Prague/Brussels - Israel's land attack on the Gaza Strip was expected, but cannot justify the suffering inflicted on the civilian population, the European Union's presidency said in a statement Sunday.

"Launching land operations by the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip is not surprising, there were indications that Israel had been considering this step. But even the indisputable right of the state to defend itself does not allow actions which largely affect civilians," the Czech government said.

The Czech Republic currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, having taken over the role from France on Thursday.

Prague  - The European Union Saturday threatened to bypass Russia and Ukraine for the bloc's gas needs if irregularities in Russian gas supplies via Ukraine persist in the future, Czech officials said.

Czech Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said the EU was ready to speed up work on Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines that would bring Russian gas to Europe without passing through Ukraine.

Prague - Pressure began to drop Friday in pipelines that supply Russian natural gas to the European Union at the bloc's border with Ukraine, a result of Russia's cut in gas delivery to Ukraine that began Thursday, a Czech energy official said.

"It is so far only a decrease in pressure. The volumes remain the same," Czech Republic's energy envoy Vaclav Bartuska told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. He said that the pipeline pressure was down on Ukraine's border with Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

Prague  - The European Union is to avoid involvement in a Russian-Ukrainian row over gas supplies as long as Russian gas keeps flowing to the 27-member bloc, an EU official said Thursday.

Speaking on Czech Television, the new EU head, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, said that the EU was reluctant to broker the bilateral gas dispute that threatens union's gas supplies.

"It is pretty much a Russian-Ukrainian dispute and it has to be solved as such," Topolanek said.

Prague - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Thursday his government will meet on November 1 to set a date for adopting the euro, a change from his government's go-slow approach to Europe's common currency.

"November 1 is the date when the government will determine a date for adopting the euro," he said on Czech Television.

While the Czechs have been reluctant, other central European leaders have voiced their support for speedy euro adoption in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, seeing it as a shield during the ensuing slowdown of their economies.

Prague - Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus on Thursday urged people to vote in June's European Parliament elections as Prague assumed the European Union's rotating presidency until July 1.

Klaus, a fierce critic of the EU and deeper European integration, in his New Year address urged Czechs to the polls so they contribute to shaping the 27-member bloc into "a truly democratic space."