  We present the first set of XMM-Newton EPIC observations in the 2 square
degree COSMOS field. The strength of the COSMOS project is the unprecedented
combination of a large solid angle and sensitivity over the whole
multiwavelength spectrum. The XMM-Newton observations are very efficient in
localizing and identifying active galactic nuclei (AGN) and clusters as well as
groups of galaxies. One of the primary goals of the XMM-Newton Cosmos survey is
to study the co-evolution of active galactic nuclei as a function of their
environment in the Cosmic web. Here we present the log of observations, images
and a summary of first research highlights for the first pass of 25 XMM-Newton
pointings across the field. In the existing dataset we have detected 1416 new
X-ray sources in the 0.5-2, 2-4.5 and 4.5-10 keV bands to an equivalent 0.5-2
keV flux limit of 7x10-16 erg cm-2 s-1. The number of sources is expected to
grow to almost 2000 in the final coverage of the survey. From an X-ray color
color analysis we identify a population of heavily obscured, partially leaky or
reflecting absorbers, most of which are likely to be nearby, Compton-thick AGN.
