In the fourth edition of the Annual Report of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, looks back on the institution’s activities during 2013. The consolidation of the first signs of economic recovery following the financial crisis, the battle for growth and employment, the situation in Syria and Ukraine and the enlargement of the European Union to include 28 Member States with the accession of Croatia in July are some of the main events that focused the attention of the European Council in 2013.