Worth a read, if only for this: “despite their natural sympathy for the UK, many Czechs complain of being ignored by the British” – if we made an effort, a UK EU vision could happen

A very reasonable explanation. But if the amendment was designed for propaganda, why give them what they wanted, exactly?

The best response I’ve seen to the latest offshoot of Gordon Brown’s ill-considered (and repeatedly failed) obsession with generating a new kind of populist nationalism for the UK

Very nice final quote for all EU-based Russia-watchers… I love Putin – great value for money.

“It is not that the EU is unwelcome in our southern province… But there has to be a clear legal mandate for any such commitment — and this can only be achieved by getting the approval of the Security Council.”

Now this is interesting – the potential ramifications here are massive…

Sounds like a promising article, right? But this is worth reading only as an example of gloriously biased, partisan writing with precisely no analytical merit. Am I wrong to expect better from Der Spiegel?

I was looking for a profile of Berlusconi’s heir apparent, Gianfranco Fini (Italian election campaign’s kicking off), and this is ideal. Also Dutchman Filip Dewinter and Austrian Jorg Haider

Great analysis of the nature of Russian democracy by the last British Ambassador to the Soviet Union (and first British Ambassador to the Russian Federation). Tip-top.

A step in the direction of transparency at last. But why so little reporting on this after the (ongoing) MEP expenses scandal? The vote was two days ago – another example of dire EU communications…

Here we go – the wider fallout of supporting Kosovo’s independence starts to appear

“Sweden wants to boost the liberal economic stance of the EU by rallying pro-free trade countries against… a ‘scary’ rise of protectionism” – yay for Sweden!

The “lighter” side of Putin’s presidency

“His last name stems from medved, the word for bear… A Medvedev pun says that Putin has promoted a tamed bear to the presidency to demonstrate that politics is a circus” – hilarious…

Interesting notion – and makes a certain kind of sense… Either way, it’ll be interesting to see if Zapatero ever turns his attention away from domestic politics long enough to make an impact on the EU.

Still not as good as the likes of TheyWorkForYou and ThePublicWhip, but this Google-powered search engine is a welcome new tool to hunt down EU info nonetheless

Christ alive. Still, there are worse options, I suppose…

Good quotes: “Zapatero has given us more rights than any leader to the people of Spain: the old, the young, gays, men, women… I grew up under Franco with no rights. I grew up having to sing Franco’s anthem so that his Fascist supporters would throw me

Hmmm… Sarkozy losing support, Merkel’s coalition collapsing, Prodi on the way out, Brown unpopular – will Zapatero’s new mandate push him to look to lead the EU? Could be fun…

Hmmm… Belarus often acts on the suggestion of Moscow. Is this a bit of post-election dick-waving, or just Europe’s last dictatorship doing its usual thing?

By my reckoning that should put the Turkish economy as the seventh largest in the EU, were it to be a member. Hmmm… (Still trailing even Romania by GDP per capita, though…)

Very nice indeed – well worth a gander.

Tip-top – and can be read independently of the first part.

Nice intro to one of the (many) forgotten wannabe states of the Caucasus: “It’s basically 75,000 people living on rocks”

Using arch eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith’s own words to show how referenda are silly. Top stuff!

Moscow Warns against NATO Membership for Georgia, Ukraine – nice…

Really? I never would have guessed… (Merkel, however, for no apparent reason seemed to think otehrwise – is she finally losing the plot?)

Very cunning – the opposition’s even more hardline. Either way, a renewed democratic mandate to oppose Kosovo’s independence. Situation escalates. Fun fun fun…

Very handy introduction to the issues behind today’s Spanish elections for those of us who haven’t been paying much attention

Probably your best bet for regular English-language updates on the Spanish elections today. And yes, yes it is a blog.

This time a bit more in-depth and policy-focussed, from the chap behind Iberian Notes.

Erm… Why the US and not the EU, exactly, if the UN’s failed? Something rather odd’s going on here…

“The whole argument about a referendum on the European Union’s Lisbon treaty has been a sham, documented by ignorance and deception on all sides”

It’s about bloody time if so…

More top-notch post-referendum vote analysis, well worth a read

“This is the first of a series of posts on the elections that will be held in Italy on the 13-14th April” – and a very handy introduction/reminder it is too.

“is there anything that Vladimir Putin could have done, when it came to rigging this election, that would have prevented some EU governments from applauding?”

“Jean-Claude Trichet, ECB president, signalled he could do nothing about the euro’s rise after the central bank’s governing council left its main interest rate unchanged at 4 per cent, where it has stood since last June”

Erm… Doesn’t she get that Medvedev’s either just a stooge or a clone of Putin? Why change?

I thought ETA had declared a ceasefire? Damnit – I really am out of touch about Spanish politics these days. (Not that I was ever overly in touch, but still…)

“President Nicolas Sarkozy is in hiding. As the first, great electoral test of his presidency looms tomorrow and next weekend, the all-action “omnipresident” has become unusually elusive”

“This not my debate” – I often wish I could say the same thing… *sigh*

What’s the likelihood that Merkel and Sarkozy managed to reconcile their differences over dinner?

“Nicolas Sarkozy has watered down his plans to set up a union of Mediterranean states, instead agreeing with his German counterpart to revitalise an existing European Union initiative” – Hmmm…

I hate to say I told you so, but, erm…

Again – told you the Lichtenstein thing was going to have wider ramifications…

Indeed it should. Though it’s rather too late for that now. And, of course, this particular government hasn’t got a great deal of goodwill or trust left towards it…

“Nothing is quite what it seems in the vote on a Europe referendum tonight. For a start it is only really about Europe and the Lisbon treaty for a minority of MPs” – pretty much, yep.

Interesting, plausible bit of speculation about a situation no one really understands or has a clue how to analyse just yet

Hmmm… Meddling in the Caucasus just as Russia gets a new president… A message being sent, or just an indication of the EU’s widening ambitions?

Good for Barroso. And reminds me – a key requirement for any future EU president? He/she simply MUST be an advocate of free trade. That’s the whole point of the thing.

*sigh* Come on, chaps – you’re supposed to be leading by example here…

A new campaign/blog for a single European president from federalists John Worth and Jan Seifert. Not sure taking ideas from Henry Kissinger’s such a good thing, myself, but still…

Ha ha ha ha ha! This is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in ages. What a dick… Tries to walk to India living on handouts – makes it as far as Calais. Yay the French!

Yup – that bridge between Europe and the Middle East seems to be doing what advocates of Turkish EU entry haven’t dared hoped in even their most optimistic moments. Possibly…

Set at 5 million euros (about 3.7 million pounds)? Hardly worth the trouble, is it? Both Labour and the Tories EACH spent over 17 million in the last UK election…

What does it mean?

Come on, EP – get your sodding act together. TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, people…

So wait, the banding together of several economies makes them more likely to withstand pressures from outside? Who’d have thought it?

The Spanish election campaign is gearing up, and last night saw a televised debate between the rivals. It could still go either way – and have big ramifications

“As France prepares to assume the EU presidency in July, Berlin and Paris are at odds over a number of EU polices” – intriguing…

“The German political system is now effectively in gridlock… and no one knows how to get it out”

Now the Financial Times comes out against President Tony. Hurrah!

European fiscal policy, eh? Nope… Didn’t understand most of it. Seemed interesting, though…

And with his arrival, the likelihood of Cyprus’ reunification has increased dramatically

“the SPD increasingly needs leftist help if it wants to wield power in Germany. That, though, could be political suicide”

A coffee-making robot. That’ll also pick up your clothes. 6.3 million euros? Bargain!

The question everyone’s asking, of course, is whether these attacks are being coordinated from Serbia proper… The term “powder keg” seems appropriate…

More on the latest EU corruption scandal from the FT. MEPs really not doing very well this week…

EurActiv has a good interview with the director of the French Institute for International Relations, making lots of pertinent points. This is the English summary.

About bloody time, Gordon… D- for effort so far.

Could anti-semitism scupper Medvedev’s chances (hint: no – but an interesting article nonetheless)

And about bloody time too… Well, depending on the details, of course – something to look into in more detail…

Well, you can’t have it all. So much for free trade – selfish, protectionist bastards.

If true, this is superbly good news for all fans of over-the-top 18th century imperialist decadence. (And yes, that does include me…)

Could proper democracy be on its way to the Caucasus?

“Kosovo expert Dusan Reljic tells Spiegel Online about his concerns that the move will undermine international law, pave the way for future disputes and prevent longterm peace in the region”

Independence is “a flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution 1244″

And in English, thankfully…

Henry Kissinger may be an arse, but he’s always interesting. A new interview worth reading in full as he backs John McCain.

Thoughtful piece with a handy round-up of openDemocracy’s coverage of Kosovo and Serbia over the last few months – worth a look

Yep, it’s arguably not Europe – but the last few Armenian elections have caused yet more tension between the UK and Russia. Worth paying attention to…