
The European Court of Auditors has called on the European Commission to assess the high risks involved, including corruption, when large sums of EC aid are channelled directly through public budgets in developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The year 2011 will be economically challenging and painful, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned this week. After two years of economic recession, Barroso expects a difficult year ahead and underlined the need for Europe to make progress on economic governance and policy coordination.

The European Commission Agriculture and Fisheries Council meets Monday in Brussels to begin the discussion process of the Common Agriculture Policy proposals recently set out. In the fisheries chapter the Council is expected to reach a political agreement on two regulations fixing the fishing opportunities for 2011 regarding certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable

The Euro has fallen against the dollar and major European markets have dropped sharply, a day after ministers agreed a bail-out for the Irish Republic. On Sunday, European ministers reached agreement over a bail-out worth about 85bn Euros.

Former Federal Reserve chairman and advisor of the Obama administration is concerned that the Euro area may break up after the Greek fiscal crisis that sparked an unprecedented bailout by the region’s members.

The European Union and Mercosur will officially re-launch negotiations for a trade and cooperation agreement they have been discussing since 1999 in the coming Madrid summit, in spite of fears about their farm sectors from several European countries, said the EU representative for Paraguay and Uruguay.

French resistance to the resumption of Mercosur European Union trade talks caused great disappointment among the block’s members, but Brazil believes it has a strong bargaining chip for a greater opening of the European agriculture market: the several billions US dollars fighter planes contract for the Brazilian Air Force.

Spain’s economy emerged from an almost two-year recession in the first quarter, trailing the Euro area by six months. GDP expanded 0.1% in the first three months of 2010, the Madrid-based Bank of Spain estimated in its monthly report today.

After the European Commission proposed the resumption of negotiations with Mercosur, France released a warning message to the European Commission and assured that—if the talks are reactivated—both French and European agriculture would be in danger of a potential damage.

Spain's fishing fleet, Europe's largest, is using massive European Union (EU) subsidies to “plunder” the oceans of the world, environmental group Greenpeace charged this week.