The EU commission is revising its assessment of a potential EU tax on financial transactions, saying the original version was "misused" to bash the proposal.

Greek debt and - potentially - a new Russia gas crisis will dominate EU affairs in the coming week.

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The European Commission has stepped into the growing row over the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement, Acta, as leading MEPs refuse to fast-track parliamentary approval due to bad faith in talks.

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Jean-Claude Juncker, head of eurozone finance ministers (Eurogroup) on Friday rejected rumours there would be a special meeting on Monday dedicated to Greece. "A Eurogroup meeting may be scheduled later in the week," he said in a press release. According to diplomatic sources, the next date in mind is Wednesday.

EU and Arab states have watered down the text of their draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria in a bid to get Russia to drop its veto. The new version does not explicitly call for Syrian leader Assad to step down or criticise Russian arms sales to his regime.

A treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism, eurozone's permanent bail-out fund worth €500bn, was signed on Thursday by representatives of the 17 euro-countries. The ESM will be an international financial institution based in Luxembourg lending money to troubled eurozone countries. Its firepower is likely to be increased in March.

EU leaders are calling for an independent probe to find out why and how knife-wielding fans overwhelmed stadium security at a football match in Egypt earlier this week.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) Thursday launched a Central Rating Repository providing information on credit ratings issued by those 15 credit rating agencies which are registered or certified in the European Union. The central rating repository will be updated twice a year.

The BBC has admitted to receiving EU grants and loans from the European Investment Bank since 2003, Daily Telegraph reports. The news prompted MPs to question the stations impartiality when reporting EU news. A BBC spokesman said loans were "obtained on a fully commercial basis and has no editorial impact.”

The European Commission has tasked a German-UK consortium to provide eight more satellites for its flagship space project Galileo, a European version of the American GPS system set to launch in 2014. Contracts were also signed for future Galileo satellites to launch on Europe's Ariane 5 rocket.

Eight more EU countries have joined Italy in noting a sharp drop in Russian gas supplies, in events recalling the massive 2009 crunch.

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Germany has ruled out any extra contribution from national governments or the European Central Bank to the second Greek bail-out - as requested by the Greek government. Meanwhile, sources close to the negotiations speak of a €15bn funding gap.

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Hungary's state secretary for social inclusion, Zoltan Balog has urged other European nations to present strategies for Roma integration. “The continent's economic crisis is an opportunity to pay closer attention to the group”, he said in an AP interview. There are an estimated 10-12 million Roma living in Europe.

The European parliament voted on Thursday to adopt a plan for national sport teams to wear the EU logo on shirts. It also wants the EU flag to be flown at major sporting events reports the BBC. Neither would be compulsory but some British conservative MEPs are voicing strong objections.

The European commission aims to strengthen oversight of companies that certify medical devices following a breast implant scandal that has affected 1000s of women across Europe.

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The European commission aims to strengthen oversight of companies that certify medical devices following a breast implant scandal that has affected 1000s of women across Europe.

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EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has predicted there will be a big turnout at a pro-democracy rally in Moscow on Saturday.

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China supports European efforts to stabilise the euro and "is also considering more participation” in the EU's two bail-out funds - the temporary European Financial Stability Facility and the future permanent European Stabilisation Mechanism - premier Wen Jiabao said at a briefing in China with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Turkey could offer asylum to the the family of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, whose bloody repression of anti-government protests has outraged Nato and Arab countries. "If we are asked, we will of course analyse the request," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said when asked if he would favour such gesture.

As many as 33 projects in central and eastern Europe funded with €16bn out of EU's regional policy coffers are "environmentally harmful", a coalition of NGOs has said.

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