EC President Romano Prodi insisted today that two leading Jewish organisations retract accusations of anti-Semitism before plans for a joint seminar on the issue can get back on track.

Eight people, including an EU official, have been detained in an investigation into possible corruption at the European Union’s agriculture department, Belgian authorities announced.

IT will be another ten years before Sweden considers adopting the euro, Prime Minister Goran Persson said yesterday.

French troubles over running the single currency were not to blame for Sweden's decision to stay out of the euro, says the European Commission.

CONTRACTS with four companies were terminated yesterday as investigations continue into fraud claims at Eurostat, the EU’s statistics arm.

Conservatives in the European Parliament today rallied to support controversial Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, blocking demands that he formally apologise for a Nazi jibe to a German MEP.

The European Commission sought to quash allegations today that senior officials failed to act promptly against widening fraud allegations at the EU’s statistics agency.

Europe Correspondent