In the coming days, the European Commission will report on whether the eight countries currently holding GSP+ status have been respecting their commitments. The EU's stance towards two of the beneficiary countries will be closely watched: Pakistan and the Philippines.

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman rejected any notion of occupation when it comes to Israelis patrolling a future Palestinian state - citing the US military presence in Germany as an example.

Poland has called for Nato solidarity on Russia, but judicial meddling and populist hate speech have made it unpopular on the Western stage.

French arms sold to Egypt and the UAE risk ending up in Libya despite a UN embargo, as EU powers face a war of "who dares wins".

The EU diplomat suspected of spying for China had permission to work as a lobbyist, but the case poses questions on whether EU ethics rules work.

European counter-intelligence services need to "seriously raise the level of vigilance" on Russian spies, UK activist Bill Browder has said after news of a botched operation at Davos.

The Libya case might finally give the EU some strategic clarity. This sounds like a small thing, but EU foreign policy is in such bad shape that it would be a big leap forward.

In her mid-70s and in ailing health, Regina Hayes still holds out hope justice will prevail after losing her life savings in a Ponzi-like scam linked back to a former EU commissioner from Malta.

Israel has sped up demolitions of EU-funded and Palestinian structures in the West Bank amid hawkish talk on taking over the territory.

EU powers have triggered a process that could bring the world back to 2006, when sanctions and threats were all that stood in the way of a Middle East nuclear arms race.

While the European Union was too divided to help resolve Libya's civil war, Russia filled the gap. It managed to get the fighting parties to Moscow, but without result.

Turkey has embarked on a neo-Ottoman strategy, aiming to re-establish itself as a regional power. This involves simultaneously reaping the benefits of Nato membership whilst pursuing an overtly-expansionist foreign policy, even including a loose partnership with Russia in Syria.

EU Council president Charles Michel urged Iran to stick to the nuclear arms deal and said the EU should play a stronger role in the Middle East, ahead of travelling to Turkey and Egypt on Saturday.

Russia and Turkey have inaugurated a new gas pipeline to the EU, continuing efforts to lock in Russia's best customer.