The European Security Forum was organised on the initiative of several European political organisations and groups on 17th and 18th November in Brussels. Several Defence Ministers, the EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini as well as other experts attended. On 18th November Jean-Dominique Giuliani, the Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation moderated a round table on the theme of differences in perception of security issues in Europe.

On 13th November the OECD published figures on unemployment for the period covering September 2014. Unemployment in the OECD zone was down by 0.1 percentage points to 7.2% ie 44.2 million people. In the US and Canada unemployment was down by 0.2 percentage points to 5.9% and 6.8% respectively whilst it was up by 0.1 percentage points in Japan at 3.6%. The unemployment rate was stable in the euro zone at 11.5% for the fourth consecutive month. On 12th November the OECD published a new report on world growth. The Leading Composite Indicators show weak growth in Europe and stable growth in most of the world's other major economies and across the OECD as a whole. In the euro zone indicators show a downturn in growth particularly in Germany and Italy, but figures were stable in France. In the UK the trend is also downwards.

Unemployment stabilised at 6% in the UK during the three months ending in September - this is the lowest rate recorded since the end of 2008 said the Office for National Statistics on 12th November. There are 1.96 million people seeking work in the UK, 529,000 less than a year ago. If the 16-64 year olds who are not looking for work are added to this figure the ONS announces however a total 9.03 million people who are economically inactive. The ONS states that of the 30.97 million people working in the country, 73% work full time and 27% part time.

During an interview published on 16th November in the newspaper Kathimerini, the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras insisted on the need to take steps to reduce the country's debt in the quest for political and economic stability. He said that an agreement with Greece's creditors had to be reached regarding debt reduction. Without this Greece will be excluded from the financial markets.

On 12th November the European Commission, decided to grant a 260 million euro loan to Ukraine on behalf of the European Union as part of the EU's Macro-Financial Aid Fund. The aim of the programme is to help Ukraine both economically and financially in the present situation. Moreover the European Commission decided to increase its humanitarian aid to the country to a total of 32 million in response to immediate requirements on the part of vulnerable populations who are affected by the conflict. An additional 3.3 million euro will be distributed to the population in the east to satisfy their basic requirements and to prepare for the approaching winter and 4.5 million euro will respond to the needs of the displaced elsewhere in the country.

On 12th November, a week after the publication of the investigation "LuxLeaks" the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker responded to criticism which implied his responsibility in the tax agreements made between multinationals and Luxembourg's tax authorities when he was the country's Prime Minister. He recalled that "tax rulings" were a "well established" practice in 22 of the EU's countries deeming that solutions had to be found Europe-wide. He acknowledged that he was "politically responsible" for the tax system but denied the existence of any "conflict of interest" in terms of the Commission investigating Luxembourg highlighting his non-intervention regarding issues and, Margareth Vestager, the Competition Commissioner's total autonomy. He stressed that the Commission wanted to resume the harmonisation of the common tax base Europe-wide. Moreover he announced that he had asked the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Taxation, Pierre Moscovici to prepare a directive that will enable the automatic exchange of information between the 28 EU Member States on tax agreements.

On 14th November the European Commission gave its conditional go-ahead to the alliance agreed between the Emirate airline Etihad Airways and the Italian company Alitalia, thereby enabling the latter to avoid probable bankruptcy. Brussels has set just one condition and that is the opening of landing opportunities for another airline in the airports of Rome Fiumicino and Belgrade. The operation will lead to a new joint company New Alitalia, which will guarantee the continued activities of Alitalia CAI. Moreover Etihad will have exclusive control over Alitalia Loyalty SpA, a branch of Alitalia CAI which manages the Italian airline's loyalty programme. The Commission assessed the impact on competition and concluded that the operation would not cause a serious problem - except regarding the Rome-Belgrade liaison - mainly because of competitive pressure exercised by other companies.

The 28 Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers decided on 10th November to extend the ban on fishing deep sea sharks by the European fleet for another two years. Regarding other deep sea fishing stocks whose capture opportunities ministers were due to assess, the next two years are forecast to be less favourable. Generally the ministers agreed to reduce fishing quotas notably the black scabbardfish, roundnose grenadier and roughhead grenadier. But these reductions are below European Commission expectations as part of the new common fisheries policy, focused on countering overfishing and preserving species. Moreover they exchanged views on the financing of European Agricultural Guarantee Funds during which most Member States said they were worried about the potential impact of a CAP budget reduction planned for by the European Commission in its 2015 budget amendment letter.

On 17th November the Council took position on the European budget 2015 and a certain number of projects in the 2014 amended budget. They acknowledged the unprecedented amount of unpaid contributions and agreed to use flexibility instruments provided for in the regulation by the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 in order to overcome this exceptional situation. The Council's position aims to place the development of commitments and payments on a more sustainable path in order to avoid similar situations in the future.

On 17th November the Council decided to launch an EU consultative mission for the reform of the Ukrainian civilian security sector starting on 1st December 2014 for an initial mandate of two years. The mission will help the Ukrainian authorities in the area of reforming the civilian security sector including the police force and the rule of law. The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin signed the Agreement Statutes for the mission between the EU and Ukraine. The mission will advise on a reform strategy, a planning framework for real measures and a structure to supervise implementation. The respect of human rights and the fight to counter corruption are also on the mission's agenda. For the first 12 months the mission will have a budget of 13.1 million euro.

The 28 European Foreign Ministers decided on 17th November to extend the list of people targeted by sanctions due to their involvement in the conflict in the east of Ukraine. They asked the EU's diplomatic service to "put forward new additions to the list targeting the separatists so that a decision can be taken by the end of the month."

On 12th November the Netherlands opened the world's first solar cycle path - a project that long term will make it possible to recharge electric bikes and cars across the entire Dutch road network (140,000km, 25,000 km of cycle paths). Named "SolaRoad" the path was built along a 70m stretch to the north of Amsterdam using concrete elements of 2.5m x 3.5m that were covered with solar panels. These in turn were covered with tempered, anti-skid glass in order to avoid accidents.

On 10th November in a conference organised by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), it was stressed that most British business owners would vote for the country to stay in the European Union. Michael Rake, who heads the CBI declared that "staying in the EU is clearly in our interest". Opposition leader, Labour's Ed Miliband, warned that leaving the Union would be a "disaster" criticising those who were "flirting" with the idea. Finally Prime Minister David Cameron maintained that the "worst thing to do would be to ignore that the debate exists."

Nicola Sturgeon was officially appointed on 14th November as head of the Scottish National Party, the SNP, which met in congress in Perth (Scotland). Ms Sturgeon, who is 44, has been the SNP's number 2 for the last ten years and was the only candidate standing to take over from Alex Salmond who resigned in September after the failure of the referendum on the independence of Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon is also due to be appointed First Minister of Scotland on 19th November.

According to figures published by Eurostat on 14th November, the euro zone's annual inflation rate lay at 0.4% in October, in comparison with 0.3% in September, whilst in the European Union it lay at 0.5% in October 2014 in comparison with 0.4% in September. A year ago annual inflation stood at 0.9% in the EU. In October 2014 amongst the EU Member States negative annual rates were recorded in Greece (-1.8%), Belgium (-1.5%), Hungary and Poland (-0.3% each) as well as in Spain (-0.2%) whilst the highest annual rates were seen in Romania (1.8%), Austria (1.4%) and Finland (1.2%).

In September the euro zone recorded a trade surplus of 18.5 billion euro after 8.6 billion in August announced Eurostat on 17th November. According to data adjusted to seasonal variations exports increased by 4.2% in comparison with August and imports by 3%. The surplus totalled 2.6 billion euro for the EU.

Etienne François has published "La résistance chrétienne au nazisme en Allemagne et en France" (Christian Resistance to Nazism in Germany and France). It covers the story of Franz Stock, a German Francophile priest who, on behalf of the Archbishop of Paris, assumed the role of chaplain in prisons and at execution sites from 1940 and 1944. This publication follows a conference in 2011 which was supported by the Robert Schuman Foundation.

The 22nd London Jazz Festival will be taking place until 23rd November 2014. Since 1992 the festival has hosted an audience of thousands at various venues across London. This year around one hundred artists from the world over will be taking part in the festival notably with several jazz legends in attendance, like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Ornette Coleman. Because of the diversity and wealth of the performances the London Jazz Festival is open to the knowledgeable amateur as well as the curious visitor as they discover this musical style.

The new Ethnographic Museum of Geneva is now open. The building was designed by Marco Graber and Thomas Pulver and is described as a "black underground box", since a lack of building space led to the creation of underground exhibition areas but the roof and façade of diamond lattice work provide for the generous entry of light. The permanent exhibition "The Archives of Human Diversity" comprises around 1000 exhibits from five continents, most of which have not been available to the public for over ten years.

The 25th International Festival of Contemporary Music "Ars Musica" is taking place until 30th November 2014 in Brussels. In 2014 more than 30 artists will gather in 18 venues in Brussels on the theme "Mini-Maxi". Many concerts will be performed daily enabling the communication of local, European and international music by both experienced and inexperienced composers.

Initially devoted to the sorting of post, the Tripostal in Lille was transformed on the occasion of Lille 2004, when the city became a European Cultural Capital and is now a must in terms of contemporary art. Collectors established in the region of Lille and Courtrai are showing 140 pieces of work by 80 artists until 4th January 2015. The exhibition entitled "Secret Passions" takes visitors on a journey of discovery of Flemish contemporary art which is largely unknown.

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the death of Domínikos Theotokópoulos, also known as "El Greco", the Benaki Museum in Athens is running an exhibition until March 1st 2015 devoted to intellectuals, collectors and sponsors who formed the personal circle of the Greek painter in Toledo, Spain where he spent most of his life. The exhibition presents unique documents from Toledo's city archives, manuscripts, books from the Spanish National Library, as well as four portraits of El Greco from the collections of the Prado, Madrid and the El Greco Museum of Toledo and a private collection in London. Deemed to be the founder of the 16th century Spanish School, El Greco influenced a good share of the art world of the French Romantics of the 19th century up to Picasso and Jackson Pollock in the 20th century who were directly inspired by him.