Expectedly, the mass and radical protests in Europe somewhat died down ahead of the Christmas and New Year's Eve holidays. Naturally, this is not the end of it all but rather the quiet before the storm and a premonition of looming trouble, this time of the real variety. New radical protests are surely coming because the demands voiced during the previous ones were never met.

All signs point to us having yet another Christmas period shadowed by fear and increased security measures. This has become a tradition for Germany. Since the Berlin Christmas market terrorist attack of 2016, in which a truck was deliberately driven into a crowd, killing 12 people, these places have been enclosed by solid concrete blocks. Such fortifications are as much a feature of the landscape as Christmas decorations this time of the year.

The election of former investment banker Emmanuel Macron as President of France in 2017 resulted from the wish of the greater part of French society to see a real change in the country, a strive for higher morals in politics, a revival of economy and a safer life. But it was also the impact of fear that the far-right forces represented by their leader Marine Le Pen - who reached the runoff - might win, as well as of weakness and inadequacy of the traditional political parties. The economic press in Europe lauded him as talented reformer and a new face of the European liberalism.

The European Union is not inclined to impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia but sanctions may be imposed on specific Saudi citizens responsible for human rights violations. This sentiment was expressed by Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders last Wednesday, as cited by local media. At present, Paris, Madrid and London are not willing to move towards an embargo, Reynders said after a meeting with his British counterpart Jeremy Hunt.

Last month the European Commission made an unprecedented move and rejected Italy's 2019 budget plan. Since it was endowed with this right in 2013, the Commission exercised it for the first time. In terms of economic development, Italy is the Eurozone's third power.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed in September 2015, providing the world with a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. My work programme as President of the EESC places great emphasis on sustainable development. The slogan of my Presidency is “rEUnaissance - Dare a sustainable Europe”, because I believe Sustainable Development should support all the transformations that will shape the Europe of tomorrow. Bottom-up initiatives involving citizens and civil society will have a key role to play in this agenda to achieve economic prosperity, which must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability and social inclusion.

The next multi-annual budget of the EU, covering the period till 2027, as proposed by the European Commission, envisages cutting down the Cohesion Policy funds. The Commission also proposes an option for freezing spending if Member States do not observe the economic management rules. However, the common thread for me, as MEP negotiating the framework of Cohesion Policy for 2021-2027, is the preservation of the current rates of European investments in the regions.

I am an incorrigible optimist about the future of Europe because even with the turbulence caused these days by Brexit, globalisation, the refugee crisis, and the trade wars being waged across the world, Europe has always been able to learn its lessons and come out of the storms even stronger.

Some time ago, a fellow journalist said on his own TV programme: “If Germany were a woman, I would want to marry her.” He was referring to western Germany, of course. Everybody loves that part of the country. Though honestly, and going even further back, there was a time when we, in the former eastern bloc, loved East Germany very much. To us, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) seemed like true West - its shops were full of good quality, yet cheap products, its citizens enjoyed some benefits as well.

Celebrating 60 years since the creation of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), we are forced to reflect on what we, European civil society have jointly achieved. But we must also reflect on what challenges lie ahead and what role we can play in shaping the Europe of tomorrow! There are indeed many challenges on the European horizon - between the negotiations on the new EU Multi-annual financing framework, the elections to the European Parliament, the final phase of the Brexit negotiations and a new European Commission - there will be a lot of turbulence over the next two years.