Ireland's EU commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, has said that the Lisbon Treaty would be rejected by most member states if put to a referendum.

Germany's top court is set to decide whether the European Union's controversial Lisbon Treaty is in line with the country's constitution. A ruling against the treaty would be a huge blow to the EU's reform efforts.

Mr Klaus' tactics could result in the treaty never being put into action as the longer it takes for the treaty to be fully ratified across the EU, the greater the chances of a conservative government coming into power in Britain.

Asked by journalists if Stockholm intended to seek a solution to the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia, which is holding up Zagreb's accession talks, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt bluntly responded 'no'.

Mr Sarkozy did not enter into details however, simply saying that now was not the right time to speak about "France's European project."

European Union leaders condemned Iran's handling of protests against its disputed election on Friday (19 June), urging Tehran to refrain from violence and to launch an investigation into the staging of the poll.

If he is approved by parliament in July, he will become the "commission president designate," a commission official told EUobserver.

Mr Klaus could be waiting for a change of government in the UK, where the main opposition party, the Conservatives, have promised a UK referendum if Lisbon has not been universally ratified when they come into power.

Parliament is up in arms because a decision this week by EU leaders to formally back Mr Barroso would fall under the current Nice Treaty rules.

The citizens of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro could be allowed visa-free travel to the European Union as early as the end of this year, EU foreign ministers said on Monday (15 June).

Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman ended his first EU visit on Monday (15 June) evening without securing a previously planned "upgrade" in EU-Israel relations.

Statehood by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would come with heavy restrictions however - the new country would be unable to maintain an army, have weapons or control the airspace above its territory.

"We wish… that a political decision be taken at the next [European] Council" to appoint Mr Barroso for a second mandate, "before taking a formal legal decision" later on, Sarkozy added.

Despite the severity of EU-imposed austerity measures, a currency devaluation would cause greater suffering for Latvian citizens the country's prime minister told EUobserver and other journalists on Wednesday (10 June).

Liberals, Greens and Socialists have started joining forces to prevent José Manuel Barroso from being re-appointed as next president of the European Commission, instead proposing Belgium's former Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.

With barely a day up since the finish of the EU elections, the members of the newly elected parliament are taking stock and sounding out future political allegiances.

Irish businessman and founder of the fledgling pan-European movement Libertas Declan Ganley has failed to win a seat in the European Parliament, while the anti-treaty group as a whole failed to get a foothold across the EU.

"With this resignation, the argument for a general election has gone from being strong and powerful to completely unanswerable," the Conservative leader said.

The outpouring of anger could have significant implications for EU politics, as Britons unleash their fury via the ballot box and opposition parties call for an early general election.

"If we just dealt with EU affairs, participation rates would sink below 25%," Pál Schmitt, the top candidate on the conservative, Christian Democratic list of Fidesz-KDNP told EurActiv Hungary.

"A strong Europe does not necessarily mean more powers for the European Union, even more European legislation or even more financial means," Ms Merkel and Mr Sarkozy wrote.

Germany's constitutional court is to publish its judgement on whether the EU's Lisbon Treaty is compatible with the country's constitution on 30 June.

"It's difficult with our budget now if not impossible to have some support from the community budget to Ukraine," Mr Barroso said, on the margins of a press conference with the European Investment Bank.

The turmoil in Iran since last week's election has confused the foreign policy debate here in the United States in interesting ways.

Testimony of Ivo Daalder Ambassador-Designate to NATO at Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Tuesday's decision may have an impact on the ratification calendar, with Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republic also not having completed the process.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will on Monday (22 June) make a historic speech before a joint session of the French parliament gathered at the Palace of Versailles to lay out his domestic and international reform agenda.

The two issues have been occupying the political and legal minds in Brussels for the last month as they both concern the future workings of the bloc.

Mr Barroso, whose mandate expires at the end of October, said EU leaders should take a decision on the next commission president based on the bloc's current treaty, the Nice Treaty.

Experts from Washington have called on the EU to be more daring and propose closer ties with its large Eastern neighbour.