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On 5th December 2013 the British Finance Minister, George Osborne gave his traditional "Autumn Speech" in which he gave details of the government's future economic policies. The Chancellor of the Exchequer explained that work had to continue to reduce the British deficit helping those who worked hard by supporting growth and the creation of jobs and by encouraging young people. He gave very optimistic growth forecasts. Indeed growth is due to lie at 1.4% in 2013 ie 0.8% more than planned in the March 2013 budget. Moreover growth is due to lie at around 2.4% in 2014 in comparison with a previous 1.8%.

On 4th December 2013 the European Commission put forward 38 proposals to prevent any further tragedies like the one that occurred in October off the coast of Lampedusa and in order to respond better to flows of migrants and asylum seekers. The Commission's plan notably aims to step up border surveillance "to help save lives". Europe should be able to come to the aid of those that need it by increasing its external border control operations and by strengthening its ability to detect boats in the Mediterranean. The patrols undertaken in the Mediterranean will have a common coordinated platform. This European network of patrols is due to concentrate its action on the main migratory routes between Cyprus and Spain and should improve early detection and intervention procedures, which will help save people in distress at sea. According to Frontex's estimate additional financial aid of 14 million euro per year would be necessary for the implementation of this new strategy.

On 9th December the EU's Employment and Social Affairs Ministers agreed on the changes to bring to European regulation regarding seconded workers. Moreover they defined general guidelines to strengthen cooperation between public employment services. Ministers also reviewed the initiatives fostering youth employment and noted the progress reports on the directive to improve gender equality within the non-executive boards of companies on the stock exchange. Conclusions regarding the effectiveness of institutional mechanims encouraging women and gender equality were adopted. Ministers then exchanged points of view regarding issues linked to employment and social policies in the European Semester 2014. Finally ministers adopted recommendations on integration measures for the Roma within the Member States.

On the occasion of the next European Council on 19th and 20th December the chairmen of the MEDEF in France (employers' union) Pierre Gattaz and of the German BDI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie, Ulrich Grillo call for greater monetary and economic union in Europe to create a new sustainable growth rate. On 4th December 2013 the MEDEF and the BDI put three fundamental goals to their governments and the European institutions: guaranteeing budgetary consolidation and the coherent implementation of reform; guaranteeing the financing of the real economy by completing Economic and Monetary Union by a powerful banking union; refrain from any counterproductive measures especially any further corporate tax like the European tax on financial transactions.

On 6th and 7th December 2013 during the peace and security summit in Africa the French President and the UN Secretary General paid tribute to Nelson Mandela. Discussions focused on security at the very moment international action was launched in Central African Republic. The President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy recalled the links between the EU and Africa stating that "beyond extremely intense cooperation in all areas and of humanitarian aid development, we are present in Africa with 9 missions." The President of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso insisted on climate change and called on Europe and Africa "to convince the countries which emitted the most gases to make ambitious, binding commitments in terms of reducing greenhouse gases."

On 5th December 2013 the President of the Italian Council Enrico Letta met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. During their meeting both men exchanged views on aerospace research and energy. They notably came to agreement for the participation of Italian businesses in the construction of a gas terminal in Swinoujscie. Discussions also focused on European policy and in particular on the need to revive the industrial sector. They stressed the importance during the next European Council for an agreement on the project for banking union in order to prevent economic crises.

The new Luxembourg government which comprises the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) and the Greens (Dei Greng) was sworn in before the Grand Duke on 4th December 2013. Led by Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister, the government comprises the Deputy Prime Minister, 13 ministers, of whom four are women, and three Secretaries of State. After 183 hours of negotiations, the three parties signed a coalition agreement just a few days earlier. On 5th December 2013 the first Council of Ministers took place.

The Diet, the Polish lower chamber of parliament, adopted a reform of the pension system on 6th December 2013 notably planning for the transfer of some of the private assets over to a public fund. The government believes that this reform will enable an 8 point reduction in the public debt which totals 55% of the GDP. The pensions system in force in Poland is presently based on two obligatory pillars - the first being the state fund ZUS, that pays the pension in Poland and whose debt is endemic and a second private pillar, the OFE. The bill put forward by government and approved by the MPs in the coalition in office plans for Treasury bonds or ones which are guaranteed by the Treasury - held until now by the OFE - ie 51.5% of all of its assets, are to be transferred over to the ZUS.

On 4th December 2013 the British government announced the sale of its 40% share in Eurostar, the high speed train linking London, Paris and Brussels. The UK hopes to recover hundreds of millions of pounds from the sale of its shares in the railway service provider, achieved as part of a privatisation operation. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander unveiled a new national infrastructure plan which will define the means of privatising £20 billion financial and social assets over the next six years. In all this vast plan should help the British government to make £375 billion in public and private investments by 2030.

The protests which have continued in Ukraine have been unprecedented since the Orange Revolution of 2004. They continued to grow over the weekend. After the Ukrainian president agreed to the organisation of a round table with the opposition on 9th December 2013 the Ukrainian special forces started to dismantle demonstrators' barricades. According to the Kyiv Post the HQ of Ms Yulia Tymoshenko's party was attacked by the special forces. On 8th December 2013 hundreds of thousands of pro-European opponents demanded the departure of President Viktor Yanukovich accused of "selling" Ukraine to Russia. Demonstrators even toppled a statue of the Russian 1917 revolution, Vladimir Lenin. For his part boxer Vitaly Klichko has called for a general strike. On 5th December 2013 in a message read by her daughter Yevguenia in Independence Square, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko called for demonstrators to overthrow the regime led by Mr Yanukovych, comparing him to Joseph Stalin. Just as the OSCE Summit was taking place on 5th and 6th December in Kyiv, American and European leaders provided their support to the demonstrators who chanted "Ukraine is Europe!" The day before, on 4th December the head of German diplomacy Guido Westerwelle travelled to Independence Square to provide his support to demonstrators. In a joint letter three former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko also expressed their "solidarity with the peaceful action of hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainians.

On 5th and 6th December 2013 the Foreign Ministers of the OSCE's Member States met for the 20th Ministerial Council in Kyiv. They agreed on a commitment to manage long term conflicts, on paying greater attention to energy and environment, on stepping up work to manage international threats, on agreements involving the human dimension of the freedom of religion and the reassertion of the Helsinki +40 process regarding the OSCE's future commitments.

On 5th December 2013 the UN Security Council gave France a mandate to intervene in the Central African Republic (CAR) in order to re-establish security and stability in support of the pan-African forces. The UN authorises French soldiers to "take all necessary measures to support the AFISM (the African army in CAR) to complete its mandate." The European Union will support the French and African missions financially. The French president, François Holland declared that "It was expected of France to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe." The French army is due to triple in size and rise to a total of 1200 men. The UK decided to provide its assistance to the French army. The EU is providing financial aid to AFISM.

On 3rd December 2013 the OECD published the results of the PISA survey which assesses the knowledge and competence of 15 year olds in 65 countries in the world. The OECD states that Asia comes out ahead in the ranking notably in mathematics, a major variable in the survey. Understanding of written material and knowledge in science are also assessed. France lies within the average but has deteriorated slightly in terms of its performance in previous years. Moreover the organisation indicates a greater correlation between socio-economic milieu and performance in France than in other countries.

Ministers who met in Bali, Indonesia as part of the 9th World Trade Organisation round welcomed the agreement that was reached in the night of 6th to 7th December 2013. The implementation of this agreement estimates the wealth created by the "Bali Package" at 1000 billion dollars. The Bali Package comprises three parts: agriculture (with a commitment to reduce export subsidies), development aid (involving increased exemption of customs duties on products from the least developed countries) and the "facilitation of trade" which aims to reduce red tape on borders.

On 3rd and 4th December 2013 NATO Foreign Ministers announced that the Alliance would work with the Afghan authorities. The aim is to introduce a vital legal framework for the deployment of the training, advisory and assistance mission of the Afghan Security Forces which NATO will lead after 2014. They also congratulated the Afghan authorities on the preparations made in view of the presidential election and the election of provincial councillors that will take place next year. Moreover during the NATO-Russia Council, the ministers and their Russian counterpart Serguey Lavrov launched a joint fund that aims to liquidate obsolete and dangerous munitions in the region of Kaliningrad, Russia. The leaders aim to offer a safer environment to citizens living near arsenals by reforming former military sites for civilian use.

Growth slowed in the third quarter in the euro zone with a GDP increase of 0.1% after progress of 0.3% in the second quarter said the European Statistics Office, Eurostat on 4th December 2013. The development of the GDP is linked in the third quarter to low household consumption which recorded poor results of 0.1% after 0.2% in the previous quarter. Investments however gathered pace with growth of 0.4% after 0.2% in the second quarter. Exports slowed over the July-September period with growth of 0.2% after 2.1%. Imports increased by 1% in the euro zone after 1.6%. Latvia will makes its entry into the euro zone in January showing the highest growth rate of the 28 EU Member States (1.2%). Contractions were also recorded in Cyprus (-0.8%) as well as in France and Italy (-0.1%). Across the EU growth slowed to 0.2% after a rise of 0.4% in the previous quarter.

Denmark and New Zealand share the top places in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 published on 3rd December 2013 by the NGO Transparency International. Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia form the tail end of the ranking with a mark of 8 only. More than two thirds of the 177 countries studied as part of the 2013 index had a mark below 50, on a scale ranging from 0 (countries seen as being extremely corrupt) to 100 (countries seen as not being very corrupt). This year the UK is ranked 14th with a score of 76. In Europe France follows Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. Spain has fallen from 30 to 40th place. Greece has improved its position rising from 94th to 80th.

The Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani signed an article in the book by Max Blanchet entitled "L'industrie France Décomplexée - Choisir nos batailles et créer un modèle industriel à la française" by Lignes de repères. Amongst the 10 battles put forward to bring France out of the crisis, Jean-Dominique Giuliani proposes an economic approach to politics conciliating reciprocity and dogma free competitiveness and the creation of conditions for economic transparency and the need for economic logic!

Twelve years after the last exhibition in France devoted to German artist Sigmar Polke and three years after his death aged 69, the Museum of Grenoble is showing a major series of works by the artist undertaken at the beginning of the 1980's and the mid-2000's. Sigmar Polke (1941-2000) is one of the most important painters of the second half of the 20th century. Bringing together nearly 70 paintings and about fifty pieces of work on paper the exhibition is organised according to a time line. It is running until 2nd February 2014.