The Social Democratic Party (PSD) won the parliamentary elections on 11th December in Romania with 45,5% of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies and 45,71% in the Senate. The National Liberal Party (PNL) won 20,04% and 20,42%. The Union for the Salvation of Romania (USR) followed with 8,83% and 8,88% in the Senate, the Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania (UDMR) won 6,19% and 6,25%, the Liberal and Democratic Alliance (ALDE), 5,62% and 6.% and the People's Movement (PMP) 5,32% and 5,64%. Turnout totalled 39.49%.

In an editorial published on his site, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, Chairman of the Foundation looks into the use of the referendum in terms of diplomacy and on the effect they have on the European Union.

The European Agency Frontex announced on 7th December the launch of its rapid intervention pool of 1,500 civil servants designed to help country members in an emergency situation on the external borders of the European Union.

On 6th December Michel Barnier, the European Commission's negotiator-in-chief for the Brexit announced an agreement on the UK's exit of the EU should be concluded with the British government by October 2018.

On 6th December the Council adopted conclusions on the progress made in cooperation between the EU and NATO since the signature of the joint declaration on 7th July 2016 and on the need to step up work to implement this declaration.

On 6th December the Council signed a political dialogue and cooperation agreement with Cuba. The official signature took place on 12th December. The agreement applies temporarily whilst waiting for ratification by all Member States.

On 8th December, the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to maintain its key interest rate at 0% and to extend its massive debt purchase programme until December 2017 but these will drop from 80 to 60 billion € per month as of April 2017.

On 6th December German Chancellor Angela Merkel was re-elected as head of his party, the CDU with 89.5% of the vote at the party's congress in Essen.

Following the resignation of Manuel Valls on 6th December French President François Hollande announced the appointment of Bernard Cazeneuve as Prime Minister.

The Greek Parliament adopted the 2017 budget on 10th December by a short majority of 152 votes out of 300. During debate issues focused mainly on the 2nd assessment of the aid programme, the debt, recent announcement of the Prime Minister regarding support to pensions.

As requested by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Matarella on 5th December the President of the Council Matteo Renzi waited for the final adoption of the 2017 budget by the Senate 166 votes against 70 and 1 abstention on 7th December to present his resignation.

On 9th December the three heads of government from the Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Jüri Ratas, Maris Kucinskis and Algirdas Butkevicius met during the Baltic Council of Ministers. They discussed security, foreign affairs and energy policy.

On 8th December the IMF published its fifth report on the post-programme monitoring of Portugal. According to the IMF although economic growth has been sustained thanks to exports, Portugal needs to extend its growth relays to maintain its economic dynamism.

On 7th December a non-binding motion, drafted by the Labour opposition, then amended by government was approved by 448 MPs in the House of Commons. This text stipulates that Theresa May, British Prime Minister, will keep MPs informed on condition that the latter call the government to trigger article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by 31st March 2017.

On 11th December early elections took place in Macedonia. After the count of 99.7% of the voting slips the VMRO-DPMNE, at present in office, is said to have won with 38.06% of the vote against 36.69% for the Social Democrats (SDSM).

The amendments that were approved in the Polish Sejm would infringe the right to free assembly if they lead to a law, said Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner at the Council of Europe for Human Rights.

On 5th December the OECD published the Pensions Outlook 2016. In the face of ageing populations the organisation encourages countries to re-establish fairness between civil servants and wage earners in the private sector as well as to foster the diversification of pensioners' revenue sources.

During the third quarter of 2016 the GDP rose by 0.4% in the EU and by 0.3% in the euro zone in comparison with the previous quarter according to an estimation published by Eurostat on 6th December.

In its latest estimations on the sales of arms in 2015 published on 5th December the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that the European arms sales industries have won shares in the world market. The American industry still dominates the sector. However the total sale of arms in the world declined for the sixth year running.

The Unterlinden Museum of Colmar is paying tribute to German painter Otto Dix until 30th January 2017. The exhibition, which brings together more than a hundred of his paintings, shows how the Isenheim Altarpiece, one of the museum's main pieces, inspired the artist his whole life long.