Luxembourg - Ryanair won a court case against the European Commission on Wednesday, meaning the low-cost airline will not have to pay back millions of euros in subsidies that it received from the Belgian state for establishing a base at Charleroi Airport.

Ryanair obtained favourable terms from the Wallonia Region when negotiating its first continental base at Charleroi, in 2000.

These included a 50 per cent discount on landing charges and compensation for any loss of profit arising from subsequent hikes in such charges.

Vienna/Berlin  - The euro is set to mark the 10th anniversary of its launch in January with Europe's common currency enjoying a new-found appeal as a result of the financial firestorm that swept through world markets this year.

From solid Sweden to ailing ex-communist Hungary, the euro is suddenly seen as potential protection in a time of crisis.

Despite its success in helping to forge European integration, the 15-member common currency has until recently never enjoyed the same kind of affection among Europeans as the national currencies it replaced in 1999, first as a currency for the financial system. Euro coins and banknotes were issued on January 1, 2002.

Budapest - No passengers will be checked in at Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport until at least 1 pm (1200 GMT), a spokesman for airport management said on Saturday as a strike by airport staff entered its fourth day.

"Only two members of passenger security staff out of three shifts due to start work on Saturday morning have taken up their posts," said Domokos Szollar, spokesman for Budapest Airport, the company that runs the airport.

He added that airlines must decide "at the own risk" whether or not to cancel scheduled flights.

Hungary's only major international airport was the scene of chaos since Wednesday morning when staff came out on strike, among them security workers.

Frankfurt - European shares opened sharply down Friday after the failure of the US car industry bail-out sent stocks tumbling in Asia.

With shares in major European bourses falling in early trading, Europe's blue-chip Stoxx 50 opened down more than 4 per cent at 2,379.99 points.

This followed a 2.8-per-cent fall in shares in Europe's leading market in London and a more dramatic 3.8-per-cent slump in Frankfurt, where the failure of the rescue plan for the crisis-hit US car industry sparked big falls in key German car stocks.

Paris - French-Dutch airline Air France-KLM said Thursday it had deposed a formal complaint at the European Commission over the sale of Austrian Airlines to the German carrier Lufthansa.

"The agreement concluded on December 5, 2008, between Austrian authorities and Lufthansa does not conform to the conditions that were imposed on Air France-KLM during the procedure of choosing a strategic partner (for Austrian Airlines)," the company said in a press statement.

Berlin - Europe is gearing up to mark a series of major anniversaries next year, defining moments both in terms of European as well as world history.

Besides the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, which began when Hitler's troops marched into Poland on September 1, 1939, 2009 will also mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism across Central Europe.

Starting with democratic elections in Poland in June 1989, the year of change across Central Europe culminated in November of that year with the fall of the Berlin Wall. That event became a symbol of the end of the Cold War and Europe's post-Second World War divide.