The declaration of 9 May 1950, the 73rd anniversary of which is being celebrated this year, is considered the founding text of European integration. Delivered by Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister, it proposed the creation of a European organisation to pool French and German coal and steel production and gave rise to the first European Community (ECSC). In 1985, 9 May was declared "Europe Day". We offer you the full text of this declaration.

Founded on 9 May 1950 with the Schuman Declaration, Europe has changed a lot... this is what is shown by the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union 2023", which analyses the profound changes that have taken place in Europe, accelerated by the shock of the war in Ukraine. This 17th edition (14th in English) published by Marie B. includes 19 contributions from high level personalities, 30 original maps and a complete set of commented statistics. The book is available in French in print and digital format, and in English in digital format. Order your copy here!

On 3 May, the Commission presented a plan to support ammunition and missile production in Ukraine and to replenish Member States' stocks. It proposes to set up subsidies and improve monitoring of supply chains to strengthen cooperation with Member States, as well as emergency measures for managing orders. The plan provides for a budget of €500 million from the European Defence Fund to reach a capacity of 1 million rounds of ammunition per year.

The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement on 2 May on the regulation on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products. This regulation will extend the protection of geographical indications to goods such as glass, porcelain or knives, whereas this protection was previously restricted to food and drink.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on 2 May in Brussels in the presence of the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, to discuss the normalisation of relations between the two countries. They pledged to resolve the case of people who disappeared during the war. The meeting failed to find a solution to the tensions that still exist in northern Kosovo.

In a judgment delivered on 4 May, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that not every breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives rise to a right to compensation and that it is up to the courts of each Member State to set the criteria for entitlement to compensation for the damage suffered. This ruling was issued after the Austrian Supreme Court requested the collection of data on the political affiliations of an individual who had not given his consent.

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided on 4 May to raise its key interest rates by 0.25 percentage points. It warned that key rates will continue to be set at "sufficiently restrictive levels to ensure that inflation returns to the 2% objective as soon as possible over the medium term". ECB President Christine Lagarde justified the decision by saying that "underlying price pressures remain strong", despite falling inflation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the International Criminal Court in The Hague on 4 May. He addressed the Dutch parliament and met with the kings of the Netherlands and Belgium. He gave a speech entitled "No peace without justice for Ukraine" and called for the creation of a special tribunal for Russia's crime of aggression against Ukraine.

An intervention coordinated by Europol and involving 9 countries resulted on 2 May in the arrest of 288 suspects of drug and arms trafficking on the dark web and the seizure of 850 kilos of drugs and 117 weapons across the European Union, the UK and the US.

A Nordic summit on the war in Ukraine was held in Helsinki on 3 May, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Finnish President Sauli Niinistön, Danish and Icelandic Prime Ministers Mette Frederiksen and Katrin Jakobsdottir, Swedish and Norwegian Prime Ministers Ulf Kristersson and Jonas Gahr Store reaffirmed the need for continued military and economic support to Ukraine. The Finnish President stressed the importance of the Nordic countries speaking with one voice on the issue of the war in Ukraine.

King Charles III of England was crowned in London on 6 May. He succeeds his mother Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022. He is the head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of 14 Commonwealth countries.

Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger resigned on 6 May after the departure of his foreign minister, ending the coalition government he had led since April 2021. President Zuzana Caputová announced on 7 May the appointment of a technocrat government led by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Ludovit Odor, until the next parliamentary elections scheduled for 30 September.

A Council of Europe report published on 4 May highlights the need for Moldova to devote more resources to identifying and supporting sexually exploited children, especially those from the most vulnerable groups. In particular, the report notes that the war in Ukraine has put the Moldovan child protection system at risk due to the increased risk of trafficking and exploitation of child refugees.

On 3 May, the American of Indian origin Ajay Banga was elected President of the World Bank. He announced that during his mandate he would give priority to financing the fight against global warming and to reforming the World Bank. He will take office on 2 June for a five-year term.

According to a Eurostat flash estimate published on 2 May, the inflation rate in the euro area was 7% in April 2023, compared with 6.9% in March. This rise in inflation is notably linked to an increase in energy prices (+2.5% compared to -0.9% in March).

The Opera Gallery in Madrid presents the exhibition "Loving Picasso", until 11 June. This exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the legendary Pablo Picasso and inaugurates the new exhibition space in Madrid.