European Union

At the New York auction house Christie's a painting by Leonardo da Vinci has been sold for the record sum of 450 million dollars. The name of the purchaser of the portrait of Jesus entitled Salvator Mundi is unknown. The former record price at a public auction was previously held by a painting by Pablo Picasso, sold for 180 million dollars in 2015. What determines the value of a work of art?

Spain's conservative ruling party led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy remains at the centre of the investigations into the country's biggest ever corruption case. The case involves manipulated financial records, illegal donations from construction companies and bribery. The party has now been accused of obstructing justice by destroying evidence. Spain's press is shocked by the party's reaction to the investigations.

Twenty-seven years after the collapse of the Soviet Union the archives of the Soviet secret service the KGB, dubbed the "Cheka sacks", still haven't been opened to the public in Latvia. Now the commission that was tasked with evaluating the documents has called for this to change, triggering a lively debate in the country about whether this is wise.

The military in Zimbabwe took control of the country on Tuesday night and placed its 93-year-old president Robert Mugabe under house arrest. The background to the move is the dispute over who will replace the elderly leader. The military leadership has promised that its move is only a temporary measure. Europe's commentators focus on what will happen now that Magabe's rule has apparently ended.

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EU Ministers of Education, Culture, Youth, Sport and Communication meet on 20-21 November 2017 in Brussels to discuss a wide range of topics. During the Youth session ministers aim to reach a general approach on the European Solidarity Corps, as well as adopt conclusions on Smart Youth Work. Education ministers then discuss the renewed EU agenda for higher education, as well as school development and excellent teaching. On the second day, the Culture session focuses on the adoption of conclusions on promoting access to culture via digital means with a focus on audience. During the final session on Sports, ministers adopt conclusions on the role of coaches in society and close up the meeting with a resolution on further developing the EU Structured Dialogue on sport.

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EU Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs meet on 20 November 2017 in Brussels to start preparations for the December European Council. Also on the agenda are the interinstitutional agreement on better law-making, the Commission's work programme for 2018, and the 2018 European Semester roadmap. In addition, the Council is adopting conclusions on cybersecurity.

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EU Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs meet in Brussels on 20 November 2017 to discuss the state of play of the Brexit negotiations and in the margins of the meeting vote on the new locations for the EU agencies currently based in the UK.

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On 22 November, the Subcommittee will discuss, with the involvement of 3 experts, risks and trends and their security implications for the EU as well as EU efforts to mitigate the security relevant effects of climate change. It will also examine to what extent increased economic/military activities, impact on desertification, land degradation, water and food scarcity can be linked to climate change and what major effects they have on EU security.
Further information
Draft programme
hearing documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

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Stefan LÖFVEN, Prime Minister of Sweden, together with Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the European Commission, hosts a Social Summit in Gothenburg on 17 November 2017, focusing on promoting fair jobs and growth.  The Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth gathers heads of state or government, the social partners and other key players to work together on a more social Europe and to promote fair jobs and growth. 

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