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 11 October 2008 09:05 BST

Continental view – Europe

Thursday, 03 Jul 2008 00:00
Nicolas Sarkozy's France takes on the EU's rotating presidency
A selection of the top news stories making the headlines in Europe in the last two months.

The Irish no

Hopes that the Lisbon treaty would be ratified successfully were spectacularly dashed on June 13th with a negative response from the Irish.

Ireland had been the only country of the EU's 27 member states to put the treaty to the public vote. Officials reacted by putting off a final decision on the Lisbon treaty's status until the autumn.

Analysts were united in acknowledging the entire process may be derailed, despite most expecting other EU states to continue ratifying the treaty. A victory for the British government against multimillionaire businessman Stuart Wheeler's legal challenge to the treaty meant progress seemed likely in Britain, at least.

But the Polish announcement on July 1st it will not ratify either makes added pressure on Ireland less likely in the event of a second vote. Nicolas Sarkozy, assuming the EU presidency for the second half of 2008, faces a tough challenge to prevent a return to navel-gazing.

EU reform treaty - on hold

Kosovo trouble

Since declaring independence from Serbia on February 17th Kosovo has slowly been pushing ahead in its efforts to secure an independent future.

Tensions have remained high in recent months, with the divided town of Mitrovica seeing an attack on a police station in early June.

The Kosovan prime minister's home was also targeted, but that did not stop Hajredin Kuci pushing through the country's new constitution.

This means greater powers for local authorities as envisaged by the Ahtisaari plan, which recommended greater autonomy. It was introduced on June 15th.

Click here for a summary of the lead-up to, and fallout from, Kosovo's declaration of independence.

A plea for Nato membership

Ukraine's president Viktor Yushchenko pleaded for Nato membership while on a visit to London on May 15th.

Speaking at Chatham House in London this lunchtime, Mr Yushchenko said he considered sovereignty and membership of Nato to be "closely tied up".

Ukraine was denied membership of the defence treaty organisation at a Nato meeting in Bucharest in April but received a promise that they would become members at a later date.

"The only condition which could prove the sovereignty… of the country would be Ukraine enjoying a system of collective security," he said. "Our integration of Nato is not a policy against Russia. This is an approach for strengthening of national security and defence policy."

May 15th: Ukraine pleads for Nato membership

The new cold war continues

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has kept a fairly low profile of late and Russia has mainly kept out of the headlines since he came to power in May as a result.

That did not stop members of the House of Lords condemning its policy of closing British Council offices in Russia outside Moscow last year.

The Russian president broke his cover on June 7th, blaming the US for the current global economic turmoil caused by the credit crunch.

"It is precisely the gap between the US' formal role in the world economy and its real capabilities that was one of the key reasons for the current crisis," he told delegates at a summit of business executives in St Petersburg.

"Russia is a global player. We understand our responsibility for the fate of the world and want to participate in forming the rules of the game, not because of so-called imperial ambitions, but because ... we have the resources."

Click here for a summary of Russia's resurgent assertiveness on the world stage.

Other major developments

May 30th: Fuel protests across Europe. Industrial action by Spanish fishermen and protests in France, Portugal and Belgium reflected growing concern about the rising cost of oil.
Click here for full story

June 8th: Large earthquake kills one. The quake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, rocked southern Greece.
Click here for full story

June 29th: Live rounds fired at military show. Sixteen people were left injured after the accident in Aude, south-east France, during a hostage-freeing demonstration.
Click here for full storyEnd of story


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