The "Global Go-To Think Tanks 2013" ranking put together by the University of Pennsylvania which reviews 6,826 Think Tanks in 182 countries has just been published. For the first time the Robert Schuman Foundation is included and occupies a good position in the European category : 6th in the category "Best New Idea or Paradigm Developed by a Think Tank" and 10th in the category "Best Managed Think Tank". It also comes 30th and 21st in these two categories internationally.

On 21st January 2014 the IMF published the most recent update of its world economic prospects. It raises its world growth forecast for 2014 to 3.7%. The IMF reveals that there has been a rise in optimism over the world's economy raising its growth forecast for the first time in nearly two years, but it still highlights the "fragility" of recovery. After having increased by 3% in 2013 the world GDP is due to progress to 3.7% in 2014 before gathering pace in 2015 with growth of 3.9%. "The obstacles that weigh over recovery are gradually receding, the burden of deficit reduction is declining, the financial system is slowly recovering and uncertainty is changing its course," summarised the IMF's Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard.

On 22nd January the European Commission encouraged the Member States to take steps in support of reviving Europ's industries since this will help create jobs, growth and competitiveness. In this context the Commission is inviting the Council and the European Parliament to adopt proposals relative to energy, transport, space and communication networks as well as the implementation of legislation that finalises the internal market. Moreover the Commission is encouraging the development of a Europe that is more open to business via the simplification of the legal framework and by improving the effectiveness of national and regional civil services Europe wide.

The 28 Member States adopted a regulation on 20th January 2014 offering the total fishing opportunities in 2014 to European ships in the EU and in some non-European waters. A political agreement was found during the meeting on 17th December 2013 between the Ministers responsible for fisheries. This regulation stipulates the total fishing opportunities and fishing quotas for the Member States in 2014 regarding fish stocks which are not the focus of international negotiations or agreements.

The so-called "Geneva 2" Conference that has been ongoing since 22nd January 2014 in Montreux is the second attempt by the international community to find a settlement via diplomatic means to the Syrian conflict. The EU's High Representative Catherine Ashton welcomed the initiators of the meeting during her inaugural speech (UN, US and Russia) and recalled the goals: ensuring political transition and the settlement of humanitarian problems in Syria. She recalled that the EU, which has promised 225 million euro to help Syrian refugees, would do everything it could to support the Syrian population both by way of financial donations and support to civil society. Although the UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi won commitment on both sides that they would sit down at the negotiating table, talks came to a halt over political transition issues.

The European Court of Justice deemed on 22nd January 2014 that the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) could intervene as a matter of urgency on the financial markets of Member States to regulate or ban shortselling. Following the financial crisis in 2012 the EU adopted a regulation to harmonise shortselling to prevent the prices of financial instruments from falling uncontrollably in the event of financial market turbulence. The UK made an appeal deeming that the ESMA had provided itself with discretionary political power in defiance of the principles of Union law. However the Court rejected the British appeal entirely and said that the ESMA's powers were governed quite precisely and were liable for legal control in terms of the goals that had been set which makes them compatible with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

German Sabine Lautenschläger became one of the six members of the ECB's executive board on 27th January 2014 and is the only woman to occupy this post after having won the EU Council's approval on 21st January. The ECB's Council of Governors put Sabine Lautenschläger forward on 22nd January to take the post of Vice-President of the Single Supervisory Mechanism of euro zone banks.

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen met her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris on 20th January 2014. Germany is due to take part in the European mission in Central Africa by sending transport and medical planes on condition that the Bundestag gives its greenlight. Berlin is already providing support to the French mission in Mali. The strengthening of military cooperation between Paris and Berlin is due to be undertaken via the Franco-German Brigade. The subject will be on the Franco-German Council of Ministers' agenda planned for 19th February in Paris.

Spain has been shaken over the last few weeks by demonstrations notably in Catalonia where the Parliament decided that a referendum would take place on the province's independence. Just as this decision met with major approval amongst the population the President of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoy, declared in a TV interview that no regions of Spain would become independent under his presidency nor under that of his successors.

During his official visit to the Netherlands on 20th January 2014 French President François Hollande held a press conference with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte. The two men explained that they had concluded a strategic partnership. They spoke of their common goals for the EU: a pertinent Europe, that is committed to its citizens in terms of growth and jobs and a more effective Commission. Finally they spoke of European Defence. François Hollande then took part in an economic forum in Amsterdam with Mr Rutte together with business heads from both countries. At the forum he spoke of common interests shared by both countries: the stability of the European Union, banking union, growth and competitiveness.

On 22nd January 2014 the Latvian Parliament (Saeima) approved the new government with 64 MPs voting in favour, 27 against and 2 abstentions. For the first time in Latvia's history a woman will be leading the government. Laimdota Straujuma, 62, will lead a government comprising 13 ministers of whom 4 are women at the head of the Ministries of Education and Science, Culture, Justice and Health. She will take over from Valdis Dombrovskis who resigned at the end of November 2013 following an incident in a shopping centre that led to the death of several people.

The text providing for the organisation of a referendum on the UK's possible exit from the EU by 2017 may never become a reality after the decision by the House of Lords on 24th January 2014 to send it back to the House of Commons. During a tumultuous debate, a majority of Lords asked to amend the question set by the referendum. As a result the draft bill must now return to the lower house which may delay the procedure permanently. This is because it has to enter into force before the end of the parliamentary session in April otherwise the government will have to reintroduce the text during the next session if it still wants to - a very rare event.

From 22nd to 25th January 2014 the 44th World Economic Forum took place in Davos. Europe was the focus of several round tables. On 22nd January "Is Europe back?" European and American economists met and promoted the positive aspects of the European economy but all expressed their concern about its future, if it does not reform. On 23rd January "Closing Europe's Competitiveness Gap" with José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. On 25th January a round table put forward the reforms that might be possible in terms of the European banking system. On 24th January José Manuel Barroso and Neelie Kroes also signed a declaration promoting a "Grand Coalition for Digital Employment."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to Brussels on 21st January to meet the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy, President the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. They addressed the present situation in Turkey. Indeed the country is suffering a major political crisis having undertaken a government reshuffle and making many arrests. Messrs van Rompuy and Barroso said they were concerned. They highlighted the need for Turkey to find a solution to this crisis in line with European criteria. The issue of Cyprus, the energy partnership, the liberalisation of passports and the crisis in Syria were also on the agenda during these discussions.

In a press release published on the government's site on 28th January 2014 Ukrainian Prime Minister announced that he was resigning. "I took the decision to ask the President (Viktor Yanukovych) to accept my resignation from this post, in order to provide additional conditions for a political compromise and a peaceful settlement to the conflict", wrote Mr Azarov. On the same day MPs are to vote on a series of measures, notably the repeal of the repressive laws concerning the demonstrations. Tension remains high in Kiev between demonstrators and the police. On 27th January 2014 activists evacuated the Justice Ministry which had been occupied since 26th January and the police discovered another body, the 7th, in Independence Square. The European delegation in Kiev said it was extremely concerned about the "worsening human rights situation." Referring to the massive arrests and fatal events of the last few days the Union called for an end to this kind of behaviour and for the "re-establishment of confidence between the government and civil society." On the eve of an extraordinary session of the Ukrainian parliament to settle the crisis the opposition declared that it was prepared to continue discussions with the government. The Council of Europe asked the Ukrainian parliament to repeal or suspend the repressive laws that were approved on 16th January stressing their incompatibility with the Charter of Human Rights. The head of the EU's diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, advanced her journey to Kiev by two days in a bid to try and defuse the crisis.

On 23rd January 2014 Eurostat indicated that the EU had recorded a current trade surplus in the third quarter of 2013 totalling 31.4 billion euro whilst it was only 33.3 billion euro in the third quarter of 2012 and 46.3 billion in the second quarter of 2013. In comparison with the second quarter of 2013 the goods account surplus based on data adjusted to seasonal variations decreased (from +9.7 billion euro to +0.1 billion) likewise the revenues account (from +16.4 billion euro to +9.4 billion euro).

Le Cercle Points publishing has just released a book by Michel Dévoluy, professor emeritus at the University of Strasbourg entitled "Comprendre le débat européen." This book is a warning and a citizen's act. He explains why Europe is heading for disaster and why it lacks identity and democracy. To move forward and rewrite the European project the author calls for an active effort on the part of the citizens, as he offers the tools to understand and the means to act.

Human Rights Watch presented its annual report on 21st January 2014 in Berlin. In its 667 page report on practices in terms of Human Rights observed in the world, the NGO summarises the main problems encountered in more than 90 countries. It is extremely concerned about the situation in Syria and regarding Edward Snowden's revelations about the American surveillance programme. From a general point of view there have been some notable improvements in 2013 regarding international mechanisms which help towards the defence of Human Rights.

For the very first time in Belgium the Palace for Fine Arts in Brussels is running an exhibition on the work of Francisco de Zurbaran, one of the main Baroque painters in Spain, in the ilk of Velazquez and Murillo. His work (mainly religious subjects) is typified by pure naturalism and modern poetic sensitivity. As a "painter of the Counter-Reformation", he created works that expressed the new attitudes that became dominant after the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and led to a cultural revival in Spain in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, not only in the visual arts but also in theatre, literature, and music.