Luxembourg - European Union member states cannot cover up the location of sites where genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) have been released, even if they fear that the information could provoke public disorder, the EU's highest court ruled Tuesday.

"The information relating to the location of the release can in no case be kept confidential," and public-order considerations "cannot constitute reasons capable of restricting access to the information," the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said.

Brussels - The European Union's executive on Tuesday approved a joint venture between British aircraft engine maker Rolls Royce and Abu Dhabi investment fund Mubadala aimed at offering aircraft maintenance services in North Africa and the Middle East.

The formation of a joint venture specializing in aircraft engine maintenance "would not significantly impede effective competition within the European Economic Area (EEA) or a substantial part of it," the European Commission said in a statement.

Brussels - The European Union's executive body is set on Wednesday to warn at least six member states that they are going too deeply into debt as they struggle to ward off recession.

But analysts say that the European Commission is likely to give euro users France, Greece, Ireland, Malta and Spain, and non-euro country Latvia, several years to bring their budgets back into line with EU rules, as the 27-member bloc faces the worst economic crisis in 60 years.

Beirut  -The European Commission has pledged 4 million euros (5.1 million dollars) to ensure that Lebanon's parliamentary elections, due in June, proceed in a democratic way, a statement by the EU said on Monday.

According to the statement "the money will cover technical assistance as well as the purchase of equipment needed for the June 7 elections."

Brussels - The European Union's executive on Friday approved a German plan to fight recession by providing an additional 900 million euros (1.2 billion dollars) in state support to medium-sized companies trying to fund research and development.

The latest German plan, which targets companies which employ up to 1,000 staff until the end of 2010, is in line with EU rules because it is limited in time and scale and is aimed at boosting innovation, the European Commission said in a statement.

Brussels  - The Czech Republic, a eurosceptic dwarf of a nation currently at the helm of the European Union, rushed to the rescue of the bloc's single market Wednesday amid criticism that it is not doing enough to combat the economic crisis.

By calling an extraordinary summit for March 1, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek moved to defend his country's ability to preside over the 27-member bloc.