Brussels - The fight against climate change and European efforts to stave off a massive recession were set to top the agenda on Thursday as European Union leaders gathered in Brussels for what has been billed as the most crucial summit in years.

"This will be perhaps the most crucial European (summit) in recent years ... a real test for Europe," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said ahead of the meeting.

Brussels, Dec. 11 : A delegation of Hindus have approached the European Parliament with a demand to give recognition to the community in its 27 member states.

A memorandum to this effect was presented to European Parliament (EP) President Hans-Gert Pottering on Wednesday.

American Indian community leader Rajan Zed met Pottering in his Brussels office and discussed issues related to the Hindu community, while advocating promotion of inter-faith dialogue.

He listed fifteen European Hindu issues, besides recognition.

Brussels - The European Union is "deeply worried" by police raids in Russia on a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the victims of Stalin's regime, the EU said in a statement Wednesday.

The EU is "deeply worried" by police raids on the St Petersburg- based NGO "Memorial" on Thursday, and sees them as a "negative signal" of Russia's attitude towards human rights, a statement from the French government on behalf of the bloc said.

France currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Brussels - The European Union on Wednesday approved an Austrian plan to support the country's banking sector valued at 90 billion euros (116 billion dollars).

The plan, originally approved by the Austrian parliament on October 20, consists of a state guarantee for interbank loans capped at 75 billion euros, and a further guarantee for liabilities and assets capped at 15 billion euros.

The Austrian government informed the European Commission, the EU's executive, of its plans at the end of October.

The commission is tasked with overseeing the EU's strict competition rules, and therefore has the final say in matters of state aid.

Brussels  - The European Union is to spend 55 million euros (70 million dollars) over the next five years to make the internet safer for children, officials in Brussels said Tuesday.

Three quarters of children aged under 17 in the EU have access to the internet, and half of all 10-year-olds have a mobile phone, making it vital to protect them against online bullying and harassment.

Brussels - The European Union has signed an aviation agreement with Armenia allowing any European airline to fly to and from the Asian republic, officials in Brussels said Tuesday.

The deal, which caps three years of negotiations, replaces a set of bilateral arrangements agreed by Armenia with some of the EU's 27 member states.