After the declarations of the French President regarding the lack of strategic thought by the Atlantic Alliance, Europeans must think about how to strengthen their autonomy and acquire their independence, to encourage the respect of their interests and to defend their values, writes Jean-Dominique Giuliani. The draft treaty to reinsure the security of Europe between Germany, France and the UK put forward by the Foundation in 2016 might be a foundation for this.

Negotiators in the Parliament and Council came to an agreement on 14th November on the improvement of tyre labelling in the Union which aims to help consumers to make choices fostering greater energy savings. The project is part of the clean mobility programme launched by the Juncker Commission. The agreement must now be approved by the Parliament and the Council.

After discussions with the political groups in the European Parliament, the president elected of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, decided to change the name of the portfolio of some Commissioners on 13th November. The portfolio of the Vice-President designate, Margaritis Schinas, has become "Promoting the European Way of Life" - in replacment of "Protecting" - that of Commissioner designate for Employment, Nicolas Schmit, is now called "Jobs and Social Rights", that of Virginijus Sinkevicius, will be called "Environment, Oceans and Fisheries". The Commissioner designate to the Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals under the European Semester.

On 12th November Defence Ministers approved the launch of 13 new Permanent Structured Cooperation projects. They reiterated the importance of EU-NATO cooperation in view of the meeting of Alliance leaders on 3rd and 4th December in London. They also discussed the achievements and challenges facing the common security and defence policy particularly the EU's work in Sahel and the efficacy of coordinated maritime operations.

On 12th November the EU's Court of Justice indicated that all food products from the territories occupied by Israel or Israeli colonies must state their origin in addition to the country of origin. The judges deemed that the label stating the real origin would help consumer awareness and to make choices in the respect of considerations of an ethical, ecologic, sanitary, economic and social nature.

In a report on the management of the migration crisis published on 13th November the Court of Auditors called on the Union to step its action in terms of relocation, the return of migrants and the duration of the processing of asylum requests. It notes that the goal of the emergency relocation programmes, to reduce pressure on Greece and Italy has not be achieved. It also stresses that despite a rise in funding and the means deployed by the EU the return of illegal migrants is still inadequate and problematic.

On 14th November the European Bank of Investment (EIB) announced the launch of a new strategy for the climate. It will cease funding projects linked to fossil energies as of 2022 and aims to achieve a 50% share of its work devoted to climate action and environmental sustainability by 2025. It plans to release 1,000 billion € in support of clilmate action and sustainable development and to align its financing activities with the Paris Agreement Goals by the end of 2020.

On 11th November German Chancellor Angela Merkel met her Italian counterpart, President Giuseppe Conte in Rome. This meeting provided an opportunity to address many issues such as Brexit, migration, the launch of membership negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans, but also international trade relations.

On 12th November the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) came out ahead in the legislative elections on 10th November concluded an agreement of principle with the radical left party Podemos, to form a coalition government. The content of the government programme still has to be defined by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias. With 155 seats out of 350, the two parties do not hold a majority in the House of Deputies however.

The second Paris Peace Forum took place on 12th and 13th November. French President Emmanuel Macron, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, a guest of honour and the president elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen exhorted collective action at time when "nationalism" and "protectionism" is on the rise, to counter the challenges that the planet now faces.

In a report on the economic situation in Greece published on 15th November, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) notes that the end of the crisis is continuing at a slower pace than expected, notably due to an inadequate level of investment and under implmentation of the public investment programme. The IMF has encouraged Greece to adopt policies to stimulate productivity and reduce the competitiveness gap.

On 15th November Polish President Andrzej Duda appointed the new government led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, during a ceremony that took place at the Presidential Palace of Warsaw. Morawiecki formally resigned on 12th November, the day when the new Polish Parliament held its first session after the general elections on 13th October.

On 17th November the Czechs and Slovakians commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which brought down the communist regime in 1989. In Prague, Prime Minister Andrej Babis organised a ceremony together with his Slovakian, Polish and Hungarian counterparts and with the President of the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble. A procession commemorated the demonstration by students whose repression triggered the revolution. The day before more than 200,000 people demonstrated demanding Mr Babis's resignation, since he is suspected of corruption and for having collaborated with the Communist political police. In Bratislava President Zuzana Caputova chaired a ceremony with his Czech, Polish, Hungarian and German counterparts.

On 14th December the European Commission launched infringement proceedings against the UK which has not name a candidate for Commissioner. The Commission, the guardian of the European treaties, sent a warning letter to the UK "for breaching its EU Treaty obligations by not suggesting a candidate for the post of EU Commissioner".

On 12th November the Moldovan government collapsed after the vote of no confidence on the part of 63 MPs of the possible 101. Relations in the coalition formed by the ACUM group led by the pro-European Prime Minister Maia Sandu and the socialists deteriorated following a proposed reform of the appointment of the Prosecutor General.

The Group of States against corruption at the Council of Europe (GRECO) published a report on 13th November in which it stresses the progress made by Spain in terms of countering corruption, as well as in the parliamentary and judicial areas. In a second report focusing on the integrity of the central governments and police forces GRECO calls on Spain to improve the transparency of its legal framework. It suggested strengthening the Office for the Conflict of Interest and the Council for Transparency and Good Governance.

According to the most recent figures published by the International Migration Organisation, more than 1090 migrants and refugees have died as they tried to cross the Mediterranean since the start of 2019. The figure is down in comparison with 2018 when more than 2117 deaths were recorded in the same period.

The euro zone's annual inflation rate has decreased to 0.7% in October against 0.8% in September, according to figures published by Eurostat on 15th November. In the Union it has dropped from 1.2% in September to 1.1% in October.

CO2 emissions in the G20 countries increased in all areas of their economy in 2018, notes the NGO Climate Transparency in its report, "Brown to Green: G20 transition to a net-zero emissions economy", published on 12th November. According to the experts there is still a long way to go before the goals set by the Paris Agreement are achieved.

The exhibition "Bremen Kunsthalle Masterpieces: from Delacroix to Beckmann", on show until 16th January 2020 at the Guggenheim in Bilbao highlights the close links between German and French art of the 19th and 20th century.