The 2020 edition of the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union", a reference work for European decision-makers, published by Marie B, is available in electronic format in French and in English. It contains contributions by leading personalities and experts and offers a comprehensive view of the European Union and analyses the challenges facing Europe. You can order it online.

On 19 November, the European heads of State and government discussed the Union's future strategies to deal with the pandemic. They discussed the selection and placing on the market of the most effective rapid antigen tests and the establishment of a coordinated and gradual approach to the lifting of national restrictive measures. A communication campaign and a vaccination campaign will soon be established to help States communicate the importance of vaccines and to assist them in transporting, storing and making the vaccines available to all. They had a discussion on the blocking of the multi-annual budget by Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.

On 18 November, the Commission presented its opinions on the draft budget plans (DBP) of the 19 euro area countries for 2021 and its recommendations for the euro area. Some of the measures presented by France, Italy, Lithuania and Slovakia are of concern. The Commission is calling on them to "redirect these fiscal policies once epidemiological and economic conditions permit it". Macroeconomic imbalances have been noted in 12 countries as part of the alert mechanism report. Recommendations for the eurozone give strategic guidance for recovery and resilience plans and call for completing economic and monetary union (EMU) and strengthening the international role of the euro. According to the recommendation, the unemployment rate is expected to rise from 7.5% to 9.4% in 2021.

Negotiators from the Council and the Parliament reached an agreement on 18 November setting the amount of the React-EU initiative at €47.5 billion. €37.5 billion will be available in 2021 and €10 billion in 2022 for this instrument mobilising cohesion funds to help Member States' economies in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Unlike other cohesion programmes, Member States can apply for a 100% EU grant rate. The pre-financing rate is set at 11%. Italy and Spain will be the two biggest beneficiaries, with €11.3 and €10.9 billion of funds respectively. The Council and Parliament must now approve the proposal.

On 19 November, the ministers in charge of industry and the internal market discussed the recovery plan and ways of making European industry greener, more dynamic and competitive. They discussed the Annual Report of the SME Envoy Network, the Commission's new consumer programme and the industrial policy work programme of the upcoming Portuguese presidency of the Council.

The Council of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the EU and three countries of the European Free Trade Association (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), held talks by videoconference on 18 November. It reiterated its commitment to cooperation in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, to free movement within the EEA and to the integrity of the internal market. Representatives affirmed their commitment to eliminate remaining trade barriers, notably in the field of services, and to support the modernisation of the WTO.

The Frontex Agency announced on 18 November that illegal crossings of the Union's external borders fell by 21% in the first 10 months of 2020 compared to the first 10 months of 2019. Over the same period, the number of migrants coming through the Balkans, estimated at 19,700, has doubled, while arrivals from the West and East of the Mediterranean have fallen by 37% and 75% respectively.

A study published by the independent audit firm KPMG on 18 November forecasts a weaker economic recovery in the UK if there is no agreement on Brexit, of around 4.4% in 2021, compared with 7.2% if the EU and the UK reach a minimum agreement that excludes services. The absence of an agreement particularly threatens the manufacturing sector, whose production would be 6 to 12% less at the end of 2021 than at the end of 2019. KPMG stresses that Brexit, even with an agreement, will penalise the British recovery because GDP growth would be 7.2% in 2021 against 10.1% if the United Kingdom had remained within the single market.

On 19 November, the OECD published a report produced jointly with the European Commission comparing the management of the Covid-19 crisis by 35 countries, EU Member States, members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the 5 EU candidate countries. The report considers that Norway and Finland are the two countries that have best mastered the pandemic thanks to the rapid implementation of a screening and tracing strategy and a high level of public confidence in the institutions.

In a report published on 17 November, the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on Cyprus to take steps to increase transparency in the tax returns of elected representatives and to establish a code of conduct for parliamentarians to prevent conflicts of interest. While the report notes progress, particularly in terms of transparency of judicial appointments, it is also concerned about the scandal of "golden" Cypriot passports sold to non-Europeans.

EU agricultural output rose by 2.4% in 2019 compared with 2018, according to the economic accounts for agriculture published on 16 November by Eurostat. France and Germany contributed most to agricultural output in 2019, accounting for 18% and 14% respectively of the EU total.

On 20 November, the Parliament published the results of its third Eurobarometer survey of the year on citizens' views on the coronavirus crisis and their attitudes towards the European Union. 41% of respondents have a positive image of the EU, up from 31% in the first survey in April. 66% believe the EU should have more powers to deal with the pandemic and 77% want only member countries that respect the rule of law and the EU's democratic values to be eligible for EU funding.

The Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid is presenting an exhibition dedicated to Neoplasticism, an artistic movement founded in 1917 by the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, until 1 March 2021. On display are the works of Mondrian and those of other artists who contributed to this movement, based on the relationships between rectangular shapes, colour planes and straight lines.