Unspent €1 billion from the EU farm budget will go to poor countries
4 july 2008 - The European Commission will next week offer €1 billion from the EU's unspent agriculture funds to help farmers from poorest countries boost their food production.
Polish President softens on the Lisbon Treaty
2 july 2008 - Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Tuesday (1 July) toned down his rhetoric against the Lisbon treaty, with the French EU presidency also downplaying the mini-crisis and analysts saying Mr Kaczynski's stance is a...
French EU Presidency starts tomorrow
30 june 2008 - On Tuesday 1 July, France takes over the EU presidency armed with a big country's sense of the natural order of things, a hyperactive president and a lengthy list of priorities.
MEP report might slow enlargement
25 june 2008 - MEPs in the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday (24 June) approved an enlargement report stressing that the EU's own capacity to absorb new states should be taken into account when...
US criticizes EU nuclear security
24 june 2008 - Most European sites containing US nuclear weapons are failing to meet security standards set by the Pentagon, a report has shown.
Ireland has no early solution for the Lisbon problem
20 june 2008 - Over the course of hours of crisis talks in Brussels, Ireland found itself under heavy pressure to do something to fix its voters' rejection of the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
Sarkozy to face 'disident' Czech President over the Lisbon Treaty
16 june 2008 - French president Nicolas Sarkozy will today (16 June) fly to Prague for emergency talks on the Lisbon Treaty with the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, with Czech president Vaclav...
Med Union plan faces Arab skepticism
9 june 2008 - A number of Arab countries are worried that if they join the EU's planned Mediterranean Union together with Israel, it would imply a normalisation of bilateral relations, with the Algerian foreign minister stressing...
Last chance for a referendum in Britain
5 june 2008 - There are three key events next week that are absolutely crucial for Britain’s future relationship with the EU.
The first is Stuart Wheeler’s judicial review to be heard on Monday, 9 June and Tuesday, 10 June in...
European Parliament seeks 'new era' for foreign policy
4 june 2008- The European Parliament is seeking to bolster its role in the bloc's common foreign and security policy (CFSP), with senior MEPs saying it is time for Europe to become a "player and not just a payer" on the world...
French opposition to Turkey's bid to the EU is reinforced
30 may 2008 - The lower house of the French parliament on Thursday (29 May) approved an amendment to constitutional reforms that could make it compulsory for France to hold a referendum on large countries joining the EU, in a...
Polls change in Ireland ahead of referendum
26 may 2008 - The gap between the "Yes" and the "No" camps ahead of the EU treaty referendum in Ireland has narrowed, according to the latest poll published on Sunday (25 May).
Spain attacks Italy over minority rights
20 may 2008 - Italy and Spain have quarreled over Rome's plans to tighten up its immigration policies as part of a bid to tackle rising tensions among Italians towards migrants from Romania.
Italy, Greece and Belgium may harm Euro
16 may 2008 - Public debt in eurozone countries should be monitored more strictly, as high-debt states may undermine the stability of the whole monetary union, Dutch finance minister Wouter Bos has said, in remarks echoing...
'Yes' campaign launched in Ireland
13 may 2008 - The Irish government has launched its campaign in favour of the EU treaty with the new prime minister, Brian Cowen, calling for a "yes" vote in next month's referendum.
The EBPS scheme story – involving all groups deemed “not practical”
7 may 2008 - Following our latest news on EBPS, the office sent us a wide range of documentation, comprising the communication between representatives of the schemes and various MEPs and officials. Reading this documentation did...
Eurozone report heralds ten-year anniversary for EURO
5 may 2008 - The European Commission is this week to present an overview of the eurozone as it approaches its tenth anniversary amid strong differences between member states on the role of the European Central Bank.
As polls narrow, Irish PM warns of 'disaster' if EU treaty defeated
28 april 2008 - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has issued a stark warning on the consequences of rejecting the EU treaty as the latest poll shows a narrowing gap between the yes and no side.
Multinationals’ clandestine lobbying revealed
24 april 2008 - Twenty eight leading multinational companies have their own lobbying office in the European Parliament. MEPs have allegedly been involved in secret lobbying without informing their groups, according to information...
MEPs to control EU President through budgetary means
22 april 2008 - Members of the European Parliament are prepared to use their hold over the bloc's purse-strings to try and make sure that the proposed new EU president does not wield too much power.
Bush's climate plan met with criticism in the EU
18 april 2008 - European reactions to US President George W. Bush's plan to tackle greenhouse gas emissions range from the critical to the decidedly undiplomatic, with Germany's environment minister describing the proposals as...
Lisbon Treaty threatens Irish corporate tax despite government declarations
16 april 2008 - An issue that has come to the attention of the Irish public lately the declaration by France’s finance minister, Christine Lagarde, concerning a wanted common method to compute corporate taxes. Ireland’s government...
Leaked Irish government email reveals Lisbon Treaty issues
15 april 2008 - German chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Irish voters to back the EU treaty on the same day that the Irish government was embarrassed by a leaked email outlining what a UK diplomat says is Dublin's strategy...
New EU President details are being discussed
14 april 2008 - EU member states have begun preliminary talks on some of the most political aspects of the bloc's new treaty – the office set-up for the proposed new full-time president, the shape of the diplomatic service and the...
France tax strategy threatens Irish referendum
9 april 2008 - Ireland has been sent into a political tailspin by France's announcement that it is to push ahead with plans for a harmonised company tax base. Politicians fear it will affect the outcome of the country's...
Danes changing views on euro, Slovakia will bid for it in 2009
7 april 2008 - A majority of Danes favour adopting the euro, a fresh survey has suggested while Slovakia has officially filed its application to become the 16th eurozone member state in 2009, just as the EU's monetary union is...
New democratic push for the European Union
3 april 2008 - The European Commission on Wednesday (2 April) presented a new plan aimed at increasing EU citizens' involvement in the decision-making process of the 27-nation bloc, as well as making it more popular. Dubbed...
Germany opposes EU budget increase
1 april 2008 - Germany has signalled it will not accept similar increases to the EU budget during the current financial seven-year period, which runs to 2013. As the biggest contributor to the bloc's coffers, Berlin argues that...
Sarkozy charms British MPs
27 march 2008 - On the first day of his state visit to Britain, French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for closer Franco-British ties and for the UK to take its full place in Europe in order to bring along necessary changes to...
New agreement between France and UK
25 march 2008 - The leaders of France and Britain are to hold a joint meeting later this week expected to result in an agreement to promote nuclear power as well as further co-operation on defence, immigration and money markets.
The EU and the Iraq War: after five years
21 march 2008 - It has been five years since the United States began its military operation dubbed 'Iraqi Freedom'. The war resulted in a deep rift in transatlantic relations, caused a split within the European Union and made...
Mediterranean Union plan has a green light from EU leaders
14 feb 2008 - EU leaders on Thursday (13 March) approved a watered-down version of a plan put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a grand Mediterranean Union stretching from Morocco to Turkey and aiming to foster...
EU leaders meet in Brussels
13 march 2008 - EU leaders are gathering in Brussels for what is likely to be unusually conflict-free summit. European Commission proposals on how to turn ambitious green goals into concrete laws, the union's Lisbon strategy for...
The Irish Referendum will take place in June
12 march 2008 - The Irish government has indicated that the country's highly anticipated referendum on the EU treaty will take place in the second week of June.
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern told parliament on Tuesday (11 March):...
Zapatero wins general elections in Spain
9 march 2008 - Spanish socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Sunday won a decisive victory in what was his second general election, increasing his party's vote despite the killing on Friday of a former socialist...