Robert Schuman Foundation chairman Jean-Dominique Giuliani published an editorial on his site entitled "2014, a European Year" in which he reviews the results of past years. This year will notably see the election of new faces to the European institutions (Parliament, Commission, Presidency of the European Council, and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Jean-Dominique Giuliani believes that to overcome the crisis "which is not yet over" it will be necessary to accept indepth revision of European institutional practices."

The Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) published its provisional growth forecast on 30th January 2014 for 2013. It notably indicates that Spain experienced GDP growth of 0.3% in the last quarter of 2013 which has helped the country emerge from recession. Over the entire year the figure contracted by 1.2%. These figures will be confirmed by the INE in a report in February.

On 29th January 2014 the European Commission published recommendations for the Union's Member States (Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta and the UK) which have a regulation depriving some of their residents from voting in the national elections because they live in another Member State. According to the Commission practices like this affect the right to free movement even if according to the treaties the Member States can choose who can take part in national elections or not. These measures are also contrary to the principle of European citizenship which aims to grant European citizens more rights and not to withdraw them.

The representatives of the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission decided on 28th January 2014 to grant 6.5 billion euro to finance the new common fisheries policy. This agreement establishes the distribution of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) enabling the implementation of the new common fisheries policy for 2014-2020.

On 27th January 2014 the Serb and Kosovar Prime Ministers Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaçi met EU High Representative Catherine Ashton to continue work to normalise Serbo-Kosovar relations as agreed in April 2013. They discussed parliamentary elections and local Serb elections that will take place on 16th March 2014. Finally the next meeting has been planned for 12th February 2014.

On 29th January 2014 German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered her first speech to the government as head of the grand coalition. She set out the main lines of her policy for over one hour: budgetary discipline, investments for the future, strengthening social cohesion, responsibility in the European and world arenas. From a European point of view the Chancellor hopes to step up economic cooperation. Angela Merkel also advocated greater commitment by Germany in Africa alongside other European countries.

On 30th January 2014 OECD presented its report on ageing and employment policies in France. It concludes that "France must do more to promote quality work for senior citizens." The transition from employment to retirement is earlier in France than in other OECD countries. The international organisation is encouraging France to counter discrimination to make conventional dismissal harder to undertake against senior workers, to strengthen the employment agency's role in supporting senior citizens, to include the seniors' needs in the supply of professional training and to foster professional reconversion.

On 29th January 2014 the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad group (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic) met in Budapest to discuss the Ukrainian crisis. In the final press release they showed their concern about the situation in Kiev calling for an immediate halt to the violence. They called on the political parties in government, on the opposition and demonstrators to "maintain a stable, democratic and united Ukraine". They said they wanted to finance support projects for civil society in Ukraine via the "International Visegrad Fund". Finally they asked for a strengthening of the Erasmus + programme so that Ukrainian students could study in the EU's member states.

On 29th January 2014 the President of the Italian Council Enrico Letta met the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso in Brussels. The head of the Italian government announced that he intended to organise in Rome in July a European Council devoted to youth unemployment. He also insisted on the work undertaken by his government to re-balance Italy's accounts.

On 30th January 2014 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso in Brussels. They explained it was necessary for all violence to stop in Ukraine so that the situation could stabilise. For his part Mr Barroso recalled that Poland was an important model for transition towards democracy and integration in the EU. On the same day Mr Tusk also met French President François Hollande in Paris. They agreed on the need for a common European position on the Ukrainian crisis. On 31st January Mr Tusk travelled to Berlin where he met Chancellor Merkel. They expressed their support to the opposition calling for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Czech President Milos Zeman appointed the government of Bohuslav Sobotka on 29th January 2014 with a programme focused on growth and job creation. This appointment brings a long political crisis to an end. It was originally caused by a series of corruption scandals. This government comprises eight ministers from the Social Democratic Party (CSSD), six members from the ANO movement and three Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL). Three ministerial posts have been given to women. Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD) has been given the Foreign Affairs portfolio. Martin Stropnicky (ANO) has been appointed Defence minister. The Finance Ministry has been given to ANO leader Andrej Babis. The three parties have a 111 seat majority out of a total 200 in the lower Chamber; a confidence vote will take place on 18th February 2014.

Whilst Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced on 29th January 2014 that the UK was going to host the "most vulnerable" Syrian refugees to honour the British tradition of support to populations in difficulty the lower chamber of Parliament voted on third reading a draft bill that aims to toughen up access conditions to the UK for immigrants outside of the EU. The draft aims to limit access to services, installations, to the labour market and reviews marriage laws with people from other countries. The draft bill will now be sent to the House of Lords for discussion. The draft was tabled by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's government in October 2013.

Just hours before the arrival of the EU's head of diplomacy, Catherine Ashton in Ukraine on 4th February 2014, the Ukrainian President declared that he was prepared to hold early general and presidential elections to put an end to the political crisis. Following many demands from the opposition for international mediation the American State Department's spokesperson, Jennifer Psaki declared on 3rd February that the US had talked with the EU of possible financial aid to the Ukraine. This hypothesis of American and European support to Kiev would "be made after the formation of a technical government and when the country returned to the path of economic recovery with the help of the IMF, explained the spokesperson. On the same day the Ukrainian parliament started talks about a possible revision of the Constitution. It might review the 2004 text and reduce the President's powers to the benefit of the Prime Minister. On 28th January Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned and Parliament repealed the anti-freedom laws approved on 16th January. On 29th January parliament approved a bill guaranteeing an amnesty for imprisoned demonstrators on condition that opponents agree to evacuate occupied public buildings. The amnesty and the anti-freedom laws were signed on 31st January by President Viktor Yanukovich.

MP Anne Brasseur, former Minister and former President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was elected on 27th January 2014 by an absolute majority, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). She succeeds French MP Jean-Claude Mignon whose two year mandate has come to an end. The latter is the official candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe standing against the present Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger former Justice Minister in the governments of Angela Merkel and Helmut Kohl, who are also running for election.

The EU's Political and Security Committee confirmed on 28th January 2014 the appointment of the French Division General Philippe Pontiès as commander of the military operation in Central African Republic. Indeed on 20th January 2014 the Union's Foreign Ministers approved the launch of an EU military mission in Central Africa in support of the French and African Forces. Moreover the UN's Security Council gave a unanimous greenlight to the European forces in Central Africa which will be under the mandate of the UN.

On 29th January 2014 Eurostat indicated that the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in the EU totalled 2.6 billion ie an increase of 1.6% in comparison with 2012. Since 2003 this figure has continued to rise except in 2008 and 2009 because of the financial crisis. A new record has been achieved yearly since 2010. France remains in the leads in terms of destination with 405 million nights (+1.1%) ahead of Spain (387 million, +1.0%), Italy (363 million, -4.6%), Germany (355 million, +1.3%) and the UK (320 million, +6.5%).

The British Museum will be inaugurating an exhibition devoted to German art in the post war period from 6th February 2014 to 31st August. Entitled "Germany Divided - Baselitz and his generation", the exhibition will be presenting over 90 canvases and photos exploring how six key artists in the post war period redefined German art on both sides of the Iron Curtain. The work on show comes from the Duerckheim Collection.