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Armenian genocide vote in Sweden sparks Turkish fury
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:29:24 +0000

A diplomatic row has erupted after Sweden’s parliament voted yesterday (11 March) to officially declare the Turkish mass killing of Armenians in World War I as "genocide".

EU struggles to stop exodus from impoverished Balkans
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:48:31 +0000

Belgium and Sweden are swiftly returning ethnic Albanian and Roma asylum seekers to their countries of origin, hoping to avert an influx triggered by the recent removal of the visa requirement for Serbian and Macedonian nationals.

EU ministers to back 'urgent' climate aid for poor nations
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:49:28 +0000

EU finance ministers meeting on Tuesday (16 March) will call for cash to be mobilised "urgently" to help developing countries tackle climate change, according to a draft statement seen by EurActiv.

MEPs unite in call for 'economic governance'
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:48:07 +0000

The leaders of the three largest political groups in the European Parliament have joined forces to call for stronger economic governance in the EU.  

EU institutions preparing staff nationality quotas
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:41:20 +0000

EU institutions will work hard to fill management posts with administrators from new member states by the end of 2010, European Commission Vice-President Maro? ?ef?ovi? said yesterday (11 March), presenting a major overhaul of the EU's recruitment procedure. 

EU rejects US claims of hedge funds regulation rift
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:39:03 +0000

The European Commission yesterday (11 March) rejected criticism coming from Washington that plans to regulate hedge funds and private equity in Europe would cause a transatlantic rift by closing doors to US funds.

Few EU countries plan to trade renewable energy
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:39:42 +0000

Only five EU member states are planning to buy renewable energy from other countries, while the EU as a whole is on track to exceed its 20% collective target, the European Commission said yesterday (11 March).

Air France, Ryanair in spat over aid to local airports
Publish Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:39:18 +0000

The French company said it has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Ryanair for allegedly receiving millions of euros in illegal subsidies in exchange for using regional airports in France. 

EU promises 'embarrassment' for countries ducking EU 2020 targets
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:57:17 +0000

The official in charge of Europe's new ten-year economic strategy has said the European Commission will rely on scoreboards and public warnings to embarrass national governments into hitting targets on reform and research investment. 

UN launches review of criticised climate panel
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:54:32 +0000

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday (10 March) that a group of national science academies would review UN climate science to restore trust after a 2007 global warming report was found to have errors.

EU-US relations hurt by French spat over tanker jets
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:48:59 +0000

French Prime Minister François Fillon denounced "serious incompliance" with US competition rules after a European-led consortium was forced to withdraw its bid for a 26-billion contract to build tanker jets, which US rival Boeing is set to win.

Yanukovich's ally Azarov to lead new Ukrainian government
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:48:36 +0000

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich secured a majority coalition in parliament today (11 March), which voted in a new government headed by his ally Mykola Azarov, a former finance minister.

Small firms slam 'deceptive' EU accounting plans
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:24:44 +0000

EU plans to exempt smallest firms from having to draw up annual accounts came under fire from a leading European small business group yesterday (10 March), claiming it will distort the internal market without cutting red tape. 

Czech renewable energy boom tests grid safety limits
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:23:46 +0000

The installed capacity of wind and solar energy projects approved in the Czech Republic is nearly four times what can be safely fed into the country's electricity grid, energy distributors said on Wednesday (10 March).

UK, US lash out at France, Germany over hedge fund regulation
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:21:31 +0000

There is no case for emergency action to crack down on naked selling of credit default swaps, as called for by France and Germany, British authorities said on 10 March. At the same time, the US warned that EU plans to regulate hedge funds could cause a transatlantic rift.

Italy's Eni wants rival gas pipelines to collaborate
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:18:49 +0000

South Stream and Nabucco, the two competing gas pipeline projects supported by Russia and the EU respectively, should combine efforts in a joint cost-cutting drive, according to Eni, an Italian oil company with a stake in South Stream.

EU confirms support for bluefin tuna trade ban
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:17:52 +0000

European Union ambassadors agreed to propose protecting bluefin tuna as an endangered species on Wednesday (10 March), a move that would effectively ban international trade in the species.

EU Parliament pushes for bank tax
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:14:25 +0000

An overwhelming majority of MEPs yesterday (10 March) pushed the EU executive to weigh up the costs and benefits of a possible tax on financial trading to compensate taxpayers for bank bailouts and plug public deficits.

Parliament threatens court action on anti-piracy treaty
Publish Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:58:09 +0000

The European Parliament defied the EU executive today (10 March), casting a vote against an agreement between the EU, the US and other major powers on combating online piracy and threatening to take legal action at the European Court of Justice.

Commission proposes 'European Heritage Label'
Publish Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:29:11 +0000

The European Heritage Label should be established as an EU-wide initiative, Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou suggested yesterday (9 March), presenting plans to highlight historical sites across Europe that "symbolise European integration, ideals and history".