The reaction of both the markets and politicians suggests that the latest euro summit has been a success. But the outcome is unlikely to end the euro crisis, and parts of it might actually make it worse.

Throughout the Eurozone crisis, France has been well served by its decisive presidential system. But as thoughts turn to reforming the way the Eurozone works, France must come to terms with the power implications of a more federal system.

The European Union has a vital role to play in helping consolidate the transitions of the Arab Spring. But first they need to rethink their approach and develop a new foreign policy for the Southern neighbourhood: Enlargement lite will not work.

The European Union’s combination of crises - of finance, politics, and identity - makes the once unthinkable a real prospect: Europe is not "too big to fail". What then should concerned Europeans do to ensure their continent's survival and progress?

The EU's credibility is at stake over the sentencing of Yuliya Tymoshenko to seven years imprisonment. Unless there are signals from Kiev that the sentence will be reviewed or repealled, the EU must act.

It looks like Vladimir Putin is heading back towards the Russian presidency that he first took over in December 1999. Putin's politics have changed little since then, but Russia is now a very different place and the Russians themselves want very different things.

The upheavels in North Africa are further evidence that the EU's neighbourhood has fundamentally changed, both to the south and to the east. In response, the EU needs to develop a real foreign policy to deal with this increasingly competitive region.

How might European disintegration play out if we do not learn from past folly? Uncontrolled collapse, a decisive jump forward leading to a big step back, or disintegration in disguise due to benign neglect?

Financial markets are driving the world towards another Great Depression. The European authorities need to regain control of the situation quickly, and for that, three bold steps are needed.

The current crisis of capitalism is also a crisis of European integration, and the EU faces a stark choice. The route it must take is fiscal union and federal economic government.

Many analysts will see last week's debate over the Palestinian bid for recognition at the UN as yet another example of Western decline. Yet the reality is more complex. Cracks are emerging between non-Western powers at the UN, presenting opportunities for Europe – if the EU's member states can get their act together.

This weekend's announcement that Vladimir Putin will stand for the Russian presidency next year is a clear defeat both for Russia's liberals and for the EU's policy of tacitly supporting Medvedev. What will Putin's third term mean for relations between Moscow and Brussels?

Poland learned from its World War Two experiences and changed its military policy, ditching the cavalry. Now Warsaw, along with the other states that are pushing for a European military headquarters, must learn from more recent history – notably the Libya intervention – and abandon this latest outdated plan in favour of a CSDP that will actually be effective.

Many outward economic indicators still tell a story of German success. Yet within the country, there are many signs of a troubled country lacking a strategic vision for itself and for Europe. The eurozone financial crisis highlights this vacuum - but the heart of the problem is political.

After a deep recession, an impressive recovery and years of fractious relations with its Russian-speaking minority, Latvia might be on the brink of breaking free from the problems that have dogged its politics since independence. The country's elections last week might have gone largely unnoticed in the outside world, but they could trigger a mini-revolution.