In view of the upcoming European elections, the Robert Schuman Foundation has published its "Permanent Atlas of the European Union". This book, unique in its genre, drafted by the Foundation's experts offers readers a panorama of the Union, the euro zone and of each of the 28 Member States. It summarizes the main elements of history, as well as the political and statistical realities of the Union. In addition to this, there are over 50 physical and geopolitical maps of Europe.

In a press release published on 5th November the Maltese Financial Services Authority (MFSA) announced that the ECB's Council of Governors (ECB) had accepted its proposal to revoke the Maltese Pilatus Bank's license as a credit establishment. Quoted in the Panama Papers and at the heart of investigations by Maltese journalist Daphné Caruana, who was murdered in 2017, Pilatus Bank is suspected of money laundering and corruption.

On the occasion of the 5th conference "Our Ocean" which was taking part in Bali (Indonesia) on 29th and 30th October the Union made 23 new commitments in support of clean, healthy, safe oceans. 300 millions € will be allocated to this cause, including 100 million € for research and development against plastic pollution of the oceans, 82 million € for marine and maritime research (notably the assessment of the ecosystems and cartography) and 18.4 million € for sectors that depend on the ocean and its resources.

European Transport and Environment Ministers met in Graz, Austria on 30th October - and discussed the change of hour. Most States support the Commission's proposal but Greece, the UK and Portugal are against it, whilst France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Denmark did not express an opinion. They also looked a Graz Declaration, drafted by the Austrian presidency of the Council which callls on the Commission and the Member States to step up their work to achieve the European climate goals, which must be formally adopted at the next Council meeting. Moreover Ministers asked the Commission to establish and implement an integrated strategy by 2021 for clean, safe, affordable, inclusive mobility in Europe.

The Quantum Technologies Flagship, financed by the European Horizon 2020 Programme, was launched in Vienna on 29th October by the Austrian Presidency of the Council. Provided with a billion € budget the project will be financing 5,000 European researchers for the next decade in the area of quantum technologies and aims to place Europe at the forefront in this sector. Quantum technologies will enable a significant increase in the processing speed of metadata and calculations.

In an opinion delivered on 31st October the Union's Court of Auditors deemed that the new rules put forward by the Commission as part of the multi-annual financial framework 2021-2027, regarding the Cohesion Policy funds post-2020 are simpler and more flexible. But the auditors suggest the introduction of additional safeguard measures to ensure the funds' use is compliant with the Union's rules and that they have real effect.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel travelled to Ukraine on November 1st to meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Regretting that the Minsk Agreements have not been respected, she declared that she would advocate the upkeep of sanctions against Russia. On 2nd November, just before the centenary of the return of independence to Poland, on 11th November 1918, the Chancellor met her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw. They stressed the importance of their relations from the economic point of view and also the border regions.

The strengthening of regional cooperation and the intensification of connectivity in areas such as energy, transport, security and the digital economy were the main issues under discussion at the 5th quadrilateral summit between Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia which took place in Varna on 2nd November. The four countries announced that they intended to organise the World Football Cup in 2030.

Events across Europe will commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, on 11th November 1918. In France events started on 4th November with a concert for Peace in Strasbourg with the French and German Presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier in attendance. From 5th to 9th November the French President will undertake a "memorial route" from Morhange to Rethondes, where he will meet up with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. British Prime Minister Theresa May will also travel to the Somme on the same days as Emmanuel Macron. On 11th November tribute will be paid to the fallen soldiers at the Arc de Triomphe together with heads of State including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. On the same day Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary Antonio Guerres, will inaugurate a Forum for Peace in Paris that will be devoted to world governance until 13th November.

The strengthening of synergies in economic relations and political dialogue were the dominant issues in the third high-level EU-Arab summit organised in Athens on 29th and 30th October under the aegis of the Commission and in cooperation with the Arab League. The summit brought together the representatives of more than 30 countries for debate over issues such as the migratory crisis, European and Arab policy in the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East, as well as environmental and energy issues.

On 4th November the second round of local elections took place in Poland. According to still partial results the opposition won the major towns such as Gdansk and Krakow in addition to those already won in the first round (Warsaw, Lodz, Poznan, Lublin and Wroclaw) on 21st October.

After the head of the Conservative Party, Ulf Kristersson, outgoing Prime Minister, Social Democrat, Stefan Lofven admitted on 29th October to having failed to form a government. The leader of Parliament will therefore have to appoint another party leader for a third bid since the elections on 9th September to form a coalition. After four attempts new elections must be organised.

On 2nd November, the Macedonian government triggered the second of three phases in the ratification process of the agreement with Greece, thereby settling the issue of the country's name, as it submitted to Parliament a project of four amendments to the Constitution. Ratification, by a two-third majority, might occur before the end of the year. On 1st November, in the spirit of the agreement signed in June, Macedonia and Greece resumed direct flights between their capitals, Skopje and Athens after a 12-year break.

The prime ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries and the UK attended the 70th session of the Nordic Council from 30th October to 1st November in Oslo and also the Forum on the Future of the North. The Council meeting focused on present pressure that is weighing on democracy and the freedom of movement in the region, as well as judicial cooperation. Discussions also focused on the Finnish programme for the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2019. The Forum was devoted to technologies implemented in the healthcare sector.

During the NATO-Russia Council meeting, the dialogue forum that brings together the ambassadors of the 29 allies and Russia,which took place in Brussels on 31st October, several security issues were addressed, including the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), from which the USA has announced its withdrawal, the situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan, issues regarding military exercises on in 2018, mutual transparency and the reduction of risks as well as hybrid threats.

According to Eurostat estimates published on 30th October, the euro zone GDP increased by 0.2% in the third quarter of 2018 in comparison with the previous quarter and by 1.7% in comparison with the third quarter of 2017. The trend is similar for the entire EU since during the first quarter of 2018 the GDP increased by 0.3% in comparison with the previous quarter and by 1.9% in comparison with the third quarter of 2017.

Air pollution is still over the limits set by the Union and the World Health Organisation, despite a slight reduction says a report published by the European Environment Agency on 29th October. Air pollution mainly comes from road transport emissions, the production and consumption of energy and agriculture. Its impact is bad for the health but also the environment and the economy. In 2015 according to the report, 391,000 people died because of the concentration of fine particle dust across the 28 Member States.

Dutchman Frans Timmermans, the Commission's First Vice-President will head the European list for the PES (Party of European Socialists) in the European elections of 2019, after the withdrawal of the other candidate, Slovakian Maroš Šefčovič. In a letter addressed to the Chair of the PES Serguei Stanishev Mr Šefčovič explained his choice, saying that he wanted to increase the party's unity and cohesion and announced his support to Mr Timmermans, who will run for the Presidency of the European Commission. The PES will launch its campaign during its congress on 7th and 8th December.

Emmanuel Sales, Chair of the Financière de la Cité, has published a paper on what he thinks of the present Italian and European economic situation.

An exhibition on the painter Pierre-August Renoir and his son, film-maker Jean Renoir is taking place at the Orsay Museum in Paris from 6th November to 27th January 2019. Pictures, film excerpts, photographs, costumes, posters, drawings and documents bear witness to a fruitful dialogue between the two men and their attachement to freedom and humanism.