Schengen countries must decide when Bulgaria and Romania should join, whether Greece should leave and how to work more closely with Turkey on border control.
Germany and France tend to pre-cook euro rescue plans. Smaller EU countries resent being sidelined. Slovakia and Finland have threatened vetoes and demanded concessions. Which country is next?
Following a recent agreement on EU foreign policy the UK should not miss an opportunity to use Europe's new diplomatic service to reinforce British interests.
Report by Hugo Brady20 January 2012
Insight by Katinka Barysch13 January 2012
Insight by Edward Burke10 January 2012