Life at 27
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Corruption: Romania in the dock, still
21 July 201013 Presseurop -
Institutions: Eurocracy fattens on crisis
20 July 2010232PresseuropDziennik Gazeta Prawna -
European Union: Back door to the promised land
15 July 2010631 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
European Union: When ex-commissioners land lobby jobs
13 July 2010202PresseuropEUobserver.com -
European Union: More Delors, The Economist implores
9 July 2010PresseuropThe Economist -
Regional Development: Rich Europe, poor Europe
7 July 2010301 Polska The Times Warsaw -
Institutions: Welcome to the Holy See of Europe
6 July 201037 The Economist London -
EU Presidency: Belgium sets its sights low
30 June 2010PresseuropPresseurop -
EU presidency: Madrid slumps out
30 June 201020 El País Madrid -
POLAND: Warsaw under fire over equality rules
29 June 2010PresseuropGazeta Wyborcza -
Institutions: Is Brussels in the clutches of lobbies?
28 June 2010862 Dziennik Gazeta Prawna Warsaw -
Diplomacy: MEPs make a stand
23 June 2010PresseuropLe Monde -
where is the union headed? (6): Wanted - Motivated leaders to steer a union
23 June 2010331 Corriere della Sera Milan -
European Parliament: SOS against financial lobby
22 June 2010PresseuropDie Tageszeitung -
France / Germany: Squabbling makes Europe insignificant
21 June 201018 Die Zeit Hamburg -
European Council: Economic governance will have to wait
18 June 2010112 Presseurop -
Economic crisis: Bratislava threatens to block the bailout plan
18 June 2010PresseuropPravda -
Institutions: Revving a two-speed Europe
17 June 2010651 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw -
Romania: A revolutionary in Strasbourg
16 June 2010PresseuropAdevărul -
Belgium: The Eurolab experiment gone wrong
11 June 2010422 The Economist London -
Balkans: Croatian accession still in limbo
7 June 2010PresseuropVečernji list -
Germany: President deserts Afghanistan debate
1 June 2010PresseuropFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung -
Where is the union headed? (4): A harsh wake-up call
28 May 201026 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw -
European Union: Ignored island paradises fume at Brussels
28 May 2010PresseuropEUobserver.com -
United Kingdom: David Cameron, free to love Europe
27 May 2010The Independent London -
Greek crisis: Et tu, José?
26 May 2010PresseuropDziennik Gazeta Prawna -
Economic crisis: Europe has Everests of debt to scale
25 May 2010PresseuropThe Independent -
Health: EU legislates on organ transplants
24 May 2010PresseuropTrouw -
Where is the Union headed? (1): European breakdown
21 May 201042 Die Presse Vienna -
Greek crisis: Germany has a problem with Europe
19 May 2010362 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw -
Central Europe: Will flooding engulf elections?
19 May 2010PresseuropRzeczpospolita -
What future for the euro? (3): Europe, stop clowning
17 May 20102 La Stampa Turin -
Czech Republic: Greek bashing enters election campaign
17 May 2010PresseuropHospodářské Noviny -
European Commission: Barroso, the fireman who got there late
14 May 2010PresseuropLe Monde -
European Council: Sarkozy, the new king of Europe
12 May 2010822 Berliner Zeitung Berlin -
European Union: Goodbye to cardigan and slippers Europe
12 May 2010PresseuropCourrier international -
Economic crisis: So, have they saved the euro?
10 May 201017 Presseurop -
Europe day: The union isn’t dead yet
9 May 201059 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Balkans: And how about “Northern Macedonia”?
4 May 2010321 Kapital Sofia -
European Union: EU27 unemployment at record 9.6%
3 May 2010PresseuropEUobserver.com -
United Kingdom: Those Britons who love Europe
30 April 2010211 The Independent London -
Greek crisis: The horror, Angela, the horror
30 April 2010PresseuropThe Economist -
Belgium EU presidency: Crisis? What Belgian crisis?
28 April 2010PresseuropLe Soir -
Diplomacy: Lady Ashton's large diplomatic body
27 April 2010PresseuropEl Periódico de Catalunya -
Government crisis: Does Belgium still make any sense?
23 April 2010547 Le Soir Brussels -
European Parliament: Fast track funding - a bailout in disguise?
22 April 2010PresseuropDziennik Gazeta Prawna -
Freedom of movement: Schengen is the real Europe
20 April 201016 Polityka Warsaw -
European Union: Lobbyists attack lobby watchdog
24 March 20101PresseuropEUobserver.com -
European Agencies: Too many, too much
24 March 2010La Tribune Paris -
European Commission: Romania drags feet in corruption fight
23 March 2010PresseuropRomânia libera
Mired in internal debates regarding the future of its anti-corruption efforts, Bucharest has been severely criticised by the European Union. "Are the Romanians treated worse than the Bulgarians, their delinquent neighbours?" the local press wonders.
Over the past few months, Bucharest has doled out Romanian passports to over a hundred thousand Moldovans – and now intends to step up the process. But other European countries are beginning to balk at this backdoor integration of the ex-Soviet republic into the European common area. 
Numerous national and European programmes have yet to succeed in eradicating major disparities between the rich and poor regions of the continent — a situation that may lead to funding cuts in the context of the current economic crisis. 
For most Eurocrats, EU federalism is more than a political conviction, it’s an article of faith. But while nationalism may still be fraught with dangers, nations are still relevant to democracy, points out The Economist. 
The six months it spent at the head of the European Union were something of an ordeal for the Spanish government, which had to contend with the economic crisis, the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and a lack of strategic vision in the EU — circumstances that highlighted the downgrading of the rotating presidency. 
Today lobby groups wield more power in Brussels than they do in Washington. And in the absence of stricter regulations, they will continue to enjoy unlimited freedom to influence European legislation.
Europe was left adrift at a time when the launch of its single currency and the reinforcement of its institutions called for real leadership. Now, as we face the euro crisis and the risk of the Union’s fragmentation, the time has come for national governments to make way for truly independent European authorities.
Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy could not have chosen a worse moment to fall out, comments Die Zeit. If the EU's two major players cannot settle their differences, Europe runs the risk of losing its capacity to influence global affairs. 
At the 17 June summit in Brussels, the EU 27 laid the foundations for “economic governance” aimed at closer economic policy coordination. But they fell short of setting up a bona fide joint management of economic affairs – and intend to levy a controversial bank tax, recaps the European press. 
The ongoing battle with the economic crisis is changing the nature of the European Union. Distanced due to measures to stabilise the single currency, countries outside the eurozone are concerned that they may become second division members of the EU.
Long hailed as the model for European integration, bilingual Belgium faces a divisive election that risks splitting it further at the seams. For the Economist's Charlemagne, it's a metaphor for the deepening north-south divide across the union. 
For years, the EU has sought comfort in the politically correct fiction which states that all member states have equal rights. Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev believes that Europe's citizens and political elites will now have to embrace a more hard-nosed language if we are to succeed in defending the European model. 
Thanks to his coalition with the Liberal Democrats, the new British PM is no longer a hostage to eurosceptic elements within his own party. This is an opportunity for him to take advantage of current divisions within the EU and make the UK a driving force in Europe. 
Angela Merkel is walling up Germany, Nicolas Sarkozy is rounding up the Mediterraneans, and the EU doesn’t know where it’s headed anymore. Behind the euro crisis and the ongoing row over how to handle it, the mutual trust and the will to work together are ebbing before our very eyes, observes Die Presse. 
If the Greek crisis is the most serious that the European Union has ever had to deal with, it’s now also a test of what Europe means for Germany, writes Gazeta Wyborcza. 
Contrary to its leaders’ glib pronouncements, the Lisbon Treaty and the bailout mechanism won’t suffice to safeguard Europe’s future. What we need is deeper integration to ward off new crises, urges editorialist Barbara Spinelli. 
The EU is not what it was before, especially from Berlin’s perspective. The financial crisis and the euro rescue parachute have changed the Union from top to bottom. The German taxman has failed. From here on in, writes the Berliner Zeitung, the French take the helm. 
The European press widely welcomes the decision of the EU 27– with the notable exception of the UK – to create a €750 billion financial support mechanism, which should shore confidence back up in the single currency. While the long-term effects thereof remain to be shown, it already outlines what may be the contours of EU economic governance. 
Sixty years after the Schuman declaration that launched the European project, the Eurozone crisis has called into question the essence of the union. To regain confidence, the EU27 must jettison the stereotypes of the past, argues the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 
After nearly two decades of absurd and counter-productive quarreling, it's high time that Greece and its former Yugoslavian neighbour find a solution to the Macedonian name issue, argues Bulgarian weekly Kapital. 
Although the continent is still not short of beer-drinking, Daily Mail/Express-reading, Europhobic Britons forever perplexed by foreign ways, a new generation, more in tune with other European social attitudes, is coming to the fore, argues Mary Dejevsky. 
The ever-strained relations between Flemish and French-speaking Belgians, which came to a head over the proposed breakup of the bilingual voting district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, are tenser than ever now after prime minister Yves Leterme resigned yesterday. And now more than ever before, the very existence of Belgium is on the line. So is there still any point in keeping the country intact? wonders Le Soir’s editor-in-chief. 
The Poles did not really feel they belonged to the European Union until 2007, when their country became part of the Schengen area. Now they are members of an exclusive club, which is still viewed as a paradise by the countries who have yet to join. A report from Polish weekly Polityka.
Immigration, fisheries, GMOs… 28 agencies are supposed to provide support for EU member states and their citizens. But they are being criticized for their high running costs and poor management practice. La Tribune reports on the issues that Brussels is planning to set right.