This WEEK in the European Union

This week, Sweden takes over the rotating EU presidency from the Czech Republic for six months. Meanwhile, the German Constitutional Court is to announce its verdict on whether the Lisbon Treaty is compatible with German law.

The Swedish EU presidency will start on Wednesday (1 July) and last until 31 December. The full European Commission is to travel to Stockholm to meet with the Swedish government for the occasion.

Stockholm has already indicated it expects a "difficult" six-month term, notably due to institutional uncertainties in the EU.

The newly elected European Parliament is still taking shape, while it is not yet clear whether it will vote later in July to support Jose Manuel Barroso as European Commission president for a second time.

Sweden would prefer to see Mr Barroso re-appointed so that it has a clear and strong working partner in the commission from mid-July, rather than having to wait until some time in the autumn.

But disagreements among political parties in the parliament make it unclear whether the issue will be put to vote in mid-July. Talks with the Swedish presidency on this are to continue on 6 July.

Adding to the institutional imbroglio is the question mark still hanging over the EU's Lisbon Treaty with four member states not having completed ratification of the document yet. Ireland is to vote for a second time, probably on 2 October.

Meanwhile, the German Constitutional Court is to rule on Tuesday (30 June) on whether the treaty is in line with German law.

Besides Ireland and Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic are the two other member states where ratification of the document has yet to be finalised.

Turkey to open taxation chapter

On the last day of the Czech EU presidency, 30 June, the EU will hold an accession conference with EU candidate Turkey where a new chapter, on taxation, of Ankara's accession negotiations is expected to be opened.

Turkey has been an official EU candidate since 1999 and began accession negotiations with the bloc in October 2005. If opened, the taxation chapter will be the 11th of Turkey's 35-chapter accession package to be opened so far, with just one successfully closed.

"This is a sign that the EU accession process of Turkey is well on track and moving forward," EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said.

On Monday (29 June), a meeting will take place in Brussels between the European Commission, Ukrainian and Russian officials and representatives of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - to discuss the possibility of helping Ukraine buy Russian gas.

Ukraine's Naftogaz has said it will need €4.2 billion to fill the gas storages for the winter and avoid a repetition of last winter's gas crisis, which saw Russia cut off gas for Ukraine - a transit state for gas to the EU - for 10 days.

If approved in the coming weeks, it will be the first time such a loan will have been granted. It will be exceptional and only for this year because of the economic crisis that hit Ukraine hard, European Commission officials indicated.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a new EU "roaming" regulation will enter into force, that will cut the cost of mobile roaming for text messages, calls and data downloads across the bloc up to 60 percent.

On the same day, the commission will remove marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetables, marking the return of "curvy cucumbers, curious carrots and bendy beans" on market shelves.

On Thursday (2 July), the EU executive will adopt guidelines on how to make movement and residence of EU citizens and their families easier across the bloc.

It will also present a new EU "microfinance facility for employment" aimed at making starting up new business easier for the unemployed.

"Individual entrepreneurs and founders of micro-enterprises will be assisted by way of mentoring, training, coaching and capacity building," the commission says.

In one of the EU's newest member states, Bulgarians will vote to elect their new government on Sunday (5 July), with polls indicating the opposition centre-right Gerb party of Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov as the most likely winner.