The board of Germany's Bundesbank has unanimously voted to try and get one of its members, Thilo Sarrazin, dismissed by German President Christian Wulff. The move comes amid growing controversy over controversial comments Sarrazin made about Muslim immigrants and Jews.

This week: Balancing power in Ukraine; Italy’s pseudo freedom of movement; And introducing trash art … a summer exhibition that's totally rubbish!

Socialist members of the European Parliament today savaged France's continuing repatriation of hundreds of Roma people to Bulgaria and Romania, but despite the mounting criticism Paris today flew nearly three hundred more men, women and children back to Bucharest.

President Victor Yanukovych yesterday called for Ukraine's constitution to be overhauled - handing more power to himself. Critics warn he is taking the country down an increasingly authoritarian path and say this sits uncomfortably with his stated desire for closer integration with the EU.

First Paris unveiled plans to repatriate the Roma, now Italy wants to be next in line to expel European citizens. Its interior minister has set alarm bells ringing with his proposals to expel citizens of other EU states from Italy if they fail to pull their weight economically.

As France's expulsion of travellers continues, a fresh controversy has erupted over suggestions that Paris wants to make Romania and Bulgaria's membership of the Schengen visa-free club dependent on their handling of the Roma issue.

As the UN calls for more aid for flood-stricken Pakistan, critics have claimed that the Taliban are proving more generous than some EU countries. And questions are also being raised about the bloc's failure to get its much-discussed disaster reaction force off the drawing board.

The heatwave continues, hundreds of fires rage on and heads are starting to roll in Moscow as the authorities struggle to bring the situation under control.

A weekend of heavy downpours has wreaked havoc in southern Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and parts of Germany, leaving at least 15 people dead. Now the rain has finally eased, emergency aid workers are mobilising to help survivors and begin clearing the wreckage.

This week: Ireland’s peace process hits a rough patch; France rejects responsibility for the Roma; And a Dutch daredevil sets sail around the globe.

Supporters of Poland's late President Lech Kaczynski are mounting a 24-hour guard on a large wooden cross in front of the presidential palace, after violent scenes yesterday as the authorities tried and failed to move the monument to a nearby church.

Things are getting dicey for Italy's Silvio Berlusconi - the man known as the Teflon premier. With accusations of yet another scandal breaking just as the PM faces a crucial confidence vote in parliament today, it looks as though his legendary non-stick coating is beginning to wear thin.

Recently things seemed to be on the up for Northern Ireland after the UK prime minister's Bloody Sunday apology went some way to healing old wounds and Londonderry won its Capital of Culture bid, but this morning's car bombing showed that the peace process still has far to go.

This week: Germany digs deep into the festival that went horribly wrong; Slovenia picks up the pieces; And the soundtrack of the great outdoors, how to deal with those post-travel blues.

As France moves closer towards a full ban on the burqa, one wealthy couple - furious at what they see as an attack on everyone's constitutional freedoms - are pledging €1 million of their own money to pay off fines handed to women who wear the full-face veil.

The Greek government is threatening lorry drivers with police action unless they get back on the road, after three days of strikes have left the country running low on supplies. But, so far, it seems the truckers are in no mood to back down.

Testifying before the British Iraq Inquiry yesterday, former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix accused the US and the UK of wrongfully sticking to the idea that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in the weeks leading up to the country's military invasion in 2003.

A controversial prime minister, a natural disaster and a town in ruins, good ingredients for a gripping documentary, you might think. But for the residents of L'Aquila, there looms a bigger tragedy beneath the drama.

The Spanish region of Catalonia banned the traditional sport of bullfighting today. The vote was preceded by a forceful campaign from animal rights activists, but some see it as a warning shot from a region determined to assert its political and cultural independence from Madrid.

Iceland moved a step closer to the EU as official membership began today. While the process is expected to go relatively smoothly, it will not be all plain sailing as disputes over whaling and fishing loom on the horizon.

The gloves came off today as new UK Prime Minister David Cameron took a fierce swipe at EU heavyweights France and Germany for dragging their heels on Turkey's accession bid, accusing his European partners of protectionism and prejudice.

EU foreign ministers agreed today to the toughest economic restrictions yet on Iran. The hope is that this will bring Tehran back to the negotiating table and perhaps break the seemingly endless cycle of on-off talks, recriminations and sanctions over its nuclear programme.

This week: The EU attempted to unify the rules of arrest; Hungary got a case of the economic blues; And the office of the future...we took you where no employee has boldly gone before.

Serbia finds itself in a difficult position today following the World Court's decision to declare Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence legal. Brussels now wants to mediate between the two neighbours, using the carrot of EU membership in an effort to get Belgrade to toe the line.

Senior United Nations judges have ruled that Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia was "not illegal" in a decision seen as moving Pristina closer to full international recognition and eventually even a seat in the UN itself.

Romania has exhumed the graves of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife to put an end to speculation about whether their remains really do lie there. But digging up the former communist dictator is also raising some uncomfortable issues about the country's past for the Romanian people.

Italy may face early elections after a meeting of party leaders went awry Thursday night. After a falling out between Berlusconi and his party's co-founder, the country watches as the government teeters on the brink of collapse.

The row over Scotland's decision to release the only man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing on compassionate grounds has resurfaced with a vengeance, raising awkward questions for UK Prime Minister David Cameron as he begins his first official visit to the United States.

A Danish politician's proposal to slash the minimum wage by half for immigrant workers has angered many and triggered a bout of infighting within the ruling party.

This week: Northern Ireland's riots become a tradition in the making; Illegal money and Sarkozy’s reputation down the drain; And introducing Watson … a jeopardy-playing genius.

As part of a drive to boost its foreign policy influence, the EU has unveiled plans to have more of a say at the UN. If the planned resolution is passed the bloc could soon enjoy many of the same privileges as UN member states, a move that may ruffle a few feathers.

The EU's translators and interpreters are the lynchpin that stops Brussels from following the footsteps of the ill-fated Tower of Babel. The only problem is that for some languages there just simply aren't enough of them around, pushing the EU to launch a major new recruitment drive.

Police forces turned out for the third night in a row yesterday to deal with violent rioters in Belfast. Politicians described the events as "recreational rioting" rather than attributing it to intensified sectarian tensions.

President Sarkozy appeared on national television last night to refute allegations of corruption and try to win public support for a controversial increase in the retirement age passed by the French government today.

Fifteen years after the Srebrenica genocide, hundreds of victims were buried at the village's immense graveyard yesterday. While survivors of the massacre mourned, the world’s politicians shied away from accepting responsibility.

In a special debate to mark the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Euranet's Cintia Taylor travelled to the Bosnian town where more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb troops in 1995 to talk to some of those directly affected by the atrocity.

This week: Spain's foreign minister works his magic in Havana; The Irish get tough on drink driving; And the continent gears up for another all-European World Cup final.

Bosnians commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre this weekend. In some respects the issue remains locked in an uneasy stalemate - the main suspects have not been convicted, and people still living in the village tolerate each other out of necessity.

Fifty-two Cuban political prisoners might soon be enjoying their rum and cigars again, now their government has agreed to free them. Their release, which came after the Spanish foreign minister stepped in, could signal a breakthrough in Havana’s relations with the EU.

Britain is Europe's number one when it comes to reported hate crimes, according to OECD figures. While everyone agrees this is nothing to be proud of, campaigners trying to introduce more protection for victims say they are making little progress.

With his approval ratings in France still rock bottom, President Nicolas Sarkozy is again dominating the country's front pages for all the wrong reasons. Sarkozy is accused of receiving 150,000 euros in illegal party financing in 2007 - a claim he dismisses as a smear.

Bad news today from Brussels for bankers hoping for a nice fat bonus next year... The European Parliament backed plans to cap compensation for bankers as a part of a deal that aims to curb the so-called bonus culture and bring financial institutions under stricter supervision.

Ireland is getting tough on drink drivers, cutting the allowed blood alcohol limit.Road campaigners are overjoyed, but critics say the measure is just a publicity stunt.

When Madrid handed over the EU presidency to Belgium last weekend, it didn't end its involvement in human rights issues overseas. The foreign minister arrived in Cuba yesterday in a bid to convince the Castro regime to release more political prisoners.

Five EU foreign ministers have accepted an invitation from Israel to visit the Gaza Strip, a rare concession from Tel Aviv which is now easing its strict blockade on people and goods entering the Palestinian area. But does this mean real change is afoot?

Catalonia is poised to vote on a bullfighting ban. Whether this is progressive animal rights policy or disguised nationalism, the move is stoking a long-simmering debate.

Elections rarely register on the excitement barometer, but Poland managed to get close this weekend. President Kaczynski's tragic death cast a long shadow over the campaign, but in the end his twin brother couldn't snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In a surprise turn of events, the new UK foreign minister from the famously eurosceptic Conservative Party has used his first major speech to call for Britain to build up its influence in the EU. In particular he wants to boost the number of Britons joining the EU civil service.

Romanians - grappling with a bitter economic recession and devastating floods - are braced for another blow. Value-added tax rises today to one of the highest levels in Europe as Bucharest takes desperate measures to persuade the IMF to release the next installment of a vital loan.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a major setback as it took her candidate three attempts to win the presidential vote today. Merkel's failure to secure what should have been an easy win hints at growing rifts within her ruling coalition.

EU leaders claimed success as the weekend's G20 summit ended with all members vowing to halve their budget deficits by 2013. This compromise papered over US-EU differences on the economic crisis, but Europe's hopes for a global bank tax fell through the cracks.

It has taken 15 months, but a new Czech prime minister was finally sworn in today. At the ceremony President Vaclav Klaus expressed his hope that Petr Nečas really is the man to create a stable government, a goal that eluded his five predecessors in the prime minister's hot seat.

Romania is the latest EU country to fall victim to the cycle of budget cuts and unrest, as hundreds of Romanians attempted to storm the presidential palace in protest against austerity measures.

US President Barack Obama's dramatic firing of the head of the multinational forces in Afghanistan has again highlighted fundamental disagreements over NATO's strategy. News of the dismissal has not gone down well in Europe, where support for the mission is dwindling fast.

Spain has decided that the best way to tackle their colossal budget deficit is to make it easier to fire employees. The Spanish parliament last night passed new labour reforms, which aim at promoting youth employment and cutting the cost of firing staff.

Russia’s state-controlled gas monopoly, Gazprom, has started cutting supplies to Belarus. The gas giants claim they are owed €160 million by their ex-Soviet neighbours. The move has left Europeans worried as a fifth of Europe-bound Russian gas reaches the continent via Belarus.

This week: Continuing Europe’s right-wing trend, the Belgians elect a Flemish nationalist party, making some Europeans nervous; the victims of Bloody Sunday are exonerated in a long-awaited British report; and Italian authorities tackle counterfeit street sales - just in time for summer.

Israel today confirmed it plans to ease the blockade on Gaza, but MEPs and campaigners are not impressed. They are calling on Europe and the US to push the Israeli government to end the blockade once and for all.

The heads of all 27 member states sat down in Brussels today for the EU Council summit. With rumours swirling about Spain's economy and EU heavyweights bickering about plans for stronger economic governance, there was no doubt that the financial crisis would still dominate the agenda.

The new right-wing leadership taking shape in Slovakia after the weekend's elections could spell trouble for the eurozone's financial rescue plans. The likely new prime minister says the country can't afford to cough up its share of the euro bailout fund agreed to by the previous government.

Days of violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan have left hundreds dead and over 75,000 refugees heading for neighbouring Uzbekistan. The interim government initially appealed to Moscow for help, but it seems that, for now, Russia is reluctant to intervene.

Poland may find itself fielding multiple extradition requests for the suspected Mossad spy it arrested earlier this month. The man at the centre of the brewing legal wrangle is believed to be connected to the assassination of a top Hamas operative in a Dubai hotel this January.

A party advocating independence for the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium - headed by a man dubbed "The Cannibal" - has scored a major win in yesterday's general election, further fuelling speculation that the divided country is on its last legs.

Slovakia's president has given the incumbent leftist prime minister the first shot a forming a government after the weekend's elections, but the smart money is now on a centre-right coalition, as the country follows the general trend to the right seen across the region.

This week: The Dutch cast their votes but there’s still no government in sight; EU finance ministers agree to submit national budgets for peer review; a Hungarian junior civil servant causes financial chaos; and as the World Cup gets under way, Serbians take pride in their national team.

Before the latest UN sanctions against Iran were announced, Moscow had already agreed to sell S-300 missile systems to Tehran. But since the sanctions, it is unknown whether Russia can deliver the weapons. Mixed messages have been coming from the Kremlin on whether the deal is on or off.

The Dutch political landscape shifted radically last night as voters brought an end to PM Balkenende's eight years at the helm and made the right-wing VVD the largest party for the first time. But the big shock came from the breakthroughs seen by Geert Wilders' anti-Islam Freedom Party.

Almost the entire Polish government descended on Brussels yesterday for an unprecendented charm offensive to stake the country's claim as a major EU player and prepare the ground for the nation to take up the six-month rotating EU presidency next year.

The Dutch head to the voting booths today to elect a new parliament in a campaign that has centred around a single issue: The economy. Polls predict that the country will end up with a coalition headed by the centre-right VVD which has proposed the most drastic spending cuts of all.

The European Commission is poised to order a special audit of Bulgaria’s accounts as concerns grow that the financial statistics flowing into Brussels paint an unrealistically healthy picture of some of the 27 nation bloc's economies.

The EU announced last night that finance ministers had agreed on controversial plans to submit key details of their national budgets for peer review before showing them to their own parliaments - prompting a denial from the UK and criticism that Brussels is syphoning off yet more power.

Hungary is in damage limitation mode after warnings of a potential Greek-style crisis from senior political figures spooked the world's financial markets. The rogue statement had worrying knock-on effects on the euro and upset Brussels by raising the spectre of another possible bailout.

Slovenians have narrowly voted to accept independent arbitration in a decades-old border dispute with next-door neighbour Croatia, clearing the way for Zagreb to complete EU membership talks and potentially sign on the dotted line by 2012.

This week: Europe condemns Israel over a violent raid on a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza; the German president surprises everyone by standing down; and the cockpit transcripts from the crashed plane that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski are released.

Ukraine's parliament has formally ditched its membership bid to join NATO in a move prompted by pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych.

French President Nicholas Sarkozy is under fire after a Luxembourg police probe dragged his name into a convoluted corruption scandal involving kickbacks from submarine sales, presidential campaign funds and the death of eleven French engineers in a mysterious bombing in Karachi.

Amazing, wonderful and generous, naughty and disloyal - just some of the adjectives used to describe the famous Pablo Picasso. Long thought to be a devoted communist, an exhibition in Liverpool now shines a new light on the master painter's political ideas.

Poland today released a transcript of recordings of the last moments onboard the plane that crashed in western Russia on 10 April, killing dozens of Polish VIPs - including President Lech Kaczynski, in the hope this will put an end to conspiracy theories about the cause of the accident.

German President Horst Koehler resigned yesterday after coming under criticism for comments about his country's military deployments abroad. His drastic decision caused surprise and prompted suspicion that underlying political disagreements were behind the move.

Demonstrations took place throughout Europe yesterday in protest at the Israeli raid of an aid ship headed for the occupied Gaza Strip. Protesters from London to Sarajevo called for their governments to condemn and take action against Israel, after at least ten activists were killed.

Israel's decision to send in commandos to storm a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip - a move that left at least 10 activists dead - has been condemned by the international community.

The results of this weekend's Czech general election indicate a centre-right coalition is on the cards. Financial analysts welcomed the unexpected news, seeing these parties as the ones most willing to make the harsh spending cuts needed to get the economy back on track.

Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych has decided to shelve his country’s application for NATO membership. Membership was ardently pursued by his pro-western predecessor Viktor Yuschenko.

Russia is on high alert after a bomb blast last night outside a concert hall in the southern city of Stavropol left seven people dead and dozens injured.

Hungary today passed a law offering citizenship to the approximately two million ethnic Hungarians that live outside its borders. Though most of Budapest's neighbours reacted calmly to the news, the bill has enraged Slovakia - which immediately came up with its own tit-for-tat measures.

At a ceremony today Poland officially unveiled a battery of US Patriot surface-to-air missiles that will be stationed at a military base near its border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The move has met with a stony response from Moscow.

Hopes that the recent Greek bailout package marked a turning point for Europe appeared to hit the rocks today as the euro sank to a four-year low against the dollar. To add to the currency's woes, signs of unity crumbled as the EU Commission head slammed Germany's handling of the crisis.

Trying alleged Somali pirates has caused all sorts of jurisdictional headaches for prosecutors around the world. Today, however, the Netherlands became the first European country to try suspected pirates. The five are accused of attacking a cargo ship from the Dutch Antilles.

Europeans across the continent are preparing to swallow the bitter pill of spending cuts. Today it is the UK's turn, as the new government sets out plans for billions of pounds in emergency savings. But British politicians are not the only ones warning of more tough times ahead.

EU leaders are expected to give Russia a political promise of visa-free travel at an upcoming summit in the town of Rostov-on-Don.