BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European leaders have decided youth unemployment and the risk of social breakdown are among the toughest challenges they face and finding solutions will be a top priority for the coming months.

In a letter released late on Friday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said youth unemployment was one of the most pressing issues for the 27-member European Union.

BRUSSELS, May 22 (Reuters) – European leaders discussed the
region’s reserves of shale gas at a summit on Wednesday, but the
prospect of the continent enjoying a U.S.-style shale boom that
drastically cuts energy costs remains elusive.

Arriving at the summit, British Prime Minister David
Cameron, whose government is advancing plans to exploit his
country’s shale gas deposits, said Europe could not afford to be
left behind as the world scrambles to develop the resource.

BRUSSELS, May 21 (Reuters) – European leaders will discuss
plans to exploit shale gas in summit talks on Wednesday as part
of a decades-long quest to develop more secure and competitive
energy supplies.

The 27-nation bloc finds itself looking on with envy as its
biggest economic rival, the United States, exploits vast
reserves of shale gas, delivering drastically reduced fuel
costs.

BRUSSELS/NICOSIA, May 16 (Reuters) – Cyprus could use its
reserves of gas to meet up to 40 percent of Europe’s additional
gas needs over the next decade, helping to curb the European
Union’s reliance on Russia, the head of the island’s national
gas firm said.

Europe has hopes Eastern Mediterranean gas reserves can help
to diversify its supply sources, as well as easing Cyprus’s
economic pain and potentially playing a role in healing the rift
between the northern and southern parts of the island.

BRUSSELS, May 13 (Reuters) – China’s decision to ease a
boycott of some $11 billion in Airbus jet orders followed a
high-level appeal from the planemaker urging Beijing to
recognise its support over a trade row with Europe, a letter
seen by Reuters shows.

It gives a glimpse into the intensity of the lobbying in the
dispute, which helped persuade the European Union to freeze a
law on regulating international aviation emissions.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – China’s decision to ease a boycott of some $11 billion in Airbus jet orders followed a high-level appeal from the planemaker urging Beijing to recognize its support over a trade row with Europe, a letter seen by Reuters shows.

It gives a glimpse into the intensity of the lobbying in the dispute, which helped persuade the European Union to freeze a law on regulating international aviation emissions.

BRUSSELS, May 9 (Reuters) – The European Commission has
asked EU member states to consider removing tariffs on energy
intensive industry, in an action plan drawn up for the steel
industry, EU sources said.

The impact of energy costs on the competitiveness of EU
industry has shot up the political agenda following a shale gas
revolution in the United States, which has delivered a glut of
cheap natural gas to aid the U.S. economy.

BRUSSELS, May 7 (Reuters) – The top speed of vans in the
European Union should be electronically limited to 120 km (75
miles) per hour, according to a proposal backed by the European
Parliament’s environment committee.

The plan is part of a debate on how to cut carbon emissions
and improve the fuel efficiency of Europe’s vehicles. It would
only become law if approved by EU member states.

BRUSSELS, May 7 (Reuters) – EU heads of state and government
will seek ways to limit the impact of energy costs on European
competitiveness at a summit this month, a draft document seen by
Reuters showed.

European industry says it is disadvantaged because of the
price it pays for energy compared with the United States, where
the shale gas revolution has drastically lowered costs.

BRUSSELS, May 3 (Reuters) – Ukraine is working to become an
energy hub, producing its own gas, developing storage and
importing from both the European Union and Russia, Ukraine’s
visiting energy minister said.

The European Union is pressing for agreements to be sealed
with Ukraine by the end of this year as both parties seek to
dilute Russia’s dominance as a gas supplier.