EUobserver, 13.9.10. Alarmed at what they see as a rise in the European Union of 'intergovernmentalism', Guy Verhofstadt, the head of the liberal group in the parliament, and his Green counterpart, Daniel Cohn-Bendit are mounting a counter-offensive to promote the importance of the EU and its institutions. The fledgling group will be known as the Spinelli group, after the Italian political thinker Altiero Spinelli and one of the "founding fathers" of the EU.

The European Voice, 13.9.10. Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, plans to announce around 30 appointments to EU delegations around the world later this week, she said after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on Saturday (11 September).