In the absence of a foreign policy at its borders, the European Union has only the prospect of enlargement to satisfy the demands of peoples who are resolutely turning towards our values and our standards. Its moral and political duty is to open its arms to these Europeans", writes Jean-Dominique Giuliani.

The Schuman Network aims to promote debate and reflection on European issues. Numerous contributions from think tanks on the international situation, the forthcoming European elections and the issues and challenges to be faced are available, such as those from the PISM and the Konrad Adenauer and Hanns Seidl foundations, which have recently been put online. Others will follow.

In response to the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union has set up a €672.5 billion recovery fund. On 6 December, the Commission received a payment request from the Czech Republic for €702 million. On 8 December, the Council approved amendments to the plans of Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland and Romania. The Foundation offers you an interactive map of the plans country by country, to check amounts and schedules.

On 6 December, the Commission pledged to step up the fight against hatred and hate speech. It wants to speed up the implementation of an internal security fund designed to protect places of worship, support journalism and combat fake news.

On 6 December, the Commission presented measures aimed at strengthening citizenship rights, as well as a report on European citizenship, highlighting the measures introduced between 2020 and 2023. According to a Eurobarometer survey published the same day, 87% feel they are European citizens. Only half of them feel that they are well informed about the rights that citizenship brings them, but a large majority believe that belonging to the EU has benefits for individuals and for the economy.

On 6 December, the Commission proposed to the Member States that the entry into force of new rules on trade in electric vehicles and batteries between the European Union and the United Kingdom, scheduled for 1 January 2024, should be postponed until 2026.

On 8 December, the Commission presented a document explaining a revision of the European regulation on the organisation of agricultural markets. Article 210a of this regulation allows agricultural producers to derogate from EU competition rules, with the sole aim of applying stricter agricultural sustainability standards than those laid down in the legislation.

The Telecommunications and Digital Ministers, meeting on 5 December, adopted a position on the gigabit infrastructure regulation, and discussed the regulation on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Transport Ministers, meeting on 4 December, drew up a position on maritime security, road safety and the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions from transport services.

On 4 December, Home Affairs Ministers discussed the Schengen area and the consequences of the geopolitical environment for internal security. On 5 December, Justice Ministers discussed the directive on victims' rights, judicial cooperation, the European Public Prosecutor's Office, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

On 8 December, the Council approved the fisheries agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom for 2024. The agreement sets the quantity of fish that can be caught by European and British fishermen in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, species by species.

Competitiveness Ministers, meeting on 7 and 8 December, adopted a position on the Regulation for a Net Zero Industry (NZIA), making nuclear power a strategic energy source for the ecological transition. They reached agreement on a European framework to attract and retain researchers and entrepreneurs in Europe, and adopted conclusions on space traffic management.

On 8 December, Economy and Finance Ministers discussed the reform of economic governance and the next generation of own resources, and approved the revised recovery plans for 13 countries. The day before, the Eurogroup ministers discussed the eurozone's financial situation and reviewed the Commission's economic recommendations for 2024.

On 9 December, Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on the regulation on artificial intelligence (AI), with the aim of ensuring that this technology is used safely and in a way that respects European values. The regulation prohibits certain uses, such as biometric categorisation and facial recognition, and lays down rules for use and transparency obligations.

Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on 8 December to align the rules governing the use of European funds with the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.

The Council and Parliament reached agreement on 8 December on the reform of the internal markets for natural and renewable gases and hydrogen, on 7 December on the revision of the directive concerning the energy efficiency of buildings, on 6 December on the regulation concerning the classification, labelling and packaging of chemical products and on 5 December on the regulation establishing a framework to assess the sustainability of objects through ecodesign.

On 7 December, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel met Chinese President Xi Jinpng and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing for the 24th EU-China Summit. They reiterated their commitment to a rules-based world order and to a more balanced, constructive and stable trade relationship.

On 7 December, the Court of Justice ruled that the retention of citizens' data by a company, for the purpose of establishing a mechanism for predicting future behaviour such as the repayment of a loan, is contrary to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In a ruling handed down on 5 December, the Court clarified the implementation of the GDPR, stating that only a deliberate or negligent breach of this regulation can result in an administrative fine, and specifying that if the addressee of a fine is a company forming part of a group, the fine must be calculated on the basis of the group's worldwide turnover.

On 5 December, the Court of Justice annulled a decision by the European Commission forcing Engie to repay tax exemptions considered unlawful in Luxembourg. The Court ruled that the Commission had not based its accusation on Luxembourg's 'normal' tax system to classify the exemption granted to Engie as discrimination under EU law, and that it could not therefore justify the decision.

On 8 December, the Finance Ministers agreed on the appointment of their Spanish colleague Nadia Calvino as President of the European Investment Bank. A formal procedure will be initiated within the EIB to confirm her appointment for a 6-year term. Margrethe Vestager, who was also a candidate for the post, has announced that she will be returning to her duties as the Commission's Executive Vice-President responsible for Competition.

On 8 December, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo presented the programme for his country's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on 1 January. The six priorities are democracy, competitiveness, ecological transition, the social system, migration and global Europe.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Athens on 7 December. The two leaders discussed the development of trade, migration and military confidence between the two countries. They adopted a ten-point "declaration of friendship and good neighbourliness".

From 4 to 6 December, the South Pacific defence ministers met in Noumea for a summit chaired by French minister Sébastien Lecornu. A declaration of intent was signed committing the 7 States (Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga) to strengthening their cooperation around 4 issues: interoperability of the region's armed forces, defence training, the fight against overfishing and resilience in the face of climate change.

On 6 December, Italy announced its official withdrawal from China's New Silk Roads project, four years after it joined. Launched in 2013, the initiative aims to build port, rail and land infrastructure between China, Europe and Africa. Giorgia Meloni's government felt that Italy's participation in the project opened the door to Chinese political interference.

On 11 December, the lower house of the Polish Parliament elected Donald Tusk, leader of the coalition of pro-European forces, as Prime Minister by 248 votes to 201. He is due to be sworn in on 13 December, and will represent Poland at the European Council on 14 and 15 December.

In a joint declaration published on 7 December, Armenia and Azerbaijan announced that they were going to take "concrete steps" to calm their relations and prepare a peace treaty. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, described this agreement as "an unprecedented opening in political dialogue". A meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers is due to take place shortly.

On 6 December, the G7 leaders decided to introduce import restrictions from 1 January on diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia, and from 1 March on Russian diamonds processed in third countries. They also undertook to continue their efforts to reduce Russia's revenues from other relevant sectors, notably metals.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot in Kyiv on 5 December. On 8 December, a delegation comprising advisors and the French President's deputy chief of staff met the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak. A strategic plan for 2024-2029 was adopted at the end of the 33rd Assembly of the International Maritime Organization, which met from 27 November to 6 December.

On 8 December, the Council of Europe joined the United Nations in formally calling on Russia to comply with rulings against it by the European Court of Human Rights. The rulings not respected by Russia include compensation to Georgia following the 2008 invasion, and condemnation for the treatment of political prisoners such as Alexei Navalny.

The PISA report on education, published by the OECD on 5 December, shows an unprecedented drop in the general level of students in the organisation's member countries, particularly in mathematics and reading.

According to a Eurobarometer survey published on 6 December, 57% of European citizens are interested in the forthcoming European elections, to be held from 6 to 9 June 2024, and 72% of them believe that their country's membership of the Union has a positive impact. They say their priorities for the elections are: the fight against poverty (36%), public health (34%), climate change (29%) and support for the economy (29%).

On 4 December, the European Court of Auditors published a report on public procurement. It calls on the Commission and the Member States to examine in greater detail the root causes of the lack of competition, and to propose measures to remove obstacles to competition.

The Antwerp Art Fair takes place from 14 to 17 December at Antwerp Expo, with over 70 guest galleries from 12 different countries.

Until 3 March 2024 , the National Museum in Warsaw is hosting an exhibition entitled "Bruno Barbey. Always on the Move", featuring photographs taken by the reporter on five continents. A special section is devoted to photographs reflecting the reality of Poland and Ukraine in the 1980s, before they were finally liberated from the USSR.

La Scala's 2023-2024 season opened on 7 December with a performance of Verdi's opera Don Carlo. Other operas on the programme include Cherubini's Medea, Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Puccini's Turandot and Rudolf Nureyev's ballet La Bayadère.

A day of music and solidarity around Ukrainian jazz will be held on 15 December 2023 at the Czech Centre in Paris. Jazz lovers will have the opportunity to attend a concert in the evening, preceded by an exhibition on Ukrainian jazzmen in wartime and a presentation on the Ukrainian jazz newspaper Meloport.

Until 1 April 2024, the Hamburger Kunsthalle is presenting an exhibition on the German painter Caspar David Friedrich entitled "Art for a New Age". Bringing together almost 60 works, the exhibition explores the relationship between man and nature. His influence on generations of artists is also illustrated by the presentation of works by his contemporaries.

Until 3 March 2024, the Antoni-Tàpies Foundation in Barcelona will be hosting the exhibition "A=A, B=B, La Nueva Vision del Mundo" (A=A, B=B, The New Vision of the World), which deals with various themes such as scientific method and the link between science and art. It is also presenting the exhibition "Tàpies. La huella del zen" until 23 June, 2024, which shows the artist's interest in the work of certain 18th and 19th century Japanese monks who helped to spread the teachings of Zen Buddhism.

Until 21 April 2024, Dorset Museum is presenting the world of sculptor Elisabeth Frink in an exhibition featuring over 80 sculptures, drawings and prints, exploring her artistic process and the influences that have shaped her work.