The French/German Economic Club is organising a dinner/debate at the Maison des Polytechniciens in Paris on the theme of "The Euro Crisis and European Perspectives"; the Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani will be amongst the guests.

Around 4000 people, from 21 political parties are standing in the general elections in Croatia on 4th December next. 151 seats are available in the Sabor, the only chamber in parliament. According to the latest polls the Alliance for Change is due to win the general elections and the HDZ is forecast to achieve its lowest score ever. The People's Party-Liberal Democrats, the Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja, the Farmers' Party, the Right Party (HSP) and the Independent List Ljubo Jurcic are also due to win seats in the Sabor.

On 21st November the IMF announced the launch of a new lending measure to "break the chains of contagion" in the economic and financial crises. The institution indicates that its Board had given the greenlight to a "precautionary and liquidity line" which had been promised by the G20 during the Cannes summit on 3rd and 4th November. The PLL provides Member States with a loan to cover their emergency requirements. It can be used as a source of liquidity, thereby enabling a six month agreement to respond to short term needs to rebalance payments," explained the IMF.

On 23rd November the European Commission presented its new proposals on economic governance and growth. It aims to strengthen growth and employment, budgetary discipline, as well as the stability of the sovereign debt markets. The Commission is advising on an approach based on three main elements. The Annual Growth Report 2012, a new tool, enables it to put forward economic priorities for the year to come in order to generate more growth and employment. Two draft regulations aim to strengthen budgetary surveillance in the euro zone, notably in distressed states. The Commission will give its opinion on national budgets quite openly and transparently. Finally a green paper will be launched to assess the possibility of stability bonds for the euro zone, ie eurobonds.

On 24th November the 27 Energy Ministers debated a draft text designed to manage trans-European energy infrastructures, in order to improve trans-European energy networks (TEN-E). Their discussions focused on the financial framework of this project that aims to help European countries rise to new energy challenges. Moreover they also adopted conclusions on the external dimension of the European energy policy, calling for a decisive strengthening of the latter.

On 24th September the European Union's Court of Justice delivered a decision in which it states that an internet access provider cannot install a global filter system even if this is for the protection of intellectual property rights. "Of course the protection of intellectual property is part of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights" it says but an overall filter does not enable the specific fight against piracy and restricts internet users' freedom too much.

On 27th November the inhabitants of the Land of Baden-Württemberg were called to vote in a referendum on the plan to continue building a new underground station in Stuttgart (nicknamed Stuttgart 21). Only 41.2% of the votes supported the halt of work; 58.8% voted in support of the continuation of work. Opponents to the station did not achieve their goal: the 48.3% turnout of the electorate did not enable them to rally the necessary 1/3 of the electorate under their banner as required by the Land's constitution. The Minister President Winfried Kretschmann, a firm opponent of the project, announced on the evening of 27th November that work would continue saying that he and the government of the Land "accepted the result of the vote."

After more than 500 days, in a record crisis, the way now seems to be open to the establishment of a government in Belgium after agreement was reached on 26th November between a six party coalition of French and Flemish speakers on the issue of the 2012 federal budget. "The King Albert II is happy that an agreement has been found. As a result he has asked Elio di Rupo to form a government as quickly as possible," announced the royal Palace in a press release. Mr Di Rupo is due to become the first French speaking head of government in Belgium in over three decades, and also the first Socialist to occupy this post since 1974.

Wind power will have to guarantee half of Denmark's electricity consumption in 2020, according to a plan "Our Energy" presented on 25th November by Martin Lidegaard, the Climate, Energy and Construction Minister. "Denmark clearly has to use more renewable energy and we must get better at using energy effectively," he declared. The Scandinavian kingdom has to become 100% independent with regard to fossil fuels by 2050 to the benefit of wind power, biomass and biogas according to the "Our Energy" plan.

On 24th November French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the new President of the Italian Council, Mario Monti, met in Strasbourg in a further crisis meeting devoted to the rescue of the euro and to prepare the next European Council meeting on 9th December. The three leaders expressed their determination to guarantee the future of the euro during a joint conference; Nicolas Sarkozy declared that they were prepared to "do everything possible to support and guarantee the perennity of the euro," adding that "France and Germany were to put forward joint proposals in the next few days, "in order to change the European treaties" in a move towards greater economic governance; the "modifications will not concern the European Central Bank however," said Ms Merkel stressing its independence. Mr Monti presented his progrmame "confirming the goal of budgetary balance in 2013," receiving in exchange the confidence of France and Germany.

Following a trial that was deemed to be of a political nature by the European Union, Ales Beliatski, leader of the one of the main Human Rights movements in Belarus was sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud by a Minsk court on 24th November. The judge ordered the confiscation of all of his possessions. The Belarus authorities are accusing him of having bank accounts abroad. The conviction was heavily criticised by the European Union.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has denounced the Ukrainian government's action against Yulia Tymoshenko and other former Ministers. During a press conference with her counterpart Ukrainian Viktor Yanukovich on 23rd November she said that the summit between the EU and Urkaine, planned for December 2011 in order to complete the association agreement, might very well be cancelled. "The success of this summit planned in December, depends on the way Ukraine shows how it functions in the spirit of association with the EU," she declared. It was the first time that a European leader had spoken openly about the cancellation of the summit. The EU is asking for the immediate liberation of Ms Tymoshenko and all of the other opponents, who have been imprisoned since the rise to power of Mr Yanukovich at the beginning of 2010.

New industrial orders in Europe, notably in the euro zone, are declining sharply. According to a Eurostat publication released on 23rd November, the indicator declined by 2.3% in September, in comparison with the previous month in the EU and by 6.4% in the euro zone. In comparison with the previous year, the indicator rose by 1.6% in the euro zone and by 2.3% in the EU. The industrial sector reveals the first sharp decline since the crisis in 2009, in the wake of concern over the sovereign debt of some euro zone countries.

The latest Eurobarometer survey, published in November 2011, indicates that development aid is still a priority for European citizens. 84% think that it is "important" or "very important". 62% of those interviewed support an increase in aid. 80% support the conditionality of this aid, demanding progress in terms of the respect of Human Rights and democratic values. Europeans are more divided (47% for and 47% against) when it comes to paying more for products that come from developing countries in support of the latter.

The Council of Europe has published a series of information sheets under the title of "The Council of Europe: protecting the rights of Roma." The latter should help to complete lacuna with regard to knowledge of the history and culture of the Roma people, the most widespread minority in Europe. They also present the Council of Europe's activities in support of the protection of Roma rights.

The Prado Museum in Madrid is paying tribute to Russia until 25th March 2012 by hosting the exhibition "The Hermitage in the Prado". This exhibition reveals around sixty major pieces of work from the Saint-Petersburg museum, notably by Titian, Caravaggio, Ribera, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Gauguin, Monet, Cézanne, Picasso, Kandinsky, but there are also drawings by Dürer, Ingres and Rubens.