Latest figures shared by the Purchasing Managers' Index have revealed that Eurozone activity surged at its fastest pace in 2 years for the month of November. The index's figure touched a new high of 53.7 points, a substantial increase from the 57 points recorded in the previous month. The development has further provided evidence to the fact that the economy is improving well.

The European Commission urged Spain to stick to a court judgment requiring the country to recover the illegal state aid provided by certain Basque regions.

Talking to reporters, the European Union antitrust body said, "If Spain continues to fail to comply with the European Court of Justice Decision, the commission may refer it to the Court for a second time and request the ECJ to impose fines until the aid has been fully recovered."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel sees "good prospects" for Serbia's attempts to join the European Union despite disagreements over the status of Kosovo. Merkel was speaking at a joint press conference with Serbian President Boris Tadic, who was received in Berlin Monday to meet with the chancellor as well as German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and business leaders.

Chocolate sales in Britain rose by 5.8 percent this year despite the recession, according to Mintel's market research, reported Reuters.

"Even the global recession failed to reduce the British penchant for chocolate," said Mintel, adding that it expected annual sales growth of 5% by 2013.

The Great Britain consumed chocolate for 3.5 billion pounds in 2008, more than any other European country. In comparison, Germany, which has 20 million more citizens, has spent 3.4 billion pounds.

Security officials and experts from Asia and the European Union gathered Monday in the Philippine capital for a two-day meeting to assess terrorism threats, especially in the transport sector.

EU leaders missed a chance during a two-day summit ending Friday to take the initiative on climate change policy when they opted to delay any decisions until the autumn, environmental groups have warned.

The European Union on Thursday said it regretted Russia's decision to veto the extension of a United Nations observation mission in Georgia, calling it a blow to stability.

The 27-member bloc "regrets Russia9s decision," made on Tuesday, not to renew the observation mission's mandate in the fragmented country, EU countries said in a joint statement.

The European Union wants to boost Pakistan in its fight against Islamist militants at their first ever joint summit in Brussels on Wednesday as part of Europe's own efforts to fight insurgents in Afghanistan, EU officials said Tuesday.