FIANNA Fáil could find themselves part of the king-makers in the new European Parliament despite having lost a seat and been badly stung by the voters.

AS Irish voters mull over who to vote for and who to punish in European and local elections on Friday, they should spare a thought for the hapless Belgian citizenry.

THE European Parliament is seen as the “people’s voice” since all the MEPs are directly elected by the EU’s citizens.

IRELAND’S representatives in Europe’s parliament have been rated highly for their record on transparency and EU reform in a league table published by a British eurosceptic think-tank.

IRISH milk farmers are set to receive €900 million in single farm payments in mid-October rather than in December in recognition of the tough times farmers in the sector have been going through.

THE Government plans to apply for training money from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) within coming weeks for Dell workers losing their jobs.

EUROZONE economies collectively shrank by a record 2.5% in the first three months of the year as the recession battered the continent.

IRISH officials are holding bilateral meetings over the weekend with representatives from other EU member states to iron out any difficulties over the Lisbon Treaty guarantees.

A WEBSITE that shows exactly how MEPs vote and how often they attend parliament sessions was launched yesterday, and immediately led to a row between Irish politicians, and changes to the site.

TOUGHER EU-wide safety standards for toys, including a ban on toxic chemicals and stricter standards to limit the risk of choking accidents, were approved by EU governments.