Continental Unions related content 

The Barcelona Process was scrapped without thought for its strengths or weaknesses. The result is a replacement that is worse. The Union for the Mediterranean was born a...

EU committees to get new powers; European Systemic Risk Board to be created. The EU's leaders agreed today on reforms to financial supervision, following a deal between the...

France, Germany and the UK agree to limit powers of EU-wide regulators. The EU's leaders are expected later today to agree on reforms to financial supervision, following a...

Reports of the death of the Czech presidency are greatly exaggerated. As president-in-office of the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council, I often hear that...

For Joseph Mifsud, of the Euro-Mediterranean University, creating dialogue is more effective than resorting to confrontation. When Israel launched its military offensive on...

The debacle in the UN could be the precursor to more clashes over human rights, with Europe as a target. The UN's Durban Review Conference – meant to “serve as a...

It's Sunday, there must be a summit. When Europe's political leaders meet on a Sunday, it is a fair bet that they are not playing by the rules. Last Sunday (22 February),...

CoR president tells member states to co-ordinate against economic crisis Luc Van den Brande, president of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), has called on member states to...

Our leaders need to keep their nerve and their tempers. EU government leaders will gather in Brussels later this month to tackle the economic and political crises that have...

The competition between European leaders to be the first to reach Cairo, Jerusalem or Moscow, highlights again the EU's lack of influence. Those of us who once lamented the...

The French president's handling of conflicts and crises is paving the way for his choices to fill top institutional jobs. It is only the first week of the Czech presidency...

More hyperactive EU presidents would merely fuel Euroscepticism.

The EU recognises the growing importance of Brazil, so the relationship is changing. Brazil has only recently joined the ranks of countries that qualify for a ‘strategic...

Angela Merkel's government is increasingly unco-operative, but that does not mean that Germany is losing influence in the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's reputation...

France's presidency of the EU wil be remembered most for Nicolas Sarkozy's striking leadership. France's presidency of the EU, which draws to a close on 31 December, will...

Agreement obscures lowering of ambitions and continued deep divisions. EU leaders have agreed to a €200 billion economic stimulus package to counter the effects of the...

Sharing of data and new security technologies are top priorites for the Czech presidency in the fight against crime. Ivan Langer, the Czech interior minister, will push EU...

His tireless energy has been unquestionable, but what will be the final verdict on Nicolas Sarkozy's EU presidency? Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, sets an...

Just the preparation for a working time directive. The member states' deputy ambassadors to the EU stumbled out of the Justus Lipsius building at 6.30 on Saturday morning...

The bloodshed in Congo may mark the end of European military interventions in Africa; the EU now has to work out how better to integrate its efforts with those of the UN and...