POLITICS-EU: Constitution Has a Long Way to Go

As European Union leaders mull over the successes of last week's European summit in their home countries, an even tougher task lies ahead - convincing a sceptical electorate to agree.

EU EXPANDS: Refugees Pushed to New Frontiers

Slovakia's asylum system could be pushed to collapse and leave refugees at the mercy of people smugglers following the country's entry into the EU, UN officials in Slovakia warn.

EU EXPANDS: ‘And So Does Arms Trade’

An expanded EU has meant "dangerously ineffective" arms export controls, Amnesty International said in a report published Friday.

EU EXPANDS: HIV and Drugs Become a Growing Concern

The enlargement of the European Union could push the bloc into a "major drugs crisis", a leading international drug policy think-tank warns.

RIGHTS: Romania Asked to Address Psychiatric Abuses

Amnesty International is warning of human rights issues in Romania, a candidate for the next wave of EU expansion.

EU EXPANDS: Opportunity for EIB Reform

Environmental groups are calling on new EU member states to make use of enlargement to reform the bloc's development bank.

EU EXPANDS: Britain Eyes the Bus Station In a New Dawn

Britain was looking south to the English Channel Saturday morning as it has at many turning points in history.

EUROPEAN UNION: The World’s New Leading Economic Power

Even the most far-sighted observers probably did not imagine in 1952, when six countries created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), that the treaty would be the embryo of a bloc that is becoming the world's leading economic power, even slightly surpassing the size of the U.S. economy.

LATIN AMERICA: Mercosur Trade Bloc Does Not Fear EU Expansion

Like an ad that tempts customers with a bonus gift, South America's Mercosur trade bloc is welcoming the incorporation of 10 new countries into the European Union (EU) at a time when the two blocs are close to reaching an agreement on a free trade accord that has been in the works for nine years.

EU EXPANDS: Enlargement May Limit Development

As ten new countries prepare to join the European Union Saturday, developing countries and aid agencies are assessing the effects that an enlarged Europe will have on the bloc's development policy.

EU EXPANDS: But Not Enough for Former Yugoslavia

Slovenia will be the only former Yugoslav republic to become a full EU member from May 1.

EU: Slovakians Fear the Price Tag of Enlargement

As the government prepares to celebrate Slovakia's entry into the EU this weekend, many Slovaks appear to be approaching May 1 with a mixture of apprehension and ignorance.

FINANCE: Southern Nations Demand More Power in IMF, World Bank

As several thousand people protested outside the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) here Saturday, a coalition of developing countries also complained loudly about the democracy deficit at the two institutions.

POLITICS-CYPRUS: Reunification Bid Brings a Bigger Divide

Two referenda on Saturday April 24 failed to deliver a reunited Cyprus in time for EU enlargement May 1.

PORTUGAL: Evolution or Revolution? 30 Years On

When the Santarem armoured regiment took the Terreiro do Paço plaza, a symbol of Portugal's four-decade iron-fisted dictatorship, 30 years ago on Apr. 25, it was the start of one of the most unique coup d'etats in history: soldiers rising up to impose democracy by force.

ENVIRONMENT: EU Defends Emissions Trade

EU leaders say a new emissions trading approved by the European Parliament this week will be a significant step towards reducing global warming.

ENVIRONMENT: EU Members Prepare to Earn from Pollution

Leading European nations are preparing to earn more and pollute more under a controversial emissions trading scheme, environmentalists say.

ENVIRONMENT: Anti-GM Movement Spreads Across Europe

Europe's largest grassroots environmental network is stepping up its campaign against the European Union over genetically modified organisms.

ECONOMY: Caribbean, EU Vow to Gear Trade to Development

Caribbean experts say a new trade accord with the European Union (EU) will give the two sides another chance to put trade at the service of development, unlike former and current agreements with the region's second largest trading partner.

RIGHTS: Women May Lose Out in a Bigger Europe

With EU enlargement just days away, women's groups and human rights campaigners are campaigning to raise awareness of the impact that a larger Europe will have on women's livelihoods and gender equality.

EUROPE: New Members Prove Environment-Friendly

The ten accession countries due to join the EU in May have greatly improved their environmental record, says environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom.