On 14th November 2012 the Bundebank in Germany published its report on financial stability 2012 (Finanzstabilitätsbericht 2012). According to this report five years after the start of the economic crisis, the danger for the banking sector in Germany continues and has not declined in comparison with last year. Spain and Italy still owe 59 billion euros to the German banks. If the crisis worsens in the euro zone the German financial system will suffer serious consequences. The Bundesbank is recommending the German banks to plan for more mergers.

On 14th November 2012 the European Commission proposed a directive that aims to achieve a 40% quota of women in non-executive posts on company boards that are quoted on the stcck exchange, except for SME's by 2020. As for public companies, this date has been brought down to 2018. Businesses that do not achieve this threshold will have to use the comparative analysis of the qualifications of each candidate by implementing clear and non-discriminatory criteria. The Commission indicates that in terms of equal qualification the under-represented candidate will have to be selected.

On 13th November 2012 the President of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament together with the European Youth Forum launched a competition designed for young Europeans on the theme of peace in Europe. The presidents declared that "the Nobel Peace Prize 2012 is not just the acknowledgement of the EU's past achievements." The winners will go with the EU's official delegation to Oslo for the award of the Nobel Peace Prize on 10th December. Moreover the prize money will be paid to a fund for children who have become the victims of conflict.

On 19th November 2012 the EU Defence Ministers called for a strengthening of military capabilities in the European Security and Defence Policy, since the Union was a guarantee of security. This strengthening must take the shape of the pooling and sharing of military capabilities between Member States.

Immigration increased by 15% in Germany in the first half of 2012 due to an influx of people from European countries affected by the crisis, announced the German statistics office on 15th November 2012. The majority of these immigrants come countries in Central Europe, with Poland coming first (89,000 immigrants in the first six months). Arrivals from Greece rose by 78%, +6,900 people in comparison with te same period last year. Immigration from Spain increased by 53% (+3,900 people), likewise from Portugal (+2000 people).

Bulgaria and Russia signed a final agreement on 15th November 2012 on the building of a the Bulgarian section of South Stream thereby enabling the launch of the construction of this gas pipeline on 7th December, announced Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller. "We have signed the final investment decision regarding the Bulgarian section of South Stream and we are moving towards its completion," he declared during a press conference, recalling that agreements over the gas pipeline's future trajectory had already been signed with other countries. "Bulgaria is going to be a major point of transit for Russian gas towards Europe," he added.

The 22nd Summit of the Heads of State and government of Latin America, Spain and Portugal decided to create a Ibero-American centre for private arbitration to enable the rapid, simplified settlement of disputes between companies. In their final declaration adopted on 17th November 2012, after two days of debate, the participants committed to "strengthening clear, stable, dependable rules that help to foster national and foreign investments. " The legal security surrounding investments has interested Spain since the start of the Repsol affair in Argentina. The Argentine government expropriated the subsidiary YPF of this Spanish oil company to a total of 51% at the beginning of May which sparked off a serious diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Buenos Aires; since then the Spanish group has started procedures to win financial compensation because of this.

On 15th November 2012 French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. During a joint press conference they discussd the close links between France and Germany and the fifty years of the Elysée Treaty, which will be celebrated on 23rd January 2013. The German Chancellor highlighted the need for Germany to have a strong French partner in order to develop a strong Europe. Jean-Marc Ayrault explained that the quality of social dialogue in Germany was a source of inspiration and respect.

On 14th November 2012 the General Director of the Institute of International Finance, Charles Dallara gave a speech in Athens to the Union of Greek Banks. Paying tribute to the leaders and population of Greece for their courage in the face of the crisis, he criticised the approach that is only based on austerity that has been adopted to consolidate public accounts. He then explained that "austerity alone condemns not only Greece, but also all of Europe to the probability of a painful era." He called to take measures to revive growth in both Greece and in Europe.

On 17th November the head of the Italian government Mario Monti defended the difficult austerity measures introduced in the country during the first year of his term in office, stressing that without them the euro zone would have imploded or collapsed completely. "Today it is possible that without the austerity measures introduced by the government the euro zone would no longer exist," stressed the Prime Minister's services in a document entitled "One year on - the government, Italy, the citizens - Travel Log.

On 14th November 2012 German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin. Simultaneous to this meeting the federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Guido Westerwelle met his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski as part of the German/Polish intergovernmental consultations. They spoke of topical issues concerning the international and European political arena and notably the EU budget. After this discussion Ms Merkel and Mr Tusk gave a joint press conference. They notably intend to establish joint projects in the areas of transport and defence (Smart Defence).

On 15th November 2012, the jailed Ukrainian oponent Yulia Tymoshenko agreed to end her hunger strike, which began on 29th October in protest against the fraud that had occurred in the last legislative elections. This decision was announced by her German and Ukrainian doctors. On 13th November 2012 the Ukrainian court of Kyiv in Kharkiv again postpond Yulia Tymshenko's trial for tax fraud. The next hearing is set for 23rd November 2012.

On 14th November 2012 the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published a report on Ukraine. The latter follows the most recent visit to Ukraine by a CPT delegation in November/December 2011. Interviews and medical information show that many people are the victim of poor physical treatment when they are arrested or interrogated by the police. According to the CPT "our information leaves no doubt about the fact that police violence is common place and that people are in great danger." Moreover the committee puts forward a certain number of recommendations, notably the enhancement of the role played by judges and the writing of a conduct codes for police interrogations.

On 14th November 2012 the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the EU's multi-national stabilisation force in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR-ALTHEA) for a period of one year. The vote came just after a debate on the country's situation. In resolution 2074 the Council requests that all political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina refrain from making declarations that lead to dissension and to make real progress towards European Union integration.

On 15th November Eurostat indicated that the euro zone's GDP had decreased by 0.1% in the third quarter of 2012 in comparison with the previous quarter and that it has increased by 0.1% in the EU.

The European Parliament presented the analyses of the results of its survey "Two years to go to the 2014 European elections" undertaken between 2nd and 17th June 2012 amongst 26,622 citizens from the 27 EU Member States. These analyses show that citizens' opinions about how they feel about belonging to the EU are linked to their country belonging to the euro zone or not. Citizens who belong to the Economic and Monetary Union are said to feel more European than the others. Most of those interviewed think that their "vote" does not count in the EU although the number of those who think that their vote does in fact count, is rising. Nearly 3/5ths believe that the best way to make their voice heard comprises voting in the European elections.

On 15th November 2012 the European Monitoring Centre of Drugs and Drug Addiction published its annual report. The latter notes that Europe is facing an increasing number of new synthetic drugs. 49 new substances were detected in 2011 and already more than 50 in 2012. This variety of sometimes "obscure" substances are sold on the black market and also legally over the internet. Moreover the report stresses that these drugs are difficult of identify. "It is likely that most users know nothing about what they are taking and the effects they might have in terms of their health and they ignore all the legal implications that taking these drugs might have." The European Monitor is also concerned about the increasing number of HIV infections amongst intravenous drug users, in Greece and Romania; the crisis is increasing risky behaviour and reduces the capabilities of the public authorities.

Various images of people are the leitmotif of the new exhibition presented in the Frieder Burda museum of Baden-Baden. Famous pieces of work by Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke are on show alongside less famous artists of the new generation some of which have never been shown before - such as Tim Eitel, Susanne Kühn, and Simon Pasieka. The exhibition is on until 6th January 2013.