Leaks to the press by the Commission of a monitoring report on Bulgaria's performance in the EU have badly tarnished the country's international image, lamented Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Ivaylo Kalfin, expressing his hope that the final report will be

After a series of mild statements regarding the controversial ï300 million loan given by the Italian authorities to the failing national airline Alitalia last April, the European Commission published its position in the EU's official journal yesterday (22 July), revealing

All member states are politically committed to promoting more EU action on space, the French Presidency said after a two-day informal meeting of the bloc's ministers for space. But the issue of where the money for this increased ambition will

Although European labour markets continued to recover in 2007, employment rates across Europe are still a long way short of the targets the EU set itself via the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs in 2000. Workers aged over 55

Despite the EU's strategic partnership with Russia, the bloc's friendliness towards that country "does not inspire respect"' in Russian eyes, writes former Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis in the summer edition of Europe's World.

EU foreign ministers agreed yesterday (22 July) to sign an Association Agreement with Ukraine that would go beyond the current partnership accord but stop short of offering the country an EU membership perspective.

Officials from various environmental departments and organisations are calling for stalled environmental legislation on the proposed Soil Directive to be put into law by March 2009.

The financial impact of irregularities and suspected fraud in the use of EU funds by the bloc's member states continues to grow despite the decreasing number of cases documented, reveals a report published yesterday (22 July) by the European Commission.

As pressure grows on higher education institutes to raise their economic competitiveness and live up to new social responsibilities, a forward-looking study on the subject argues that future universities could well face a "mission overload".

Appointments to the EU institutions will focus more on the personal and professional competences of candidates rather than detailed EU knowledge, David Bearfield, the director of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), told journalists last week (18 July).

Only a few question marks remain in stuttering, six-year long negotiations on freeing up global trade, top EU and US trade officials said ahead of another "crunch" WTO ministerial meeting on Monday (21 July).

During an official visit to Dublin to discuss the reasons behind the Irish rejection of the EU's flagship Lisbon Treaty and seek new solutions to the situation, French President Nicolas Sarkozy denied ever having said Ireland must organise a new

Despite the hurdles still facing the EU's Lisbon Treaty, European sports movements firmly believe that a future EU competence on sport - as planned in the text - will come into effect in one form or another and are thus

An attempt by the EU's trade chief to impress his counterparts at global trade negotiations in Geneva with a pledge to cut the bloc's agricultural tariffs by as much as 60% fell flat as both France and Brazil denied the

Several scenarios have been suggested as a means of overcoming the crisis triggered by the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland. Here, EurActiv gives an overview.

EU leaders hailed the arrest by Serbian authorities on 21 July of Radovan Karadzic as a key step in the Balkan nation's accession to the Union. Karadzic is one of the most wanted war criminals of the past 13 years

Almost a fifth of the wood imported into the EU stems from illegal logging, compounding deforestation and climate change, according to a report published on 22 July by environmental group WWF.

The EU's highest court ruled on 17 July that Spain broke EU internal market rules when it insisted last year that all mergers in the energy sector must be pre-approved by its national energy regulator, effectively thwarting a takeover attempt

The competition case against the leading global chipmaker Intel worsened yesterday when the European Commission made public additional allegations of abuse of dominant market position by the US giant, which is notably suspected of pursuing unfair practices against its main