This has led to accusations that President Sarkozy of France will control Europe's agenda for a full year -- helping him to push ambitions such as building the EU's defence capability, over which he is at odds with British policy of concentrating on Nato.

It's all here.
France (threat) will dominate (threat) the EU agenda for a year (double threat).
"push ambitions" Threat.
EU defence (threat to NATO) (threat to european- Altanticism) (threat to America)
at odds with British policy (threat...threat...threat..warroooogahh warroooogah, my eyes are rotating)

keep to the Fen Causeway

• EU 'solving' the issue of Kosovo's status as the end of the 'Yugoslav crisis'? That's a simple narrative assuming no further troubles ahead.

• Would British papers describe Wales as tiny? It is about the same size as Slovenia.

• It's in Central Europe.

• Tiny country with "power over the EU's priorities" sounds like implying the undue influence of a minority that is clueless to boot. (But maybe I have my Euroscceptic-press-reading googles on.)

• A country of two million people doesn't admit anything. Some individuals might have said so, Time should quote them.

• There is the suggestion that a country's size relates to its diplomatic expertise. (An obvious counter-example would be Luxembourg, always punching waaay above its population-weighted weight in the EU.)

• Help from the French -- I venture the guess that this is nothing more than a Tory pre-occupation with the Frogs, whereas Slovenia will get help from a lot more quarters.

• Sarko dominating the agenda -- an EU Presidence does not have THAT much power, whatever the Presidency prepares must take into account the fellow governments' views and priorities or it is bound to fail.

• The allegations about Sarko dominating the agenda for a full year are again anonymous. I again assert that they come from well-known quarters: British Atlanticists, as evidenced by the concern about European defense.