Brussels  - People instinctively react to a threat by protecting themselves.

But when it comes to international trade, most experts argue that raising barriers is not the best response.

"We all benefit from an efficient allocation of resources, so any attempt to protect national economies undermines this basic principle," says Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank.

Brussels  - Most people do not associate sharks with Europe - Jaws was filmed near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, not in Portugal.

But sustained demand for fins from Asia, and a growing appetite for shark meat back home, are placing many European cousins of the Great White on the path of extinction.

As Joe Borg, the European Union's fisheries commissioner, put it: "Many people associate sharks with going to the cinema, more than with beaches or restaurants. But the latest information we have confirms that human beings are now a far bigger threat to sharks than sharks ever were to us."

Brussels  - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao began a round of "frank and relaxed" talks with European Union officials in Brussels on Friday, two months after he pulled out of a summit with the EU in protest at Europe's stance on Tibet.

"The meeting went very well, it was a very frank and relaxed meeting. I think that the fact that (Wen) came to Brussels is a very good sign of the desire to deepen the relationship between China and the EU," EU foreign policy supremo Javier Solana said.

Brussels - A European watchdog on Thursday accused the European Union's executive arm in Brussels of withholding crucial information from the bloc's citizens by failing to create a comprehensive register of the documents it produces and receives.

"The European Parliament and the (European) Council have set up satisfactory registers. I, therefore, see no reason why the
(European) Commission should not be able to do so," said European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros.

Brussels - The European Union must raise questions of human rights and political freedom with China's premier Wen Jiabao when he visits Brussels on Friday, leading human-rights group Amnesty International said Thursday.

The EU's relationship with China should be "based on mutual respect," but should "include frank discussions on human rights," Nicolas Beger, head of Amnesty's EU office, said in a statement.

"A relationship that is limited to praise would not amount to much," he said.

Jerusalem  - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday Europe is ready to send back its team of observers to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt "at any moment."

He said however that an agreement was first needed between warring Palestinian factions, Egypt and Israel that would allow their return and the reopening of the crossing.

The EU Border Assistance Mission in Rafah (EUBAM) was established shortly after Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. It suspended its operations in June
2007 due to Hamas' Gaza take-over.