In response to the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union has set up a €672.5 billion recovery fund. On 27 April, Denmark received a first payment of €301 million. Slovakia and Malta submitted an amendment request to the Commission to add a REPowerEU chapter to their plan. On 28 April, the Commission approved a positive assessment of Luxembourg's request for a payment of €20.2 million. The Foundation offers you an interactive map of the plans country by country, providing you with information on the amounts and timeframes.

The Commission announced on 28 April that it had reached an agreement with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria on the extension of the suspension of customs duties for Ukrainian goods. Ukrainian grain and agricultural products will be able to flow again through the five neighbouring European countries, which will be granted €100 million in aid for farmers affected by price fluctuations.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas visited Ukraine on 24 April to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two leaders signed a joint declaration of support for the Ukrainian peace formula, for Ukraine's membership of the European Union and NATO, and for the establishment of a special tribunal to try Russian war crimes. On 28 April, the Czech and Slovak presidents, Petr Pavel and Zuzana Caputova, paid a joint visit to Volodymyr Zelensky to express their support for Ukraine's European aspirations.

On 25 April, the Commission launched the AggregateEU mechanism for joint European gas purchases. Energy companies have until 2 May to register their requirements. The corresponding volumes are expected to be purchased jointly at EU level.

On 26 April, the Commission presented a reform of the economic governance rules to encourage debt reduction by leaving room for investment in the green transition or defence spending. States will have more flexibility and time to comply with the current guidelines - a public deficit not exceeding 3% of GDP and a public debt ceiling of 60% of GDP. The aim is both to reduce debt and to stimulate growth.

On 26 April, the Commission presented a reform of the pharmaceutical legislation, with the aim of making medicines more available, accessible and affordable in the European Union, but also to support innovation and the competitiveness of the European pharmaceutical industry.

On 27 April, the Commission proposed new rules to help businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), make the most of their inventions, mobilise new technologies and contribute to the EU's competitiveness and technological sovereignty.

On 25 April, the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries approved conclusions on the opportunities offered by the bioeconomy. They discussed aspects related to agriculture and forestry in the proposed regulation on carbon absorption certification, the state of progress of the CAP strategic plan 2023-2027, and the situation of the agricultural market, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine.

On 25 April, the Council and Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on a proposal to decarbonise the aviation sector and create a level playing field for sustainable air transport. The RefuelEU Aviation initiative aims to increase both the demand for and supply of sustainable aviation fuels, while ensuring a level playing field across the EU aviation market.

Euro area finance ministers discussed on 28 April developments in macroeconomic and financial stability, the legislative package on the crisis management and deposit insurance framework and the follow-up to the Eurogroup's work on the strategic aspects of the capital markets union.

Economic and finance ministers met with central bank governors in Stockholm on 28-29 April to discuss inflation, the design of fiscal policy to support the most vulnerable households and businesses as well as reconstruction in Ukraine.

At their meeting on 24 April, Foreign Ministers exchanged views with their Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, regarding the latest developments on the ground. They adopted restrictive measures against: human rights violations in Iran, the trade in narcotics benefiting the Syrian regime, and persons and entities affiliated with ISIL/Daech operating in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique.

The G7 digital and technology ministers met from 29 to 30 April in Japan. Among other things, they plan to adopt "risk-based" regulation of artificial intelligence, aimed at "preserving an open and enabling environment" for its development and based on democratic values.

The Austrian Oliver Röpke was elected President of the European Economic and Social Committee on 26 April. He declared that democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law would be the guiding principles of his two-and-a-half-year term of office.

The situation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, forcibly displaced or transferred to Russia or Ukrainian territories under de facto Russian control, with the online participation of Olena Zelenska, was among the topics debated at the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg from 24 to 28 April. Icelandic President Guðni Jóhannesson addressed the Assembly on 27 April.

On 26 April, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe by 122 votes, including China and India. The resolution considers that "the unprecedented challenges currently facing Europe as a result of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine" require enhanced cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe to restore peace and security in the region.

On 28 April, the IMF published a study on its blog on the most advanced ways for Europe to beat inflation without recession. Success will require tighter macroeconomic policies tailored to the changing financial situation, strong financial supervision and regulation, and bold supply-side reforms.

Until 30 July, the Roman National Museum in Rome is presenting the exhibition "The Instant and the Eternal. Between us and the ancients". The exhibition puts ancient and modern art face to face and seeks to show the different forms of transmission and attempts at reinterpretation of ancient art by modern art.

Until 13 August, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen is presenting an exhibition that highlights the complexity and diversity of the links forged between Normandy and the rest of the world from the 9th and 12th centuries. More than 250 works are presented as milestones in the Norman epic, the pioneering builders of Europe, who in their time took up residence in various countries, from England to Sicily. A space is devoted to a selection of works by three contemporary Norwegian photographers.

Until 10 September, the Musée de Montmartre in Paris is presenting an exhibition on surrealism in the feminine. The exhibition presents the works of some fifty artists, visual artists, photographers and poets from all over the world and seeks to show the ambivalent and complex relationship that these women had with the surrealist movement.

Until 27 August, Derneburg Castle in Lower Saxony, where the famous German painter and sculptor Georg Baselitz produced several of his huge paintings, prints and sculptures over a period of thirty years, is open to the public on the occasion of the artist's 85th birthday. The "Baselitz in the Studio" exhibition includes about two dozen paintings and one sculpture.

Until 13 August, the exhibition "Luxury and power: Persia to Greece" at the British Museum in London tells the story of how the wealth of the ancient Persians and Greeks helped shape the political landscape in Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC.

The 16th edition of the Mastercard Off Camera international independent film festival is taking place until 7 May in Krakow. The best film will win the Andrzej Wajda Award.

On 28 April, the European Union Prize for Literature was awarded to the Croatian writer and poet Martina Vidaic. The prize is awarded by the Federation of European Publishers (FEE) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) to authors from the 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme.