Europe has changed... This is what the "Schuman Report on Europe, the State of the Union 2023" shows, as it 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 leading personalities, including Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who is hosting the second summit of the European Political Community on 1 June. It also includes 30 original maps and a full set of annotated statistics. The book is available in paper and digital versions in French, and in digital format in English. Order your copy now!

On 24 May, the Commission presented its economic recommendations to the Member States. It calls on them to pursue a prudent budgetary policy, protect their public investments and phase out energy support measures. Out of 16 Member States assessed, the Commission notes that the deficit criterion has not been met by 14 countries, including France and Italy. The debt criterion is not met by three countries, including France and Italy. The Commission proposes guidelines for Member States' employment policies in 2023.

The Ministers for Industry and Research, meeting on 22 and 23 May, formally adopted a new regulation harmonising the health and safety requirements applicable to work machinery. They adopted their position on the eco-design regulation. They discussed long-term competitiveness, the draft regulation for a net zero emissions industry, the single market and critical raw materials. They adopted conclusions on free, fair, transparent access to academic publications, and on the "fair and sustainable use of space".

Foreign ministers met on 22 May to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and the European Union's strategy towards the Horn of Africa. They exchanged views on the Western Balkans, Tunisia and Central Asia. They adopted conclusions on a new compact on common civilian security and defence policy. They decided to impose sanctions on five new Iranian individuals and entities for human rights violations.

The European Central Bank (ECB) celebrated its 25th anniversary on 24 May in Frankfurt. Its President, Christine Lagarde, said that the ECB's monetary policy had made it possible for it to respond "quickly and decisively" to a range of shocks. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the fact that the euro was an "attractive, secure and stable" currency.

An international operation coordinated by Europol led to the arrest on 24 May of 15 suspected members of a criminal arms and drugs trafficking network in the Balkans. The raids were carried out simultaneously in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Germany. A total of 37 suspects were arrested in the course of the investigation. Cash, firearms, drugs, explosives, false documents and fake uniforms were seized.

On 25 May, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides travelled to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two leaders agreed to work more closely on climate protection, energy supply and defence. Olaf Scholz repeated his support for the settlement of the Cyprus question.

On 29 May, the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, announced that early general elections would be held on 23 July. His decision came the day after his party, the Socialist Party (PSOE), lost the regional and municipal elections. It had held 9 regions and now holds just 3. With 31% of the vote, Alberto Nuñez Feijoo's Partido Popular (PP), which held 2 regions, now holds 8, including 5 with the support of Vox.

On 22 May, the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly met at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The French and German MPs discussed the creation of a new working group on foreign and security policy, energy policy and the situation and prospects of the Western Balkans.

On 24 May, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nauseda, to prepare for the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius on 11 and 12 July. The two leaders discussed preparations for the European Political Community summit on 1 June in Chisinau and the forthcoming European Council in June. They discussed energy, asylum and migration issues. They repeated their support for Ukraine on military, humanitarian, economic, diplomatic and judicial issues. Finally, they discussed bilateral relations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected for a third term on 28 May in the second round of the presidential election, with 52.18% of the vote against the united opposition candidate, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.

On 25 May, the Council renewed the suspension of all customs duties, quotas and trade defence measures on Ukrainian exports to the European Union until June 2024. On 23 May, the Commission made a fourth payment of €1.5 billion as part of the €18 billion macro-financial assistance package. This aid is intended to help Ukraine continue to pay public wages and pensions and maintain the operation of its essential public services.

On 23 May, the OECD reported a moderate acceleration in GDP growth for its members in the first quarter of 2023. With an increase of 0.4%, GDP is up slightly on the 0.2% growth recorded in the previous quarter.

On 23 May, the IMF published a report on the UK economy. Whereas it had previously forecast a contraction in UK GDP of 0.3% in 2023, it now anticipates growth of 0.4%. However, the IMF warns the government against further tax cuts, which could fuel inflation and lead to a prolonged period of high interest rates. Instead, the report encourages the authorities to maintain a tight monetary policy in order to control inflation and preserve the financial situation.

On 25 May, Eurostat published the 2023 edition of its "Monitoring Report on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals". The data shows that the European Union has made progress in achieving most of the objectives over the last five years.

To mark the 100th birthday of the photographer June Newton, alias Alice Springs, more than 200 of her photographs are being exhibited at the Museum of Photography in Berlin. Many photographs from Alice Springs' private collection, including portraits of her husband and self-portraits, have never been exhibited before and shed new light on her work.