The vote on the EU budget gives MPs a chance to follow in the steps of Margaret Thatcher.

A joint statement by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Stefan Fuele on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine:

Germany has told the UK it is an important and needed member of the European Union, just days after London spelled out its deep ambivalence about its EU future.

A delegation of leaders are to warn Angela Merkel that Germany must agree to Greek debt relief or risk plunging the eurozone into a fresh and more dangerous phase of the crisis.

Parliamentary elections in Lithuania on 28 October look to have unseated Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius' austerity-driven government to make way for a coalition of left-leaning opposition parties.

Greece's lenders are suggesting a further write-down on the country's debt, according to Der Spiegel, with tax-payers to feel the hit for the first time.

The EU and the International Monetary Fund are at odds over how to fund Greece for two extra years, while the Greek government has still not reached a agreement on promised budget cuts needed for the next tranche of bailout money.

Ahead of the parliamentary election in Ukraine to be held on Sunday (28 October),Ashton and Clinton said that the West will be closely watching that the poll is up to the “high standard” of the presidential election held two years ago.

The EU executive published its legislative plans for the final 18 months of the current legislative term on Tuesday (23 October) but MEPs gave only qualified support for the paper.

A French employee will be transferred for work in summer 2013, according a statement released by the French Embassy.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as Russia's new envoy to NATO.

Polish head of the National Security Office Gen. Stanislaw Koziej said the antimissile outlays would begin in 2014 and were necessary as the army at present had no defence against missile strikes.

Offshore funds flowing from crisis-hit Cyprus have helped boost bank deposits in Latvia, strengthening the small Baltic state's position as an offshore banking centre for neighbouring Russia and other ex-Soviet states, recent data reveal.

The EU is set for a budget-showdown between government ministers and the European Parliament after MEPs backed spending hikes for the 2013 settlement and the next seven year budget framework.

Putin took a leading role in the latest tests of Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal, the most comprehensive since the 1991 Soviet collapse, the Kremlin said Saturday.

Moody's ratings agency on 22 October downgraded five of Spain's biggest regions to "junk" status, including Catalonia where independence-driven elections are to take place next month.

David Cameron has insisted that Britain will “stick to our guns” in a growing row over his promise to freeze the European Union’s budget.

The visit demonstrated the full commitment of NATO and partner nations to Afghanistan now and beyond 2014, and was an opportunity to see the progress being made in the mission.

A 16-hour EU leadership summit ended on 19 October with the announcement of what is expected to be another marathon meeting of heads of state and government in November, when concrete figures for the 2014-2020 budget will be discussed for the first time.

While Berlin wants fiscal discipline and centralised budgetary oversight before it will open its coffers, Paris wants more solidarity, particularly towards struggling countries - before committing to such ideas.

Spain’s ruling conservative party has held on to control in regional elections in Galicia, giving a boost to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he pushes on with tough austerity measures, even as nationalist parties triumphed in the Basque Country.

Speaking during a press briefing on Friday (19 October) at the European Council, he emphasised that deepening integration of the eurozone-17 would also change the nature of Britain's place in the EU.

Angela Merkel reasserted German control over European strategy by insisting that the bail-out machinery would not pay for the past banking debts while also dismissing French plans to spread wealth.

Russia may deliver a "technical response" to NATO over its plans to deploy a European missile defense program, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.

François Hollande has put the brakes on a German-backed "political union", saying it should only be considered after the 2014 European elections and could not happen before there is agreement on creating banking and "social" unions.

EU leaders in the early hours of Friday (19 October) agreed that a eurozone banking supervisor should come into life next year, opening the way for troubled banks to access bailout money directly.

EU health commissioner John Dalli has resigned "to defend his reputation" in a dispute on tobacco lobbying.

Germany's Foreign Ministry reassured Croatia that the country is on track to join the EU, following a surprising statement from Bundestag leader, who said that the former Yugoslav republic was not ready to join and that EU enlargement should be frozen.

The Labour Party of Russian-born millionaire Victor Uspaskich has emerged as the winner of the parliamentary elections in Lithuania. His party is set to form a government with the Social Democrats of Algirdas Butkevicius.

Belgium is struggling to maintain political unity as a separatist party scored major victories in municipal elections and its leader is set to become mayor of the second city, raising the pressure on a fragmented national government.

European Union governments plan to ratchet up pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme today (15 October), approving new sanctions against Tehran's banks, industry and shipping.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Friends of Europe think-tank in Brussels on 11 October, Monti said the economic crisis is "undermining the raw material on which European integration is constructed" and has evoked a "north against the south" split.

A Danish Air Force Tactical Command (FTK) report criticises NATO for its inability to direct bombing raids in Libya last year.

Any transfer of any military equipment to the Syrian regime at this time is very concerning.

NATO plans to refocus its security operation in Kosovo on a mostly Serb northern border region after major contributor Germany said the EU's police force was "on the wrong track" and placing too great a burden on NATO forces there.

The future of Britain’s biggest manufacturer has been thrown into doubt after German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally blocked a proposed £30bn merger between BAE Systems and Franco-German EADS.

Rating agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded Spain's credit rating by two notches, warning that the deepening economic recession is limiting the government's options.

Eleven eurozone countries agreed on 9 October to press ahead with a disputed tax on financial transactions aimed at making traders share the cost of fixing a crisis that has rocked the single currency area.

Member states are warming to the idea of having a eurozone budget on top of the joint EU budget, with the latest draft conclusions ahead of next week's summit clearly separating the two.

Recognising that defence expenditure was constrained by economic necessity, the Secretary General urged Member States to work more cooperatively on planning, training and exercises in an effort to maintain and enhance capabilities.

NATO Defence Ministers discussed the security situation in Kosovo during talks at NATO headquarters on Wednesday (10 October). They affirmed that KFOR continues to play an indispensible role in Kosovo.

The North Atlantic Council has approved the appointment of General John Allen, currently the commander of the NATO-led ISAF mission in Afghanistan, as the new Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR).

Risks to the global financial system have increased as capital flight threatens to tear the eurozone apart, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that political angst could harm EU plans to put the safety of its banks beyond doubt.

Greece is temporarily blocking an EU gas embargo on Iran. But the big question is: are EU sanctions hurting or helping Iranian leader Ali Khamenei?

British conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will block the upcoming EU seven-year budget cycle if it goes against UK interests.

The International Monetary Fund has slashed its growth forecast for large parts of the world economy and warned of a full-blown global slump if policymakers in Europe or the US mishandle serious threats.

Eurozone finance ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 8 October will hold the inaugural session of the permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, which is to have a firepower of ?500bn by next year as countries gradually pay into it.

MEPs have dismissed suggestions that a new parliamentary body should be set up solely for eurozone members stating that “no new accountability structures specific to the euro-area must be established.”

President Hugo Chavez won re-election and a new endorsement of his socialist project Sunday.

Greece cannot have more time to repay its debt to the European Central Bank because it would be illegal and "illogical", board member Joerg Asmussen has said, as he shut the door on pleas for leniency from the bank.

Georgian Dream leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, met with NATO Liaison Officer in Tbilisi, William Lahue, and reiterated his coalition’s commitment to NATO integration.

Cyprus is reportedly seeking a ?11.5 billion credit line from member states using the euro to help bailout its troubled banks and close its budget gaps.

In a "dramatic" interview, he compared his country's situation with the Weimar Republic and warned of the consequences of unemployment for democracy.

Turkey’s parliament voted Thursday to authorize military cross-border operations into Syria, a day after an apparently errant mortar strike from inside Syria killed five Turkish civilians.

The North Atlantic Council met today, within the framework of Article 4 of the Washington Treaty, and discussed the continuous shelling of locations in Turkey adjacent to the Turkish-Syrian border by the Syrian regime forces.

EU leaders meeting later this month in Brussels will try to iron out disagreements on a new eurozone banking supervisor and consider further steps to deepen the economic union, such as a eurozone budget and binding "contracts" on reforms.

Portugal has announced a raft of new cuts designed to reduce the country's debt load, as finance minister Vitor Gaspar unveiled sweeping changes that will see the average income tax rate rise by 2pc.

Senior officials from Germany and other parts of the eurozone's AAA core have warned Spain privately that angry parliaments are likely to impose stringent conditions on any further rescue loans.

Ivanishvili said that Georgia should aspire to be a regional player and still hopes to join NATO after his party comes to power.

Russia told NATO and world powers on Tuesday they should not seek ways to intervene in Syria's civil war or set up buffer zones between rebels and government forces.

Spain is ready to request a eurozone bailout for its public finances as early as next weekend but Germany has signalled that it should hold off, European officials said.

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, General Stephane Abrial gave an interview at the organisation’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia last week prior to his retirement from the post.

French President Francois Hollande faced his first serious public backlash after up to 50,000 lined the streets of Paris on Sunday in protest against his ?37 billion austerity budget.

But once the dust settles, all five issues will require determined presidential leadership to safeguard the security and well-being of the American people.

This Coalition Government is committed to Britain playing a leading role in the EU but I must also be frank: public disillusionment with the EU in Britain is the deepest it has ever been.

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, China and Russia have been constants in the world. They have been autocratic, resistant to the spread of freedom, occasionally belligerent toward their neighbors, and increasingly prosperous.

A fundamental shift in interests and outlook is leaving the United States and Germany with potentially irreconcilable differences.

Germany has stated its exorbitant price for keeping Greece in the euro and agreeing to mass bond purchases by the European Central Bank.

That contract is essentially simple: NATO must take care of security for both members and partners in and around Europe to ease pressure on the US elsewhere.

If French President François Hollande thinks he can assuage the bond markets by dishing out tax-heavy austerity instead of genuine reform, he has been given very bad advice.

International observers to the parliamentary elections in Ukraine have accused the authorities of “abuse of power” and “excessive role of money” in the campaign, while the EU issued a more carefully worded statement.

Germany is not immune to the contraction in the eurozone, as the European Central Bank's Mario Draghi defends bond-buying and Greece claims an austerity victory.

The EU-IMF Troika in charge of Spain's ?60bn (£48bn) bank rescue is to demand much tougher action by the country's authorities to clean up toxic debts, risking a clash that could deter Madrid from requesting a full sovereign bail-out.

It has a taken two decades but we can almost all see now that a free and self-governing Britain can no longer be part of the Project.

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s rhetoric at the EU summit differed from that of other leaders, using the opportunity to reiterate that Britain wants to seek a "fresh settlement" with Europe.

Turkey has called on the US, Britain and other leading countries to take immediate action to intervene in Syria to prevent a looming humanitarian "disaster" that threatens the lives of millions of people and refugees as winter approaches.

As yet, I can see no clear proposal on the table in any EMU country – from any major movement, party, or political leader – that offers a way out of the current impasse.

EU leaders have agreed plans to complete the European banking union by January 2014, after the general elections in Germany. The concession was made to Angela Merkel who argued for "quality" over "speed" in putting in place the new supervisory system.

Thursday's gathering of EU leaders is being billed - by the Germans at least - as a "stepping stone" summit that should lead to firm decisions in December on how to deepen eurozone political integration. But others want answers on key issues now.

A far more aggressive President Obama showed up for his second debate with Mitt Romney on Tuesday, and at moments their town-hall-style engagement felt more like a shouting match than a presidential debate.

France is sliding into a grave economic crisis and risks a full-blown “hurricane” as investors flee rocketing tax rates, the country’s business federation has warned.

The International Monetary Fund has demolished the intellectual foundations of Europe's debt crisis strategy.

The International Monetary Fund has issued a veiled warning that Spanish bond spreads could surge to a record 7.5pc and push the country into a deeper crisis if premier Mariano Rajoy continues to drag his feet on a bail-out request.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has stamped her seal of approval on Greece's austerity plan and vowed to stand by the country as "partner and friend", signalling almost certain approval for the next tranche of EU-IMF Troika aid.

Missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and improving defence capabilities top the agenda of a two-day NATO defence ministerial meeting which starts on Tuesday (9 October) at Alliance headquarters.

The top echelon of Mitt Romney‘s national security transition team is largely in place and it includes both hawkish and centrist GOP foreign-policy professionals.

On Friday, prime minister Antonis Samaras warned that Greece was plunging into an economic and social crisis as desperate as Germany under the Weimar Republic.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney squared off in their first face-to-face presidential debate Wednesday, battling for more than an hour over the future of the economy, the federal budget, tax cuts, education, health care and even the future of Big Bird.

Elections in the Baltic states provide a valuable avenue for the Kremlin to undermine political parties that oppose its regional ambitions.

The rule of Georgia's incumbent President Mikheil Saakashvili is facing one of its toughest challenges as voters go to polls on Monday (1 October).