Bulgaria and Croatia have been accepted in for two year waiting room before these European Union member states will be allowed to join Euro as currency.

Warsaw - European leaders met Wednesday in Poland for a European People's Party congress amid a push from Warsaw for the top seat in the European Parliament.

Poland's former Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek is eyeing the presidency of the European Parliament and competes against Italian candidate Mario Mauro.

Buzek's candidacy comes as Poland celebrates five years of membership in the European Union.

While most Poles say EU membership has paid off, critics point to the lack of Poles in the EU's top seats.

Brussels- The European Commission was Wednesday set to unveil guidelines on curbing excessive company bonuses, as well as new rules limiting high-risk investment hedge funds. Action on both issues has been prompted by the global financial crisis, which has in part been blamed on short-term profit-taking and lax legislation.

Luxembourg/Nicosia - European Union member states must enforce rulings by courts in the Greek half of Cyprus even if they cover property in the Turkish-controlled north of the island, the EU's highest court ruled on Tuesday. "A judgment of a court in the Republic of Cyprus must be recognized and enforced by the other (EU) member states even if it concerns land situated in the north of the island," the European Court of Justice said in a statement.

Athens - The European target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 has not yet been achieved and more reforms are necessary to slow species loss across the EU, officials said at the end of a two-day conference in Athens Tuesday. "We have achieved a lot, but there is still much to do by 2010 such as better administration and greater funding, as well as extending protected areas," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told reporters.

"The fact is that biodiversity loss poses a threat every bit as worrying as climate change," he said.

Luxembourg - European Union foreign ministers Monday called on Iran to respond positively to the United States' recent diplomatic overtures and help find a negotiated solution to the nuclear standoff. "The EU warmly supports the new direction of US policy towards Iran, which opens a window of opportunity for negotiations on all aspects of Iran's nuclear programme," ministers said in a joint statement issued during talks in Luxembourg.