Editorial
Simon O'Connor
The accidental diplomat
The goal of the EU’s foreign policy must be to bring something truly unique and different to international relations, Catherine Ashton tells Simon O’Connor
Foreign Service test
One of the first – and biggest – challenges facing Catherine Ashton will be to turn the European External Action Service from concept to reality, as David Charter reports
Capital E
Europeans ambivalent about the Afghan war are only following their governments’ lead, argues Philip Stephens
Players in the new team
Tim Heritage looks at the individuals – and the politics behind their appointments – set to define the prospects for the next European Commission
The soft-power broker
Tony Barber charts the unexpected elevation of Herman Van Rompuy to European Council president and assesses the prospects for the quiet but wily Belgian’s term
Global Eyes
On climate change and Afghanistan, Brussels and Washington are an ocean apart, writes David Rennie
Clean new town
From constructing cycle paths to making municipal buildings more energy efficient, Europe’s cities and villages are on the front line in the battle to cut emissions. Joshua Chaffin reports
Another Angle
Europe enters the new decade unsure of itself and uncertain of its future, writes Gavin Hewitt
Talking to Moscow
President Medvedev’s proposed European security treaty is flawed, but the West must still engage with Russia on the subject, argues Dmitri Trenin
Russian Revelation
A view on the EU’s eastern neighbour by Andrew Osborn
Winter in Sarajevo
Bosnia may not be about to sink back into violence, but its chances of becoming a functioning state have seldom seemed so remote, writes Ian Traynor
Outside the Box
Heather Grabbe asks whether Viviane Reding will prove to be a new champion for Europeans’ rights
Don’t do as we do…
While Brussels applies ever more stringent conditions to EU candidates, certain current members are slipping down global rankings for press freedom and probity. A blatant case of double standards? Vanessa Mock reports
American Pie
An insider’s view of people and politics in Washington DC by Susan Milligan
The least bad option
Few believe that the latest influx of Western troops will bring a rapid end to three decades of conflict in benighted Afghanistan, writes Christina Lamb
Made in China
Clifford Coonan shares his front-row seat to this generation’s greatest story of change
Obama's eastern partnership
The White House is far more strongly engaged in central and eastern Europe than its critics realise, argues Tyson Barker
Don't mention the wars
Are Germans really humourless, yet uniquely adept at claiming the best-placed sun-loungers? Does France really supply the world’s worst waiters and its best lovers? Tony Connelly seeks out the truth behind Europe’s stereotypes
Hidden Europe
Sea travel provides a greener and less stressful alternative to crowded airports and jammed motorways, writes Nicky Gardner
Euroville
Geoff Meade gets to the bottom of things in the EU capital
