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"hand" as in a game of cards-- so used in a metaphorical sense here.

According to Le petit larousse, donne: "distribution des cartes au jeu"

In the case of the European Union, a new situation; a new distribution of powers

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Note added at 48 mins (2004-09-27 22:14:13 GMT)
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or DISPENSATION.
This is how the Canadian government pages translated the following:

Pour exercer un impact réel dans cette nouvelle donne, il faut employer des méthodes inédites.
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To have real impact in this new dispensation means using new methods.

from: http://webapps.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/minpub/Publication.asp?publ...
To see the English translation, click on the \"English\" icon at the top of the page.

I think this is what it means, in English - a course in an area of study which hasn't previously been covered.

The Union is entering a new phase and a new order. ... Timothy Waters is a legal consultant to the EU Accession Monitoring Program (EUMAP) of the Open Society ...
www.eumap.org/journal/ features/2002/nov02/continuedmonit

“At a moment when a new order is being born in old Europe, Spain cannot fail to bring forth among its many contributions the express manifestation of its Christian roots,” John Paul said in a Vatican City meeting with Spain’s ambassador.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5241360