French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for an EU crisis fund for member states to be extended from ?12 billion currently to "at least" ?20 billion.

French President Sarkozy's advocacy of state intervention to tackle the global financial meltdown has raised hackles in Germany. Chancellor Merkel is leading efforts to stymie greater government control of money markets.

The U.S. Senate ratified the accession protocols for Albania and Croatia in September. All 26 NATO members must ratify before they can join the alliance, as soon as 2009.

The freshly appointed UK defence secretary John Hutton has publicly supported the idea of a European army, a key ambition of the French EU presidency.

Mr Klaus added that the EU presidency was anyway "meaningless." "It is prestigious, but not for the countries. It is prestigious for the few politicians who go to Brussels 12 times per month".

In a fresh surge of economic patriotism, French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday (23 October) announced plans to create a "sovereign wealth fund" to aid French businesses in the wake of the global financial crisis.

National Armaments Directors from the 26 NATO member countries, invitees from Albania and Croatia, as well as 11 Partnership for Peace nations met at NATO Headquarters for the biannual Conference of National Armament Directors (CNAD).

The Seminar has provided the NAC and the MC with a platform for strategic debate about the long term security challenges, risks and threats facing the European and North American populations.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek insisting that his government was the only one which could guarantee that the Czech Presidency would "not be a failure".

Mr Sarkozy "is talking like a good old-fashioned European socialist," said the leader of the European socialists, MEP Mr Schulz, while adding that Mr Barroso, who several times backed the EU president-in-office, was also behaving "like a true left-winger"

Macedonia does not seem ready at this stage to open accession talks with the EU before the end of the year, as initially hoped, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn has said.

Europe's climate package was saved from collapsing during a summit of the bloc's leaders under threat of veto from Poland and Italy on Thursday 16, October.

Seven ships, from six NATO navies, transit the Suez Canal today, on their way to conduct both anti-piracy duties and visit NATO Partner nations in the Gulf region.

A fresh slump in stock markets indicates the reaction may have come too late to prevent a worldwide recession.

Italy and Poland have threatened to veto the European Union's package to tackle climate change, saying their economies cannot bear the added burden that emissions reductions would impose.

EU leaders are on Thursday (16 October) set to approve a 12-member group headed by former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and tasked with reflecting on how best to deal with Europe's future challenges.

But Europe has so far announced the release of around ?2 trillion to save banks from collapse in the biggest government intervention in markets since the creation of the post-war welfare state.

European Union foreign ministers on Monday, Oct. 13, postponed any decision to resume partnership talks with Russia amid disagreements over whether Moscow has complied with a peace deal in Georgia.

An unprecedented extraordinary meeting of eurozone leaders in Paris has given the green light to a set of synchronised moves by member states to boost confidence in the financial sector and save failing banks with public money.

In the first day of their meeting, NATO Defence Ministers reviewed progress on NATO’s operations and looked at the challenges for the months ahead.

Oil and gas-rich rich Azerbaijan, home of another frozen conflict with its neighbouring Russian ally Armenia, does not consider the EU as a feasible peace broker in the region, Azeri deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov has said.

Sarkozy also proposed a summit meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to be held at the end of 2009 "to discuss (Russian) proposals and those of the European Union for new concepts of a pan-European defence."

Poland is planning to propose a new version of its previous government's energy solidarity pact plan, lowering the threshold for EU intervention in the event of a major supply crunch.

This week, the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) took a big step forward after the 12 SAC nations completed signature of the SAC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso welcomed the arrival of Baroness Ashton, who was nominated on Friday (3 October) to replace Peter Mandelson at the trade portfolio.

The Sunday turbulence in EU capitals came following a desperate attempt by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his guests at an emergency mini-summit to boost confidence in the European financial markets.

Russia has repeatedly demonstrated its intention and capacity to threaten America's and Europe's interests.

It's hard to know whether detractors honestly believe the current political situation precludes a MAP invitation, or whether this excuse is rather a fig leaf for fears of provoking Russia.

Consistency is not his goal; he aims to satisfy his listeners. Bill Clinton was such a president, and Mr. Obama promises more of the same.

French President and EU presidency holder Nicolas Sarkozy called the extraordinary meeting after announcing his intention to launch a debate on "the refoundation of capitalism".

"It's a funny thing, when they negotiated this document, I suggested 'OK, if you don't want that, put in the political statement the sentence that you recognise Ukraine as a European state with an African identity',- Mr Yeliseyev.

"We must resist the dangerous temptation of economic isolationism and continue the policies of open markets that have lifted standards of living and held millions of people escape poverty around the world",- President Bush.

The Brussels summit of EU leaders (15 to 16 October) is expected to see criticism of the strategy, as well as scepticism over ambitious climate change goals in the uncertain economic times.

NATO defense ministers convene Thursday and Friday to moot issues ranging from the future of Georgia and the alliance's efforts in Afghanistan to the global financial meltdown.