"By ignoring the demonstrators in Egypt, Europe risks the emergence of an Islamist dictatorship", said Elmar Brok, EPP Group joint Coordinator on the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Herzliya Conference in Israel. "When we disappoint the protesters standing up for freedom and social justice, we cannot be surprised if it ends up in a new Islamic dictatorship fighting against Europe and Israel," Mr Brok said in his speech at the Forum opened by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres.

Sur proposition du Secrétaire général de la Francophonie, la déclaration finale du XIIIe  Sommet de la Francophonie réuni à Montreux en octobre dernier, a retenu l’organisation d’un Forum mondial de la langue française au printemps 2012. Cette initiative de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie sera mise en oeuvre en collaboration avec le gouvernement du Québec qui s’est proposé pour l’accueillir.

A cross-party group of young MEPs have written (1) to EU foreign policy high representative Ashton pressing her to ensure greater urgency in the EU response to the situation in Egypt and calling for stronger and more concrete action. Commenting on the initiative, Greens/EFA MEP Emilie Turunen said:

European Council outlines more hardline measures under ‘competitiveness pact’

Press Release – Party of European Socialists (PES)

Today’s European Council meeting in Bruxelles has dissolved into a fractious squabble among right wing leaders on method. However there are clear indications that on content the path identified is an ‘austerity juggernaut’ of higher retirement ages, ripping up wage agreements, and an absence of funding for vital R&D programmes.

"We need to change European legislation to cut the fraudulent industry of Misleading Directory Companies from its roots"; MEP Busuttil stated earlier this week, during a Petitions Committee follow-up session of the 2009 Busuttil report on Misleading Business Directories.