Controversial plans for a €26 billion (HK$262 billion) high-speed rail link between France and Italy will be at the centre of talks between French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in Lyon. The two leaders, who are determined to press ahead with a scheme that has generated furious opposition from environmental activists in both of their countries, see the project as an emblem of the pro-growth agenda they have jointly promoted within the European Union.

European finance ministers regroup in Brussels for two-day talks focused as much on EU-wide problems installing cross-border banking supervision as on euro-zone bailouts. After a string of emergency Euro-group gatherings that finally resulted in a deal last week to get Greece's bailout aid back flowing after months in limbo, the meeting sees a return to some sort of normal routine among the 17 states that share the currency.

The Tate museum announces the winner of the Turner Prize, Britain's top contemporary art award, which never fails to cause controversy. Last year's winner was Scottish artist Martin Boyce, who collected the £25,000 (HK$304,000) prize, named after British artist J.M.W. Turner, for his entry which included three artificial trees, a leaning litter bin and artificial leaves made from wax-coated crepe paper scattered across the gallery's floor.

The International Court of Justice in Amsterdam holds public hearings about the maritime dispute between Peru and Chile. The hearing, which concerns the delimitation of the boundary between the maritime zones of the two countries in the Pacific Ocean, will run until December 14.