The increase in the number of lawmakers in the European Parliament, prompted by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, is causing major headaches across the EU, with massive uncertainty surrounding the timing of the 18 new MEPs taking

The European Patent Office (EPO) has embarked on a detailed study to map the growth in eco-innovation since the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The move comes ahead of the next month's UN climate summit in Copenhagen

Two Tory frontbenchers in the European Parliament have announced their resignation from EU positions after Conservative leader David Cameron announced he would drop plans to hold a referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty should he come to power next year.

Europe's stimulus plan has been slow to help small businesses in the green tech sector, according to Eurochambres, the umbrella group for chambers of commerce in the EU.

Hungary has nominated Laszlo Andor, an international economist and board member at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as its EU commissioner, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said on Thursday.

Slovakia's parliament approved on 5 November a widely-criticised law which protects so-called strategic companies from bankruptcy by giving the government the option to buy, restructure and find new investors for a firm.

The drive to 'green' the EU economy will only succeed if it provides real solutions for low income households and works towards a "renewed sense of shared prosperity," European Economic and Social Committee President Mario Sepi told EurActiv in an

Companies are finding it difficult to get loans for eco-innovation projects because banks lack the technological knowledge to approve them, according to European businesses.

Law enforcement agencies will be able to cut off the connections of Internet users suspected of illegally downloading films and music, lawmakers and EU ministers agreed in the small hours of this morning (5 November).

The EU and US have held the first meeting of a new transatlantic Energy Council, after the US President Barack Obama and EU leaders had agreed to establish the new energy forum for cooperation during a summit on Tuesday.

Europe's stimulus spending on greening the economy is dwarfed by China's investment, with some EU countries diverting less than 2% of national recovery plans into sustainable industries. The disparity has sparked fears that 'green jobs' will migrate to Asia.

The flaws in Eastern Europe's model of growth have been exposed by the financial crisis and commodity-reliant countries like Russia must expand their industrial base to make them more resilient, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in

Amid growing doubt over whether the 7 November Afghan election run-off should go ahead with a single candidate, the US stated that the decision by presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah to quit the run-off will not complicate President Barack Obama's deliberations

EU leaders have agreed on the need to provide 100 billion a year to fund climate efforts in developing countries, but failed to commit the EU to any specific sums, delaying their decision until after December's UN conference in Copenhagen.

With former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair out of the race to become the EU's first permanent president, Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude Juncker now appears to be the leading contender for the EU top job.

The number of jobless people in the EU hit 22 million in September 2009, five million more than a year earlier, leading European leaders to be careful about agreeing a definitive date to end national measures to stimulate the economy.

The German elections "have shifted the country towards the right," but despite the outcome, "the German electorate did not vote for radical change" and instead opted "for clarity and for an end of the unpopular grand coalition government," writes Timo

EU SME policies encouraging women to start businesses are an important first step in achieving greater European entrepreneurship equality, but are not sufficiently oriented towards growth, according to Irish entrepreneurial expert Paula Fitzsimons.

As the European Commission pushes for greater gender balance in its own ranks, the EurActiv network takes a look at how women across Europe fare in the business world.

European leaders struck a deal yesterday (29 October) on guarantees to be offered to the Czech Republic on the Lisbon Treaty, paving the way for completing ratification of the most comprehensive reform of the EU institutions in recent history. EurActiv