New faces join European politics

The first session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg has been dominated by two issues: the election of Jerzy Buzek as its president and the arrival of the first far right MEPs from the UK.

Jerzy Buzek is the living embodiment of what many people think the European Union is all about.

He was born in Poland, in a border region which changed hands between Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany in the chaos of World War II.

He ended the war living and working in communist Poland - a regime that he eventually helped to bring down as a member of the anti-bureaucratic trade union Solidarity.

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Swedish PM sounds climate alarm

Sweden has urged the EU to "pool efforts and show leadership" to secure a global deal to curb climate change.

Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt was briefing the European Parliament on his country's priorities as the new holder of the six-month EU presidency.

"I want to write the story of how the climate threat was averted, together with you," he told newly-elected MEPs.

Sweden wants an EU deal on green measures ahead of a key UN conference on climate change in December.

The Copenhagen conference is already shaping Sweden's priorities.

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Diary - New-look Euro Parliament

he newly-elected European Parliament is holding its first session this week, with MEPs vying for political influence. Half are novices in the Strasbourg assembly, the rest have been re-elected.

The BBC's Dominic Hughes is keeping a diary as he rubs shoulders with MEPs, gauging the mood as they settle in and forge new alliances. You can send in your comments using the form at the bottom.

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