Union faces diplomatic hurdles in New Year agenda

JANUARY 2005 sees the start of a new five-year cycle for the European Union with the new commission and the new parliament getting down to work. It promises to be not just a challenging but also a crucial time for the Union.

The British have got their way in terms of emphasising the economic, investment and job creation aspects of the EU and relegating the social aspects - working conditions, health, equality issues - to the sidelines, at least for the moment.

This will be the agenda for Luxembourg, which will hold the presidency for the first six months of the year. However, just how serious the governments are about this will be obvious during the March leaders’ summit when the roll-call of those countries that have eliminated the barriers to trade is read out.