This WEEK in the European Union

Evelyne Gebhardt, the parliament's rapporteur on the law, has come up with a series of technical amendments to member states' version - but some MEPs have pointed out that technical changes can substantially affect the content of the bill.

Also on Monday, the temporary committee of MEPs prying into alleged illegal CIA activities in Europe is meeting after last week's trip to Romania from which some deputies returned feeling far from reassured.

The EU's accounts over the year 2005 are unlikely to be signed off by the European Court of Auditors when it publishes its report in the parliament on Tuesday, ahead of a vote on next year's EU budget on Thursday.

MEPs will on Wednesday also be putting questions to the European Commission on the export of toxic waste to Africa, following the recent scandal which saw the Dutch-chartered ship Probo Koala dumping waste in Ivory Coast.

Russia, communism, post-communism

Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen will brief the parliament on Wednesday on the EU leaders' Lahti summit and its closely-watched dinner with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

On the same day, MEPs will adopt a resolution on EU-Russia relations after the murder of the journalist Anna Politovskaya in Moscow earlier this month.

Laszlo Solyom, the president of Hungary, will on Wednesday address the EU assembly on a special occasion - the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against communism - with commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso taking part in a ceremony in Budapest on Monday.

Post-communist central and eastern Europe will arise again on Thursday, with Belarusian opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich being one of the three nominees to win the parliament's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize - to be decided by political group leaders.

Commission and member states: China, alcohol

The commission will, after its meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday, release two reports which are set to make headlines - on alcohol and China.

The alcohol paper is aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm and misuse, with a commission spokesman last week slamming the European alcohol industry for falsely suggesting the report will propose to set an EU-wide minimum age limit for alcohol use.

The report on China seeks to ensure that "the EU is fit to respond to China's re-emergence as an economic and political power" - highlighted earlier this month by member states' wrangling over duties on cheap Chinese shoes.

Communication commissioner Wallstrom will on Wednesday present a package of events for the EU's 50th anniversary next year, amid a general lack of enthusiasm of member states for anything too grand or expensive.

Member states themselves will this week hold an environment ministers meeting (Monday) as well as an agricultural ministers gathering (Tuesday and Wednesday).

The environment meeting will cover topics such as climate change, GMOs and air quality while agricultural ministers will discuss the "description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks" - or what the term "vodka" is supposed to mean exactly.

EU-Ukraine summit

The week will end with the EU-Ukraine summit in Helsinki, where Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko will meet Finnish premier Vanhanen as well as commission chief Barroso and foreign affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

The talks are set to focus on energy, trade and visas, with both sides keen to reassure the EU public there will be no rerun of last winter's gas transit crisis and with Kiev pushing for a free trade zone with the EU and for cheaper EU entry visas next year.

The meeting will also highlight the new tone in general EU-Ukraine relations, after the Russia-friendly politician Viktor Yanukovich took over as prime minister in September in what could herald a gradual slowing-down in the pro-EU integration Orange Revolution process.