Israel has announced the construction of some 700 apartments in East Jerusalem just a month after the Jewish state proclaimed a freeze on the building of new settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, drawing moderate criticism from the EU.

Brussels has welcomed assurances from Moscow of an agreement between Russia and Ukraine that will avoid any disruptions to the transit of oil to the European Union.

Russia needs "to develop offensive weapons systems" to counter US missile defences and maintain the strategic balance, PM Vladimir Putin says.

U.S. President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday condemned this week's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Iran.

The ad-hoc measures have affected only flights to the US in what has been a light-touch response so far by US and EU security authorities.

There cannot be a stable European market without Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said during a lecture on the country's international state to the faculty and students of Kyiv Institute of International Relations on Tuesday.

The NATO Secretary General declared that "In 2010 there will be new momentum. The ISAF mission will be much larger and the new forces are already flowing in. We will focus much more on protecting the population, protecting the roads, and protecting develo

Cool-tempered and efficient, Swedish officials in the past six months managed to steer the EU out of the institutional crisis surrounding the Lisbon Treaty and to mitigate infighting between member states on the bloc's top jobs, climate change and financi

German authorities have given permission for Russia to build a major new gas pipeline to the country, as the EU waits to see if the winter will bring another Russia-Ukraine gas crisis.

Latvia's constitutional court has ruled against government pension cuts, drawing a question mark over the country's ability to meet the terms of an international lending programme.

Outgoing EU commissioner for internal market affairs - Charlie McCreevy - has said the French hold disproportionate power in Brussels, and are also masters at securing senior EU positions for their own.

The Copenhagen summit ended this weekend with a low-key accord that was rejected by poor nations, described as "disappointing" by EU leaders and condemned by NGOs as a "shameful, monumental failure."

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso this week faced accusations from MEPs that his draft EU 2020 strategy for economic and environmental renewal lacked a sufficient social dimension.

A draft climate pact was emerging in the early hours of Friday (18 December) at the UN conference in Copenhagen, calling for a two degree Celsius cap on global warming and ?70 billion in aid for poor nations by 2020.

Russian activist Sergei Kovalev said Europe should not remain silent on human rights violations in his country and should keep up the pressure on Moscow.

The EU's new foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton, criticised Israel in her first speech on the Middle East and unveiled plans to visit the region in the New Year.

There are two tracks of negotiations under way in Copenhagen: One is on a new series of commitments under the Kyoto Protocol for all rich countries apart from the US, and the other is on longer-term action covering the US and the wealthier emerging nation

The Swedish EU Presidency's proposals for a new justice and home affairs agenda, adopted by European heads of state and government last week, should lead to much-needed action in areas such as immigration and asylum.

Greece's budget deficit is forecast to exceed 12 percent of its GDP this year, with the country's total debt levels expected to reach 125 percent of GDP in 2010 – the highest in the EU.

The leaders discussed a new economic blueprint to replace the much-maligned Lisbon Strategy that expires at the end of 2010, with Herman Van Rompuy, expressing his intentions to host a special European summit on the subject in February.

The summit will be the last in EU history to be chaired by one of the member states.

The National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) warns of possible preparation of 'a new gas crisis' by the Russian side to discredit Kyiv and create conditions for concluding a more suitable contract for Moscow.

For the Spanish Presidency, meanwhile, López Garrido enumerated four main priorities.

The main goal is to get the bloc's new 10-year economic strategy agreed. The current strategy, known as the Lisbon Agenda and tainted with a reputation for missed objectives and lack of ambition on the part of member states, expires next year.

The EU is set for "institutional chaos" following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, with too many bodies and leaders representing the Union, Buhigas Schubert said.

But the meeting looks set to increase tensions with more reformist states such as the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Malta, who support a greater liberalisation of the bloc's farm policy and are unlikely to travel to the French capital this week

The move for Montenegro comes just a little over three years since it declared independence from Serbia, much faster than older candidates Georgia and Ukraine, who had also applied for MAP.

Great Britain, Italy, Georgia have each indicated they will send some 1,000 extra troops. Poland is reportedly to send 600. Spain, Slovakia and the Czech Republic could altogether send some 500 troops, while Albania and Macedonia will allocate some 80.

EU member states hammered out a compromise deal on Wednesday that will see three new European supervisory authorities watch over the region's financial sector.

In his televised speech on Tuesday, Obama said the goal of raising US troop levels to nearly 100,000 was to step up the battle against the Taliban, secure key centres and train Afghan forces so they can take over, allowing for a US exit.

The Lisbon Treaty – a new EU rulebook that started on 1 December - brings about a number of institutional changes, including the extension of the Eurogroup chairman's working mandate from 2 to 2.5 years.

One of the most respected political figures during the European Union's 50-year history, Jacques Delors, has voiced his disappointment at the Lisbon Treaty's limitations, less than 24 hours before the new set of rules comes into force.

Serbs, Macedonians and Montenegrins will be able to travel visa-free to Europe from 19 December, EU interior ministers decided on Monday.

President Obama is not doing a particularly good job, that more big government liberalism is the last thing we need, and that, yes, American exceptionalism isn't a bad thing or an out-of-date idea.

There was a fair amount for Bush Doctrine-supporters, American-exceptionalist patriots, and neocon warmongers to like in Obama's Oslo speech.

Hoping that A New 2010 Year will bring for all of you new successes, open new perspectives and give new intentions!

Memory of the EU's current economic plan - the Lisbon Strategy, due to expire in 2010 - is also likely to influence EU leaders as they prepare to discuss its successor at a number of European summits over the next six months under the Spanish EU presidenc

A fresh row between Russia and Ukraine over energy shipment fees - fast becoming something of a New Year's tradition - has caused alarm in the European Union, as Moscow warned of possible oil supply cuts to central Europe.

Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spanish foreign minister, said Spain will only play a supporting role to the EU's new leaders.

Long-awaited international talks kick off today (7 December) in Copenhagen, with negotiators from 192 countries meeting to hammer out a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

The Ukraine - European Union summit opens in Kyiv Friday to cover a wide spectrum of questions of Ukraine's cooperation with the EU in the context of full-scale integration perspectives.

European, American and Canadian foreign ministers are later today meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels to discuss the new strategy for Afghanistan, Nato enlargement and relations with Russia.

The European Union is celebrating the entry into force of a new set of rules today (1 December), hoping to put a full-stop behind the years of wrangling, set-backs and lowered ambitions that have marked this lengthy phase of institution building.