Conservative parties have scored victories in most of Europe’s largest economies as socialist parties in Germany, France, Italy and Spain all failed to capitalize on the global financial crisis. READ MORE

On the last day of voting across Europe, citizens from Germany, France and 17 other EU countries are going to the polls to choose their representatives for the European Parliament. READ MORE

Four weeks after the launch of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) the EU and its eastern neighbours 1 are getting down to work. One of the innovations of the EaP is a new multilateral dimension to relations with these countries alongside the bilateral path of cooperation . The first Eastern Partnership (EaP) multilateral platform held, 5 June, in Brussels. READ MORE

The decision by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to award Kazakhstan the chairmanship of the organization for 2010 underscores a growing recognition of the country’s regional and continental importance. Kazakhstan is a strategic linchpin in the vast Central Asian-Caspian Basin zone, a region rich in energy resources and a potential gateway for commerce and communications between Europe and Asia. READ MORE

Four days of European elections have kicked off in Britain and the Netherlands amid concerns that a record low turnout and protest votes could boost extremist parties. READ MORE

Officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan have reported further progress toward a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict after a fresh meeting of their presidents held in St. Petersburg, Russia. READ MORE

During their bilateral meeting held within the framework of the meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) foreign ministers in Elsinore, Denmark, the ministers discussed the state of Estonia-Russia relations and developments since their last meeting in December 2008. They also addressed bilateral economic relations, visa policy, and the status of many agreements that are currently being worked out. READ MORE

Gas and oil supplies to energy-hungry Europe have always featured as the key topic in talks between Astana and EU officials, concerning Kazakhstan's OSCE chairmanship in 2010. Stifled by the precarious situation in the energy sector, the EU has often ignored the heavy-handedness of the Kazakh authorities in dealing with the opposition press, and has toned down its criticism on the non-compliance of Kazakhstan's laws with democratic standards. In appreciation of western backing for Kazakhstan's coveted chairmanship of the OSCE, Astana invariably showed interest in European energy projects. READ MORE

Russia no longer needs to veto the U.N. Security Council's (UNSC) resolution on the mandate of U.N. observers in Georgia, which expires on June 15. Intimidated by Moscow's veto threats, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and some key UNSC members have bowed to Russian demands and agreed to change key wording in the Secretary-General's report that recommends a new mandate for the observers. READ MORE

On 1 June in Vienna, Lithuanian and Kazakh diplomats started a two-week long training, thus preparing to chair the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The training is organised by the Centre for OSCE Research, which is part of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg. READ MORE