On 18 December, the Commission unveiled the second part of the autumn package of the European Semester, which includes the following elements: the Commission's proposal for a recommendation on the economic policy of the euro zone for 2025, the 2025 report on the alert mechanism and the Commission's proposal for the Joint Employment Report 2025.

Following Parliament's decision on 17th December, on 18th December the Council adopted two regulations aimed at supporting Member States affected by natural disasters. The RESTORE regulation, on emergency regional support for reconstruction, allows cohesion policy funds to be deployed. The regulation governing the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development has also been amended to provide targeted emergency aid to farmers.

A week before the first round of Croatia's presidential election on 29 December, incumbent President Zoran Milanović (SDP) is expected to win 35.49% of the vote, followed by Dragan Primorac (HDZ) with 26.91%, according to polls that show the gap between the two candidates narrowing. Independent candidate Marija Selak Raspudić is expected to come third with 12.27%.

From 27 December to 1 January, the Royal Opera House at the Château de Versailles will be staging performances of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, written entirely in French and directed with an extraordinary dreamlike quality by Cécile Roussat and Julien Lubek. The Magic Flute is a tale of love, the quest for wisdom and the triumph of light over darkness. On 30 December, the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra joins the Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles for an exceptional New Year's concert dedicated to Johann Strauss.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's concert will be held, as it is every year, on 1 January in the Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein. This event, considered to be one of the world's greatest classical music concerts, will be broadcast live on television in over 90 countries.

At their meeting on 19th December, the Heads of State and Government invited the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to take part in their work. The war in Ukraine was one of the issues discussed, and in particular the EU's financial support through the Ukraine Facility. Developments in the Middle East were also discussed, with leaders once again calling for de-escalation and reconstruction in Syria. There was also a strategic debate on strengthening the EU's role on the international stage. Resilience and preparedness were also discussed, particularly in the light of the Niinistö report.

At a meeting organised by the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpoo, in Lapland on 21 and 22 December, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson discussed Europe's security challenges, calling on all Member States to invest more in defence. They believe that Russia represents a direct threat to European security.

In an unstable and erratic world, Europe is being tossed about and battered, and the challenges are many. For Jean-Dominique Giuliani, Europe must adapt to ensure and guarantee its prosperity, to remain the cultural and political beacon to which its nations aspire, and to draw on the strength of enthusiasm needed to build a future as bright as its past.

Protests continue in Georgia - in Tbilisi and in all the country's cities. In its final report on the observation of the parliamentary elections of 26 October, published on 20 December, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) reiterated its previous findings and conclusions on the pressure exerted on voters and the lack of independence of State institutions. On the same day, the European Commission proposed suspending part of the visa facilitation agreement for civil servants. From 18 to 20 December, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, visited the country to show his support for the Georgian people.

MEPs decided to set up two new standing committees, one on security and defence and the other on public health. They also called for two special committees to be set up: one on the European democracy shield and the other on housing. These four committees will be officially set up at the plenary session from 20th to 23rd January 2025.

On 17th December, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, awarded the 2024 Sakharov Prize to human rights defenders. This year's winners are Venezuelans Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado, for their commitment to the democratic opposition in Venezuela.

On 20 December, the Swiss Federal Council and the European Union formally concluded negotiations on their future relationship. Negotiations were officially opened on 18 March in Brussels with a view to stabilising and developing bilateral relations. Both parties stressed the importance of cooperation in Europe in the face of geopolitical challenges.