Albania's parliament sacked an election official on Monday (15 April) despite warnings from the country's international partners that the move could damage domestic and overseas confidence in June parliamentary elections. (more)

Iceland on Monday (15 April) became the first European country to sign a free trade agreement with China after six years of negotiations. (more)

In Durban, BRICS countries have launched their own infrastructure lender to rival the World Bank, but it will be years before the new financial institution starts doing business. (more)

With just three months left before Croatia joins the EU, the European Commission has urged it to do more to fight corruption and human trafficking. (more)

The European Union and Japan agreed on Monday (25 March) to launch talks on one of the world's most ambitious trade deals despite opposition from European carmakers, a test of how far both sides are willing to go in their hunt for economic growth. (more)

The head of Moldova's National Anti-Corruption Centre (NAC) has poured cold water on the prospects of an EU-linked money laundering probe. (more)

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is meeting Commission President José Manuel Barroso in Moscow today (21 March), slammed the EU for behaving "like a bull in a china shop" on the proposed Cyprus bailout. Meanwhile, a prominent Russian opposition leader said the Kremlin was conducting an operation to save its “dirty money” in Cyprus. (more)

A top Chinese diplomat on Tuesday (19 March) defended his country’s efforts to curb exports of rare earth metals and other vital industrial raw materials to Europe, saying extensive mining had caused environmental problems. (more)

The banking crisis in Cyprus, where almost half of the €70 billion deposits are believed to be Russian money, will feature high in a meeting between the European Commission and the Russian government on 21 and 22 March in Moscow, diplomats told EurActiv. (more)

Over the last year, Moldova and Georgia have cooperated “quite well” with the EU, under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), while Ukraine, which used to be the front-runner, is lagging behind, according to reports to be published today (20 March). (more)