since 1998 all landline and mobile users can call 112 free of charge. As of today, the new website ec.europa.eu/112 will tell citizens how to use 112 and what to expect from it, particularly when they travel within the EU. It also shows how 112 functions in each Member State: how quickly calls are answered and in which languages.

On 2nd June during the Eurogroup meeting, Finance Ministers of the 15 Member States of the euro area agreed to Slovakia's accession to the zone on 1st January 2009. They also had a discussion with Alessandro Leipold, Director of the European Department of the International Monetary Fund who announced a rise of growth in the euro area. With regard to the rise of oil prices Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister and Finance Minister in Luxembourg and also Chairman of the Eurogroup, said, "We think that oil prices like food prices will remain high and that short term tax measures will not significantly alleviate the burden of the effects of oil price rises.

Following an incorrect decision with regard to the interpretation of article 12 of the European Treaty the Court of Justice of the European Communities said on 5th June that community law was against Member State legislation that excludes victims of crimes from compensation if they come from other Member States and yet live and work in a Member State other than their own just because of their nationality. This unfair treatment, simply based on nationality comprises direct discrimination that cannot be justified.

According to figures published on 29th May the Federal Office for Employment (BA), the number of unemployed continued to drop in May in Germany. Unemployment dropped by 131,000 people in gross figures to reach 3,283 million, a figure that has not been seen since 1993. Germany has 529,000 unemployed less than a year ago and an unemployment rate of 7.8%. More than one million jobs remained vacant in May.

On 4th June Danish Finance Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen made critical attacks on the main banks of Denmark for their criticism of the euro, adding that it was "extremely dangerous" to express doubts about the established exchange rate between the Danish crown and the euro because this may lead "to disruption on the markets". Although Denmark meets the adoption criteria for the euro two negative referenda in 1999 and 2000 prevented the single currency from becoming legal tender. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that in August he wanted to launch a campaign designed to do away with the four exemption clauses that Denmark benefited from (euro, defence, justice and citizenship).

Three weeks before the start of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union and as part of the "Paroles d'Européens" on 13th June in Marseilles the French Foreign and European Affairs Ministry invites you to learn something new. Many personalities will attend to debate the environment, the European social agenda, culture, energy, youth mobility and agriculture. Amongst the guests will be Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Secretary of State for European Affairs and Jean-Claude Gaudin, the mayor of Marseilles. Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Minister, Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission for Justice, Security and Freedom, and Jean-Dominique Giuliani, Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, who will close the session by looking into what is stake during the presidency of the Union.

On 6th June in Athens French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested the creation of "a new Franco-Greek alliance". He told Greek MPs who are to adopt the Lisbon Treaty shortly that their ratification would be "an important step towards convincing all Europeans." He especially laid emphasis on the "European Pact on Asylum and Immigration" whilst reassuring Greece, which is the destination for a massive in-flow of immigrants en route towards other parts of Europe, that its problem was also shared by France. He said he supported a system of European border-guards, a long-standing request on the part of Athens - and "even a system of coast-guard ships shared between France and Greece." He signed a "strategic partnership for security and defence" with Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis.

On 3rd June the executive committee of the Irish Farmers' Association that has 85,000 members, unanimously decided to support the treaty reforming the European institutions indicated Padraig Walshe, Chairman of the IFA as he spoke on the Irish state radio station RTE. The call to vote YES during the referendum on 12th June was made possible by Prime Minister Brian Cowen's assurance to the IFA "that he was ready to use his veto if an unacceptable agreement for Ireland was submitted to vote" during discussions with the WTO. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), the second biggest farmers' association has also called to approve the treaty.

On 4th June in Riga France asked for the status of full membership of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) during the summit of this regional co-operation organisation. The French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, justified this request because of the main issues at stake in the region - energy, environment, maritime security, the fight against organised crime etc ... and that these concerned other European states that did not border the Baltic. The Council, the main intergovernmental co-operation organisation between the region's countries, has 11 members to date including the European Commission. Not all lie on the Baltic: Norway and Iceland, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia are all members. For the last ten years France has had observer status in the same way as the USA, Italy, the Netherlands, UK, Slovakia and the Ukraine.

France has committed to participating from time to time in the monitoring of air space over the Baltic with NATO until 2011 said Lithuanian Defence Minister Juozas Olekas on 5th June in Vilnius. "France will take part twice in policing the sky in 2009/2010 and in 2011," he said after a meeting with French Secretary of State for Defence, Jean-Marie Bockel. Paris will support this mission until the Baltic States can find their own solution."

On 2nd June Dutch Foreign Minister, Maxime Verhagen approved the main guidelines of the French project for a "European Immigration Pact" during the Franco-Dutch Co-operation Council. This is the project that France would like to submit to the EU during its presidency. "We agree with the future presidency on the need for an immigration pact. There are things that we need to discuss, but in the main we agree," he said.

On 4th June the British Lords started debate on amendments to the draft law on the European Union as part of the ratification procedure of the Lisbon Treaty. Debate is to go on until 9-11th June before a third reading takes place in the House of Lords on 18th June. The House of Commons adopted the law on 11th March last. Both Houses of the British Parliament have to approve the law for the Lisbon Treaty to be legally binding in Britain.

According to a press release from the European Commission the European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange (ECURIE) was launched on 3rd June after an incident which occurred in a Slovenian nuclear power plant in Krsko which demanded the total shutdown of the site. According to the Slovenian Nuclear Security Bureau technicians at the plant detected "a leaking in the reactor's coolant system and shut it down manually." According the Bureau "the leakage was detected in time" and "no radiation escaped into the environment." In Brussels Maja Kocijancic, the Slovenian EU Presidency spokesperson said that "there was no danger for the population or the environment" stressing that "the leakage did not involve any type of radioactive substance but that it was only water."

Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Freedom and Security handed over the roadmpa for the relaxation of visa regimes to the Albanian Foreign Minister, Lulzim Basha on 3rd June. The roadmap clearly indicates the measures to be taken by the Albanian authorities so that all of the country's inhabitants can travel without a visa.

Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Freedom and Security welcomed the delivery of the roadmap on the relaxation of visa regimes to the Foreign Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sven Alkalaj during a ceremony on 5th June in Sarajevo. The roadmap clearly indicates the measures to be taken by the Bosnia-Herzegovina authorities so that all of the country's inhabitants can travel without a visa.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met President Horst Kohler in Berlin on 5th June - Chancellor Angela Merkel and a number of political, parliamentary and civil society representatives were also at the meeting. The Russian President, on his first visit to Europe, took this opportunity to suggest the conclusion of a European Security Treaty that would address issues of arms security and control in Europe.

During the Summit in St Petersburg on 6th June, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev warned his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktory Yushenko that the Ukraine might breach its friendship treaty with Russia if it joined NATO. He invited him not to take any unilateral decision to put an end to the presence of the Russian navy at the naval base in Sebastopol. During the Atlantic Alliance Summit on 2nd April in Bucharest Ukrainian leaders received the promise from NATO that their country would integrate the organisation long term. This decision irritated Russia which is very hostile to this development.

181 countries took part in the UN Summit for Food and Agriculture in Rome between 3rd and 5th June. A final declaration adopted on 5th June by consensus demands that the international community increase its help to developing countries especially to the least advanced and to those particularly affected by price rises.

According to Eurostat figures published on 2nd June since July 2007, food prices in the European Unino have increased more rapidly than overall inflation. In April 2008, the annual increase in food prices in the EU was 7.1%, compared with 3.6% for overall inflation. In the euro area, the annual increase in food prices was 6.2%, compared with 3.3% for overall inflation. March and April 2008 recorded the highest annual increases in food prices in both the EU and the euro area since the beginning of the series in 1996. However, between 1996 and April 2008, food prices have risen in total at a similar rate to overall inflation: +31% and +27% respectively in the EU, and +30% and +27% respectively in the euro area.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) was inaugurated on 3rd June in Helsinki. It aims to manage the implementation of REACH with regard to registration, assessment, authorisation and restriction procedures of chemical substances. It officially started work one year ago with preparatory work, notably the recruitment of staff and the establishment of support structures and procedures. Since 1st June 2008 two key processes of REACH entered into operation: Registration of chemicals and pre-registration of the some 30,000 chemicals currently in use (e.g. acids, metals, solvents, surfactants). Manufacturers or importers of chemicals have to pre-register them by 1st December 2008 if they want to continue manufacturing or importing them without interruption.

The Brussels Centre for European Policy Studies published a study entitled "Adaptation to Climate Change: Why is it needed and how can it be implemented?" on 4th June. The study looks into the role granted to the EU in this area and advises for strong public action and assesses the socio-economic and monetary dangers of extreme climate events. Finally one part is dedicated to uncertainties associated with climate change.

Thierry Chopin, Research Director at the Foundation has published "Le Bal des Hypocrites" with Editions Saint-Simon in which he analyses relations between France and the EU. This book is available in bookshops.

On the occasion of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second semester of 2008 France will be launching "a European Cultural Season". This "Season" was inaugurated on 3rd June in Paris by French Culture Minister Christine Albanel and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. The European Cultural Season will bring together the cultures of the 27 EU Member States for six months - during this time there will be hundreds of artistic events, in all art forms (dance, theatre, cinema, music, heritage, history, gastronomy etc ...) in France and in other European towns.