The Robert Schuman Institute for Europe in partnership with the Robert Schuman Foundation is organising an international conference on 16th December on the theme "Europe-Diversity" at the Centre de la Conférence des Evêques de France. The Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation will speak at a round table on the theme of "Education-Politics-Communication".

The Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, has published an editorial on his site on the results of the European Council on 9th December. According to him "the decisions taken by the European Heads of State and government include many positive novelties, which reveal true determination to overcome the crisis of doubt and defiance."

On 19th December the Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani will take part in a debate at the Bulgarian National Assembly, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. Jean-Dominique Giuliani's speech will start with an analysis of the financial crisis, he will then reveal his ideas, notably the solutions that he suggests are necessary. On the same day, the Assembly will launch an information and communication campaign devoted to the most urgent European issues.

On 7th December the Greek Parliament approved the 2012 austerity budget, 258 votes out of 299. The three main government parties led by Lucas Papademos voted in support of the budget that is planning for tax increases and a significant reduction in spending. Greece is thereby falling in line with the requirements set by the EU and the IMF. The Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos also announced on 6th December that the government would continue to negotiate with private creditors on the reduction of the Greek debt.

The Austrian Parliament approved the "golden budgetary rule" on 7th December imposing a reduction in public deficits, but the grand coalition government (SPÖ/ÖVP) did not win the two-thirds majority required to include this measure in the Constitution. The law plans that as of 2017 public deficit in Austria must not exceed 1.25% of the GDP each year.

According to a declaration by Latvian Finance Minister Andriks Vilks on 7th December Latvia is finalising an agreement with the IMF to end the financial institution's aid programme. Latvia had been benefiting from an aid programme to a total of 1.68 billion euros since December 2008. The Latvian economy grew by 4.5% in 2011. In 2012 the European Commission is forecasting 2.5% growth. It is also forecasting a decrease in the budgetary deficit of 4.2% in 2011 to 3.3% in 2012.

On 8th December the President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi announced that the Council of Governors had decided to reduce the main rate by 0.25 points to 1%. Moreover he announced that the ECB was forecasting a net slowing in the economy for 2012, with GDP growth of between -0.4% and 1%, with a slight recovery in 2013, between 0.3% and 2.3%. In addition to this the ECB will continue to support the financial sector via "unconventional measures". One of its leading measures is the launch of a three year loan, whilst it was limited only to one at present, and national central banks will be able to provide their support to the banking establishments of their countries from time to time. Mario Draghi finally called on the Member States to undertake emergency and structural budgetary reform.

On 8th December the European Bank Authority (EBA) published an official recommendation and final figures linked to recapitalisation requirements of banks, which total 114.7 billion euros. Requirements are divided as follows: 13.1 billion euros for the German banks; 15.4 billion euros for the Italian banks and 7.3 billion euros for the French banks. These measures are part of a vast European plan accepted by the European Council on 26th October and confirmed during the "Economy and Finances" Council on 30th November, to remedy the present situation in the EU and to re-introduce stability and confidence on the markets.

The Italian Treasury announced on 8th December that the government was forecasting that the country would enter recession in 2012 with a contraction of 0.4% of its GDP before a return to slight growth of 0.3% in 2013. Moreover, in a report delivered to parliament and signed by the President of the Council and the Economy and Finance Minister Mario Monti, the Treasury believes that growth is due to lie at around 0.6% this year.

The Polish government approved an amended draft finance law for 2012, which is planning for a GDP increase of 2.5%, instead of the previously planned 4%. "This budget should protect the Poles against the effects of the crisis, without taking any radical solutions. The crisis is not a good time for revolutionary change," declared Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Poland, which is not a member of the euro zone but hopes to respect the criteria by 2015, intends to bring its public finance deficit below the 3% GDP mark in 2012 as demanded by the Maastricht Treaty, against 6.5% this year, he said.

The Slovakian parliament adopted a draft law on 8th December to cap the public debt at 60% of the GDP. Sanctions are planned for from the moment the debt rises to 50% of the GDP and the government will have to establish a balanced budget as soon as the debt reaches 57% of the GDP.

On 9th December the signature of Croatia's membership treaty of the European Union took place. The signed treaty now has to be ratified by the 27 EU's member States, as well as by Croatia. Membership is due to be effective on July 1st 2013 and will make Croatia the 28th Member State of the EU. The heads of State and government did however delay the opening of membership negotiations with Montenegro until June and likewise the acknowledgment of Serbia's candidate status until March. They also defined the guidelines for later stages in energy policy, with regard to the completion of the internal market and the enhancement of the safety and security of nuclear power stations.

On 7th December the European Commission adopted budgetary proposals for its external mechanisms which will be applicable during the period 2014-2020. This budget will enable the Union to assume its responsibilities in the international arena: the fight to counter poverty, the promotion of democracy, peace, stability and prosperity. Several mechanisms will help developing countries as well as the countries that are part of the European Neighbourhood Policy and also those who are preparing to join the European Union. Moreover development aid to the 19 emerging countries will be abolished, but thematic programmes will be maintained. This measure notably affects Brazil, China and India. This package that totals just over 96 billion euros, is due to be adopted by Parliament and the Council next year.

On 7th December the European Commission presented an action plan, as well as a draft regulation that aims to facilitate access to funding by SMEs. Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission for Entrepreneurship, said that "the first priority to emerge from the crisis is to facilitate SME access to funding." The main measures aim to facilitate investment in venture-capital to support young businesses, by enabling the raising of funds in all member countries.

On 5th and 6th December the 27 Ministers responsible for Competitiveness called on the Commission to assess customs cooperation with the countries of the Eastern Partnership and to focus on various priorities, including the modernisation of customs, risk management and the fight to counter fraud and the establishment of safe, fluid trade routes. They also adopted conclusions relative to industrial policy, notably requesting financial and fiscal support for SME's, as well as a better management of energy and raw materials resources. The Ministers worked on the European patent and notably on the single mechanism to settle conflicts and on the protection guaranteed by patents.

On 12th December Iceland finalised four new chapters in its negotiations to join the EU, but the sensitive issue of fishing is still pending. In all, after three meetings, Iceland has opened 11 chapters and has already finalised 8. Discussions are moving rapidly forward because as a member of the European Economic Area the island has already integrated many of the European directives into its legislation. The new chapters finalised between Iceland and the EU pertain to company law, business policy and industrial policy, trans-European networks and the legal framework as well as fundamental rights.

In order to attract engineers, doctors, IT engineers, and specialists from the world over and to support growth, the German government adopted the introduction of the European blue card on 7th December, which is based on the American "green card" system. This card will facilitate the immigration of highly qualified, specialised foreigners. The German government wants to facilitate the immigration of qualified workers given the penury of labour and at the same time extend restrictions affecting the Romanians and Bulgarians.

German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, is the winner of the Charlemagne Prize 2012, one of the highest European distinctions for his work in support of European integration. The Charlemagne Prize that will be given on 17th May comes as a "reward for his major contribution toward the stabilisation of the Monetary Union and the development of the unification process," said the Mayor of Aachen Marcel Philipp and the leading of the prize's board, Jürgen Linden, in a press release on 10th December. The jury also pays tribute to "his excellent merits in overcoming divisions between Germany and Europe and his strong ability in terms of making proposals and the role he has played in nearly all of the steps forward in terms of integration over the last few decades."

On 7th December the new Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo presented his general policy declaration to the Chamber of Representatives. The main theme addressed was the country's economic recovery. The fight to counter unemployment, social and fiscal fraud, the reform of the pensions system with an extension to a person's working life, the reform and moralisation of the financial system, and finally a rigorous budgetary policy are the main priorities presented by the government to help the country recover. With regard to the Belgian political situation the Prime Minister said he wanted to give his fellow countrymen "self confidence and hope". "We might have lost everything during this long crisis (...) but Belgium can overcome these divisions," he added before being applauded by the Representatives.

During the 20th European People's Party Congress, which took place on 7th and 8th December, a declaration on "taking Europe forward: a strong Europe to defend our values and interests" was adopted in the presence of many heads of State and government.

According to figures published by Eurostat on 8th December, in the EU in 2008, the unemployment rate of foreign born people aged 25-54 was higher than that of native inhabitants of the same age (10% in comparison with 6%). When foreign born people were in work they found it more difficult to find an activity that matched their level of education. In the EU in 2008 the rate of over qualification of foreign born people aged 25-54 was higher than that of native born inhabitants (34% in comparison with 19%). One person in three aged 25-54 born abroad is threatened by poverty and social exclusion.

The "European Council on Foreign Relations" published a study by Nick Witney on the state of European defence. The study entitled "How to stop the demilitarisation of Europe?" lays out what is at stake for European defence, whilst Europe is in a serious financial crisis that is limiting its means at present. According to the author, Europe must see that only a joint defence policy will give it the necessary power to defend its values; moreover he is concerned about the emergence and the consolidation of a "culture of demilitarisation in Europe" to the benefit of a weak strategic position towards security.

On 6th December the World Bank published a report entitled "Opportunities for Men and Women: Emerging Europe and Central Asia" which maintains that "achieving gender equality could help support economic development and prosperity of emerging countries in Europe and Central Asia." The conclusion of the report targets governments, which repair disparity between the sexes by facilitating the entry of women onto the labour market, by adopting reforms in education and by fighting against differences in healthcare.

On 8th December Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights presented a book entitled "Human Rights and a Changing Media Landscape." Six themes seen from the point of view of Human Rights, are addressed in this work: social media, the protection of journalists against violence; ethical journalism, access to documents by public authorities, government media and the pluralism of the media. T Hammarberg declared that "the defence of all Human Rights depended on the freedom and plurality of the media. Hence the urgency of countering restrictions set by governments and the trend to create monopolies." In his opinion the freedom of the media is threatened in Europe.

For the very first time in Sweden the Göteborg Museum of Art is devoting an exhibition to the famous couple of artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Around thirty of their paintings from the collection owned by Jacques and Natasha Gelman are being presented together with drawings, lithographs, collages and photographs, as well as a film made by Japanse artist Yasumasa Morimura.

Until 9th April 2012 the Borgia Gallery in Rome has the privilege of bringing together most of the works that comprised the most beautiful collection of the Cardinal Scipione Borgia. 60 of the most important works of antique art which belonged to the Borgia Collection and which are now the basis of the collection of antiquities of the Louvre Museum in Paris have been returned to their place of origin: the Borgia Vase with its Dionysian scenes; the Sleeping Hermaphrodite restored by Bernini; the Three Graces and the Centaur mounted by Love. The exhibition celebrates Italian artistic heritage and history on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

The Albertina Art Museum of Vienna is putting on an exhibition until 26th January 2012, which includes around one hundred paintings by Surrealist René Magritte; it covers all of the various periods in the artist's life. The Albertina has joined forces with the Tate Liverpool for this exhibition and has brought together Magritte's best known creations and also advertising work from the start of his career, together with films and photos that have only ever rarely been on show.

Until 18th March 2012, Gera, the native town of German painter Otto Dix (1891-1969) is devoting a retrospective to him on the occasion of his 120th anniversary. Some 240 pieces of work including around 100 pictures, water colours, drawings and prints review the career of this master of expressionism and new objectivity. The exhibition focuses on Otto Dix's work that "disappeared", since it was classed as "degenerate art" in the 1930's.

The "Caricatura" museum in Frankfurt is presenting "Satiricon" until 18th March 2012 - this is a review of the satirical works of Alsatian artist Tomi Ungerer; it includes around 50 unique pieces. The exhibition is showing around 170 drawings, collages, sketches and posters lent by the Tomi Ungerer Museum of Strasbourg, covering several decades of the artist's work.

Two Hungarian journalists, Maria Vasarhelyi and Pal Daniel Renyi received the Freedom of the Press Prize 2011, awarded on 9th December in Vienna by the NGO Reporters sans frontières (RSF). "Their courage and their commitment to democracy are exemplary, also for us," explained the jury during the prize giving ceremony. The two journalists received a prize for their articles on the "disappearance of the freedom of the press" in Hungary.

The winners of the Nobel Peace, Medicine, Literature, Economy, Physics and Chemistry Prizes 2011 received their awards on 10th December from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during a gala ceremony in Oslo. The award ceremony that took place according to custom on the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the prize's founder, in 1896, was followed by a traditional banquet in the presence of the royal family and 1,400 guests.