10 Member States (Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Ireland, Denmark, Romania, Slovenia, Portugal, Greece) have already ratified the budgetary pact. The Robert Schuman Foundation regularly updates a summary table of the ratifications that have taken place in the various Union countries. It also offers you an explanatory note to the treaty.

On 4th July 2012 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) the Irish national statistics office announced that the unemployment rate in June 2012 totalled 14.9%, with 451,974 now unemployed. The Irish office already revised its June forecasts upwards from 14.3% to 14.7% but this did not prevent the IMF from praising the reforms introduced by Ireland.

On 3rd July 2012 the European Commission put forward legislation that aims to step up consumer security in terms of financial services. Based on the lack of confidence that the crisis has created, the Commission has realised that the products being sold do not always match consumer requirements. The package comprises three proposals: regarding packaged retail investment products (PRIPs), on the Insurance Mediation Directive, and the on the strengthening of the protection given to investment fund purchasers. According to Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, this package places the consumer at the heart of the process so that he can "choose a product based on clear and reliable information."

In a resolution adopted on 14th July 2012, 501 votes in support, 132 against and 38 abstentions, MEPs stress the importance of the measures taken during the European Council in response to the crisis. They beleive that an important step has been taken towards banking union. However they are asking the Commission to put forward real proposals to strengthen the Economic and Monetary Union before September. They believe that the Herman van Rompuy report forms a good base for this. However it is not enough just to involve the European institutions but also national parliaments, social partners and civil society.

On 4th July 2012 the Council gave the green light to all amendments approved by the European Parliament on a text that aims to strengthen the transparency of derivatives. This text notably plans for the the clearing of standardised OTC derivative contracts through central counterparties as well as the obligation to declare all derivative contracts. The European Securities Market Authority will guarantee the surveillance of this market and notably the respect of this text that will enter into force at the end of 2012.

The head of the party representing the Swedish minority in Finland, Carl Haglund took office as Defence Minister on 5th July 2012, replacing Stefan Wallin who has resigned. Aged 33 Carl Haglund MEP since 2009 is the youngest member of the wide Finnish government coalition led by Jyrki Katainen.

The "Friends of the Syrian People", a group formed by around 100 States and several representatives of the Syrian opposition met on 6th July 2012 in Paris. Participants called solemnly on the Syrian regime to respect its commitments in view of implementing the six point crisis resolution plan set out by Kofi Annan, the UN/Arab League Special Envoy. They also called on all Syrians and all civil society organisations to publicly dissociate themselves from the infringements to Human Rights committed by the Syrian regime. Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN's Security Council boycotted the meeting saying they were against the forced departure of the Syrian President.

On 6th July 2012 in his general policy speech to Parliament Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras indicated that he would try to convince his European partners to privilege recovery instead of austerity asking for two extra years so that Greece could balance its public finances in exchange for a greater pace in privatisation. "We shall ask for two more years to adjust" our budgets that were initially supposed to be finalised by 2014," he said. In exchange Mr Samaras presented 9 immediate measures that are to focus on more rapid privatisation schemes. He also announced a tax amnesty for those who brought back funds invested abroad, stressing that it was imperative for the country to recover its liquidity. The head of government won the vote on confidence on 8th July, 179 MPs out of 300.

On 6th July 2012 the Hungarian Parliament approved the final version of the law on the Central Bank. This law had been the cause of concern on the part of the IMF and the ECB before modifications, deemed to be vital, had been made - this will enable the release of aid of 15 billion euros. The conservative party alone, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, achieved the necessary two-thirds majority for the law to be passed. Hence 283 MPs voted in support and 30 against - there were 3 abstentions.

On 4th July during the German-Italian Summit the head of the Italian government Mario Monti and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to dissipate any misunderstanding over tension that might have emerged in Brussels during the European Council. Showing an "excellent entente" Ms Merkel said that "we have found satisfactory solutions for everyone", during a joint press conference with Mr Monti. "We are experiencing a difficult period, but we want to overcome the problems together."

Pavel Blažek, Vice President of the Democratic Civic Party -ODS- of Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas was appointed on 3rd July 2012 as Justice Minister. He will replacing Jiri Pospisil who was dismissed by the head of government. The new minister is to continue the reform of the Czech legal system and reduce the budget in this sector.

On 6th July 2012 Romanian MPs approved the suspension of President Traian Basescu 256 votes in support out of a total 432. This suspension will only turn into impeachment if it is validated by a referendum that will take place on 29th July. The interim head of State will be guaranteed by the leader of the Senate, Crin Antonescu, the head of the Social Liberal Union (USL). Given the concerns expressed by the European Commission about the country's stability, Prime Minister Victor Ponta reassured his European partners saying that Romania would still respect the rule of law in line with European standards.

The Farnborough Airshow started on 9th July 2012. American aircraft builder, Boeing is due to announce many contracts notably regarding its new 737 MAX. Airbus will probably be more discreet, even though the European company announced last week that it would be opening an outlet in the US in Alabama.

On 2nd July 2012 the International Steering Group on Kosovo announced in a press release that Kosovo will achieve "full sovereignty" in September 2012. This decision, planned for since January 2012, will be effective only in September so that the Kosovar government has time to adopt the necessary legislative texts. Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi believes that it is a "new stage" for his country. The announcement of this decision also heralded the end of the ISG monitoring mission, which comprises the 25 countries that supported Kosovo's independence as of 17th February 2008.

On 4th July 2012 a thousand demonstrators gathered together in the wake of a call by the opposition notably on the part of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, at present in prison - this was in protest against the final adoption on 3rd July of a law on the Russian language approved by 248 votes out of 450 MPs. The demonstrations were such that President Viktor Yanukovych convened the leaders of parliament on the same day to discuss the means that will enable the end of the crisis. This law is still a focus of controversy since it means that Russian will become the country's second official language. The Ukrainian Parliament has suspended its work until 4th Septemer. "The law cannot be validated by the president because of the great number of infringements that occurred during its adoption," declared the leader of Parliament, V Litvine, as he spoke in an interview.

On 4th July 2012 the physicians of the CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) officially discovered the Higgs boson. The existence of this particle, that is supposed to be at the origin of interactions with all of the other particles that exist was concluded by the physicians Peter Higgs, François Englert and Robert Brout in 1964. The confirmation of the existence of this particle comprises a major change that will influence our understanding of the universe.

On 5th July 2012 the UN Human Rights Council decided to create the position of Special Rapporteur to observe the Human Rights situation in Belarus. Established on the request of the EU, this post will comprise making recommendations on the situation in Belarus in order to help the government assume its duties regarding Human Rights. Amongst th infringements of concern to the Council are greater restrictions on the freedom of association, meetings, opinion and expression including with regard to the media as well as accusations of torture and poor treatment whilst in detention, of the harrassement of civil society organisations. Belarus announced that it would not acknowledge the mandate of the special rapporteur and therefore that it would not cooperate with him.

On 5th July 2012 the 21st annual session of the OSCE's parliamentary assembly was opened. Human Rights were foremost in the debate. On 8th July a resolution on the Iranian nuclear programme was adopted but the proposal to extend the partnership with non-Members in the Mediterranean to include the National Palestinian Authority was rejected after lively debate, 28 votes against, 22 in support and 7 abstentions. They also approved a resolution to call on the national parliaments to ban visas and freeze aid to countries that infringe the respect of Human Rights.

On 3rd and 4th July the President of NATO's Parliamentary Assemby, Karl Lamers travelled to Ukraine to talk with the Ukrainian authorities on the "apparent regression in terms of Ukraine's democratic progress" and on the imprisonment of former political leaders. After having visited Yulia Tymoshenko he then said there was a need to guarantee adequate conditions of treatment to the former Prime Minister and also to Yuri Lutsenko, former Home Affairs Minister and Valery Ivashchenko, former Defence Minister. He also insisted on the relations between NATO's Parliamentary Assembly and the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. It is in this regard he said that he was extremely worried about a system of selective justice and a lack of independence on the part of the judiciary.

Peter Lang publishing has just released a book entitled "Les Etats baltes en transition - le retour à l'Europe" by Céline Bayou and Matthieu Chillaud. This book, published with the support of the Robert Schuman Foundation, is prefaced by the Foundation's Chairman, Jean-Dominique Giuliani.

According to the latest Eurobarometer survey published on 9th July 89% of internet users in the EU avoid giving personal data on-line and 74% think that the danger of falling victim to cybercrime has increased over the last year. Moreover 12% of internet users in the EU have already been victims of on-line fraud, 8% of stolen identity. However 53% of internet users have not changed any of their pass words over the last year.

The Foundation for International Relations and External Dialogue (FRIDE) has published two studies on EU-Russia relations. The first focuses on the Saint-Petersburg Summit that took place at the beginning of June 2012. The study highlights how little progress was made and difficult the relationship is between the two powers due to reciprocal mistrust and differences over strategy and priority. The second study looks into the new context in which the partnership is developing (return of Vladimir Putin to power in Russia and economic crisis in the EU) which complicates the relationship in that short term economic interests prevail over long term political commitment issues.

The Nice Jazz Festival is being held until 12th July 2012 with Dee Dee Bridgewater as its lead artist. In this, the 19th edition, the programme is particularly rich: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Ahmad Jamal, and many others. Several French jazz men are also on the list alongside Belgian singer Selah Sue and the new jazz star Gregory Porter. The festival pays special tribute to the gipsy culture with notably Thomas Dutronc and Emir Kusturica.