The Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani will take part in a summer university of the European Ideas Network in Vienna from 15th to 17th October. He will be speaking notably on the Union's geographical limits and the neighbourhood policy. This university will take place in the presence of many European leaders.

On 7th October MEPs decided to establish a special committee on the financial and economic crisis. Comprising 45 members with a 12 month mandate it will aim to assess the size of the crisis and its impact on Member States and put forward appropriate solutions to establish financial market stability. In addition to this on 6th October they adopted a resolution relative to the G20 in support of a strong, European financial structure and including a single surveillance authority. They stress the need to address the root of the crisis and to adopt exit strategies that focus on employment, social dialogue and the support of the most affected categories of the population.

The Swedish Presidency of the EU and the Slovenian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe published a joint declaration on 8th October on the World Day agianst the Death Penalty organised every year on 10th October.

Members of the Budgets Committee at the European Parliament approved three amendments to the 2010 budget on 5th October, requesting Member States to make an additional finacial effort to fund the economic recovery plan. They recommended the Council include a total of 1.5 billion euros in payments and 1.98 billion in commitments into the 2010 budget, notably with regard to investments in renewable energies and "green" technologies. Voting is planned to take place in Strasbourg on 22nd October.

Given the ongoing crisis in the milk sector the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel announced on 5th October the establishment of a group of high level experts who would look into possible settlements mid and long-term, in view of doing away with milk quotas on 1st April 2015. The aim of this collective examination will be to find new measures that may strengthen market stability and producers' incomes, reduce price volatility and improve transparency. The Commission plans to grant 600 million euros this year to market support measures, notably in response to "new challenges" associated with the restructuring of the milk sector. With regard to this issue the Foundation has recently published a study on "Europe and the Milk Crisis: what will the new regulations be for the milk sector."

The 27 European Transport Ministers debated on 9th October the challenges and priorities pinpointed by the Commission's communication "A sustainable future for transport". Ministers want to continue to restrict the transport of liquids on planes in expectation of reliable technologies to detect explosive materials. They reached agreement on the necessary regulations to guarantee passenger rights travelling by boat who can now receive compensation if there is any delay or cancellation. They want to allow the circulation of 9,000 additional lorries per year in Europe which come from the Western Balkans.

After the part renewal of the members of the Court of Justice of the European Communities the announcement was made on 7th October of the renewal of the mandate of Vassilios Skouris, President of the Court since 7th October 2003; he was re-elected for another three year period. Former Greek Interior Minister and Professor of law at Greek and German Universities, Vassilios Skouris has been in office at the CJEC since June 1999.

Just as the union movement is celebrating its 60th anniversary in Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal President Horst Köhler stressed on 5th October the importance of workers' unions in the present context of the economic crisis. Ms Merkel recalled that the Federation of German Unions that was born on 13th October 1949 has for the last 60 years been "a major mainstay for our society". The Chancellor announced that she will cooperate "intensively" with the unions over the next few months to stave off the effects of the crisis and to invest in the future". According to Horst Köhler "an in-depth reform in the world's financial structures needs participation on the part of the unions."

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann announed on 7th October that his country has progressed beyond the Lisbon Strategy objectives with regard to employment (72.1%) ie the fourth best level in the EU. He recalled that training and research were the two key elements in recovery. Finance Minister Josef Pröll welcomed fiscal reform and the package of measures taken by the Austrian government to face the crisis.

On 9th October the European Commission announced that it had appointed an emissary, Leopold Maurer, to Cyprus where negotiations are ongoing to put an end to the division of the island that dates back to 1974. "The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso decided to second Leopold Maurer as his special representative for the UN Good Offices mission in Cyprus." This appointment follows a request on the part of the UN.

During a meeting with the ambassadors on 7th October the Spanish government head, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero declared that the main objective of the Spanish presidency of the Union in the first half of 2010 will be to learn lessons from the financial crisis and to reassure European citizens. He plans to enhance the common monetary policy and economic policies so that the Union can become a vital player in the new world economic order. With regard to external relations the Spanish Presidency will particularly highlight relations with Latin America and the Mediterranean was well as with Russia and the USA.

Estonian President, Hendrik Ilves, who was guest to his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Solyom and Prime Minister György Gordon Bajnai on 5th and 6th October, spoke of the close links that existed between the two states. He maintained that they shared foreign policy priorities, supporting enlargement to the Balkans and a European energy policy as well as weaknesses in the face of the economic crisis which was due to their economies which are mainly export oriented.

On 5th October the European Commission gave the greenlight to measures taken by the French State aiming to limit the damaging effects of the financial crisis on export companies. The measure in question aims notably to counter present difficulties in obtaining short term export credit insurance on the private market. The Commission concluded that this measure was within the limit of the Temporary Framework for State aid designed to encourage access to funding in the present context of the economic crisis.

On 6th October Georges Papandreou, leader of the Greek Socialist party (PASOK) winner of the general elections on 4th October was sworn in as Prime Minister. He then announced the composition of his new government. The Prime Minister will also be Foreign Minister. He also created the post of Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for the coordination of economic affairs, defence and external relations. The new government comprises 16 ministers five of whom are women.

On 8th October MEPs debated the issue of the freedom of the press in Italy in the wake of court cases brought against Italian dailies by the President of the Council Silvio Berlusconi. Several MEPs have sounded the warning bell arguing that the EU should not be used to settle disputes that were national in nature. Others highlighted the need for common regulation with regard to this issue. MEPs decided 293 votes in favour 286 against, to approve a resolution relative to the freedom of information in the next plenary session in Strasbourg (19th-22nd October).

Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Balazs received his Polish, Czech and Slovakian counterparts of the Visegrad group on 6th October. After the meeting the four ministers announced that they supported accession to EU membership on the part of the Western Balkan countries, notably during the Hungarian and Polish Presidencies of the EU. They also suggested their aid and expertise to the Balkan countries with regard to their integration strategy. Finally they offered an informal working lunch to their colleagues who had come from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

During the annual conference on Baltic development in Stockholm on 5th October Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovski spoke on his country's economic situation and the region. He believes that the economic crisis has revealed that the Baltic region must develop greater mutual trade to achieve greater integration. He also admitted that the region's economic recovery depends above all on the Baltic States themselves but that the solutions were also to be found on a European level.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite met her Finnish and Estonian counterparts, Tarja Halonen and Hendrik Ilves on 7th and 8th October. Discussions focused on regional cooperation, notably with regard to energy, the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty (and particularly the implementation of the new joint external service) and on economic issues. President Ilves said that a sustainable solution to the crisis had to be the EU's main priority and although the Baltic States were experiencing somewhat heterogeneous situations they were collectively responsible for the region's reputation.

In the wake of the trading of favours scandal, the Polish Sports, Justice and Interior Ministers had to resign on 5th and 7th October. They are under suspicion of having influenced the draft law on gambling to the advantage of casino owners.

The Czech President is now the only one still not to have signed the Lisbon Treaty. He cannot indefinitely go against the sovereign vote cast by the elected representatives of the Czech people since the Czech Parliament approved the text both in the Chamber of Representatives on 18th February as well as in the Senate on 6th May. He himself was elected by the Parliament. The latter may sanction him if he decided to delay the signature under false pretences. The Constitutional Court has been addressed. In the meantime there is a growing number of meetings between Czech and European leaders. Swedish European Affairs Minister, Cecilia Malmström met Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer in Prague on 8th October - the latter held a press conference on 7th October with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. He is convinced that the Czech President will sign the Treaty as soon as the Czech Constitutional Court has delivered its decision.

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc welcomed the signature of the "Joint Declaration relative to the Polish-Romanian Strategic Partnership" during an interview with Polish President Lech Kaczynski on 7th October. The latter also said that Romania could count on Poland's support for the development of the Nabucco project. Prime Minister Boc stressed the importance of this project in view of the diversification of energy sources and the means to provide natural gas to guarantee Europe's energy security.

On 10th October in Zurich Armenia and Turkey signed two protocols that focus on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries including the opening of their joint border. The two protocols now have to be adopted by the Armenian and Turkish parliaments.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country is holding the Presidency of the Union, met the leaders of the Serb, Croat and Muslim communities of Bosnia-Herzegovina on 9th October in an attempt to re-launch the dialogue process and the revision of the Constitution. The country has been in political stalemate for the last few months because of the nationalist rhetroic on the part of the leaders of all three communities. The Serbs want to keep their autonomy, whilst the Croats and the Muslims want to strengthen the central institutions. This meeting, in which the American Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg took part, also aimed to conclude the closure of the office of the High Representative of the international community and to start the transition towards an office for the EU Special Representative, a reform that has been suspended for the last two years. Another meeting is planned for 20th October.

On 5th October Eurostat published statistics relative to the volume of sales in the retail trade. The latter show that in August 2009 sales decreased by 0.2% in the euro area in comparison with July 2009 (when they had already declined by 0.2%). In the Union the decline lay at 0.3% in August 2009, in comparison with July when sales in the retail trade remained relatively stable).

On 5th October the European Trade Union's Confederation presented its study on "Climate disturbances, the new industrial policies and ways out of the crisis" which aims to analyse the impact of policies to counter climate change on employment by 2030. On this occasion European Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla recalled the Commission's initiatives that have been taken on two fronts; he stressed that although long term the fight against climate change offered new employment opportunities we cannot ignore the negative effects short term. It seems appropriate then to insist on the strategy which the Commission has been following for a long time, based on life-long training and a fair mix of flexibility and security on the labour market.

In the September/October issue of the review "Questions internationales" which is devoted to the challenges of Obama's presidency the Documentation Française looks into the role played by Sweden in the EU with an article by Sophie Enos-Attali.

Just as we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall the German Historical Museum has chosen to explore history via art. Until 10th January 2010 it is presenting a vast panorama of developments in German art, from East to West during the Cold War. The works of Joseph Beuys, Georg Baselitz, Wille Sette and Wolfgang Mattheuer have been rallied to provide a full, original overview of over 40 years of German art.