In an editorial published on its website, the President of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, draws the first lessons from the effects of the Cypriot crisis. He believes that the European Union "must head resolutely towards more complete economic and financial integration". Decisions must be taken by "a single authority". Clearly this will require political re-founding of the Union with Member States and their populations accepting a new sharing of sovereignty.

The Polish Central Statistics' Office (GUS) published the latest unemployment figures on 22nd March 2013. The unemployment rate reached 14.4% in February 2013, i.e. a 0.2% increase compared to January. By comparison, in February 2012 the unemployment rate in Poland was 13.4%.

In its note on the economic climate published on 21st March 2013, the National Statistics and Economic Studies Institute (INSEE) forecasts that the unemployment rate should continue to rise to reach 10.6% of the active population in continental France by mid-2013 and 11% when overseas departments are included. "This is indeed a high level, but it is the direct consequence of lack of growth", said Cédric Audenis, head of the economic climate department. Moreover, according to other INSEE figures, the French economy should see "almost nil" growth throughout the entire first half of 2013.

On 21st March 2013, the Irish Central Statistics Office (CSO) announced economic growth of 0.9% in 2012, the second year of growth after three years of recession. It was mainly the sectors of distribution, transports, I.T. software and communication that contributed to this increase. Exports were up 2.9% compared to 2011. On the other hand, household consumption was down 0.9% and public spending fell back by 3.7%. Due to this positive development, Ireland hopes to be free from the aid plan by the end of this year.

On 25th March 2013, the Eurogroup announced that it has found an agreement for Cyprus, to avoid the island going bankrupt and being forced to leave the euro zone. The agreement between the European Commission, the ECB, the IMF and the Cypriot authorities was reached at the price of heavy losses for creditors of the country's largest bank, the Bank of Cyprus, and the pure and simple closure of the second largest bank, Laïki Bank, in exchange for aid of up to 10 billion euros. After an initial failed attempt, which provided for the levy of a tax on all bank deposits, the Eurogroup and the IMF, which were demanding that Cyprus must put 7 billion euros on the table in exchange for their assistance, changed their demands and excluded any kind of tax on deposits of less than 100,000 euros. Bank deposits of over 100,000 euros at the Bank of Cyprus will be subject to a tax of around 30%. Meeting in extraordinary session on 22nd March 2013, Cypriot MPs approved the restructuring of the country's banking sector, the creation of a solidarity fund and the limitation of capital movements, to avoid putting too much pressure on the banks when they reopen on 28th March.

On 20th March 2013, the European Commission presented two proposals intended to deepen and strengthen economic and monetary union. The first proposal was aimed at ensuring better prior coordination of economic policies. This coordination, part of the European Semester, would concern notably competitiveness, employment, market functioning, taxation provisions and financial stability policies. The second proposal concerns the setting up of a convergence and competitiveness instrument. The latter would help countries in difficulty to implement reforms in terms of growth and competitiveness, thereby strengthening the economic solidity of the European Union as a whole.

On 22nd March 2013, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso met with the Russian President and Prime Minister in Moscow. They restated the importance of commercial links between the European Union and Russia, calling for continued cooperation, notably within the World Trade Organisation. The European Commission President insisted on the need for Russia to continue with modernisation, both economic and political, with more transparent rules for companies and for greater attention paid to civil society. Despite a few differences of opinion, the leaders agreed to a roadmap for energy cooperation until 2050. They displayed their confidence in the rapid signature of an agreement on a visa-free regime.

On 25th March 2013 the European Union and Japan began negotiations with a view to a free trade agreement, intended to have a positive impact on the growth of these two economies. "This is an historic day in relations between Japan and the EU" declared the European Trade Commissioner, Karel De Gucht, speaking of an agreement that will be "global", and will concern in particular customs and non-tariff barriers, public contracts and intellectual property. The Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, underlined the fact that together Japan and the EU represent "around 30% of the world economy and 40% of world trade".

The European Parliament and the Irish presidency of the Council agreed on 19th March 2013 to single supervision of banks in the euro zone, under the aegis of the European Central Bank, a first step towards banking union. They approved the general framework for the future banking supervisor, notably articulation between the European Banking Authority (which concerns the EU) and the ECB (which concerns only the 17 members of the euro zone). Certain technical aspects are still to be specified, however, and the agreement has yet to be approved by the 27 in order to come into force in March 2014. "The establishment of a single banking supervisor opens the way for the European Stability Mechanism to recapitalise the banks directly", said the Irish Finance Minister, Michael Noonan. This mechanism will mean that banks can be helped without increasing State debts.

On 21st March 2013, the 27 environment ministers debated the proposed directive on generalising the use of cleaner, more efficient biofuels. They passed a regulation on energy infrastructures in order to modernise the existing network and increase the competitiveness, durability and security of the offer in Europe. They examined the reworking of the directive on evaluation of the environmental impact, the "ILUC" proposal (indirect land use change) and the proposal for a regulation on access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of their benefits. Also, on 20th March the Council, the Parliament and the Commission reached an informal agreement on temporary dispensation for the emissions quotas exchange system for 2012.

On 23rd March 2013, 14 European countries called for a strengthening of the EU diplomatic service, which has often been criticised for its complexity and weakness since its creation in 2010. The EEAS "must be strengthened further" in order to make EU foreign policy more "coherent, complete and integrated", say the 14 countries in a statement. The statement suggests giving the EEAS a greater role in international negotiations, increasing bridges between the diplomatic services of each country and drawing greater benefit from the EU's network of 140 delegations worldwide. Better use must be made of this network, whilst many countries are reducing their number of embassies for budgetary reasons. A report on the reform of the EEAS will be passed to European leaders by Mrs Ashton in July.

On 19th March 2013, Europol announced that it had identified 3 600 active groups within organised crime. Drug trafficking is still the main illegal activity, but new forms of criminality are developing rapidly, linked to the crisis and the internet. Europol's annual report on serious and organised crime recommends attacking the latter as a priority, along with clandestine immigration, human trafficking, counterfeiting and money laundering.

On 18th March 2013, French President François Hollande, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met in Berlin with representatives of the European Round Table (ERT), a group of 50 of the largest European multinational companies. Meeting together for the first time, they explored the means by which to restart the growth and competitiveness of a Europe in crisis. Subjects such as energy, information and communication technologies, research and environmental protection were addressed from the point of view of competitiveness.

Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond announced on 21st March 2013 that the Scots will vote on 18th September 2014, by referendum, on the question of their independence from the United Kingdom. The three main political parties in the UK - the Conservative and Liberal-Democrat parties in power, and the Labour party opposition - have all announced that they will campaign against independence.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regrets a "lack of awareness" of transnational corruption amongst the Czech Republic private sector, in a report published on 21st March 2013. "The lack of awareness in the private sector is regrettable and hinders the combat against transnational corruption in the Czech Republic", pointed out the OECD. "To date, the Czech Republic has never brought any legal proceedings for transnational corruption, although two enquiries are on-going", says the report. The OECD deplored the fact that in spite of repeated requests no Czech company was willing to meet with the assessment team which visited the country in October 2012.

On 21st March 2013 Eurostat published the GDP of the various European regions for 2010. Amongst the 10 richest regions, 8 correspond to capital regions. The regional GDP varies from one quarter of the European average in the Severozapaden region in Bulgaria, to more than triple the European average in the centre of London. One in 7 regions has a GDP at least equal to 125% of the European average, and one in 4 a GDP equal to or less than 75% of that figure, notably in Bulgaria and Romania.

Argos editions have just published an essay by Jean-Baptiste Vouilloux entitled "La démilitarisation de l'Europe, un suicide stratégique?". The author shows how unilateral disarmament of Europe is resulting in capacity and operational deficits, whereas the rest of the world is not following this trend. He therefore asks that the new strategic environment should be reconsidered and that military capacity and long term interests should be put back into perspective. Taken from a dissertation written by a high-ranking army officer, a graduate from the Canadian Forces College, the essay is highly topical with the news dominated by debates over the White Paper on defence and national security in France, which will end in June 2013.

To mark the bicentennial of the birth of German composer Richard Wagner, Opera Bastille is presenting "The Ring" in its entirety. Alongside these representations, Opera Bastille will hold a series of conferences entitled "A la rencontre de Richard Wagner". The next one, addressing the friendship between the composer and the philosopher Nietzsche, will be held on 10th April. Paris is not alone in celebrating the bicentennial of this famous composer; from 24th March to 8th April 2013, the Opera du Rhin will celebrate Wagner with several representations of "Tannhäuser".

The first Aix en Provence Easter Classical Music Festival will be held from 26th March to 7th April 2013. Around twenty concerts will bring together recognised artists such as Radu Lupu and Hélène Grimaud, and some of the world's most famous orchestras: the Saint Petersburg Mariinsky and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.

Through until 1st September 2013, the Brussels Stock Market will host the Da Vinci - The Genius exhibition, a complete evocation of Leonardo da Vinci's genius. Over 200 fascinating objects created or imagined by de Leonardo da Vinci are on show: identical replicas of his works of art, 70 life-size 3D machines created specially for the exhibition (robot, flying machine, catapult, tank, submarine...), the secrets of the Mona Lisa, a 45 minute film on the Master of Florence and the possibility of touching and working many of the objects on show.

From 28th March to 1st April 2013, Art Paris Art Fair welcomes 144 galleries from 20 countries under the roof of the Grand Palais, with Russia as guest of honour. A spring meeting of modern and contemporary art, the Art Paris Art Fair reaffirms its unique identity as a European Fair oriented towards the promotion of Eastern art scenes (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia). With 74 new participants, 20 countries represented and 43% foreign participation, the 2012 selection has undergone major renewal and is strongly international.

240 works of art taken from the private collection of Bayer Group, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, are on public display for the first time at the Martin-Gropius-Bau Gallery in Berlin in an exhibition entitled "From Beckmann to Warhol: 20th and 21st century art". A major section of the exhibition, scheduled until 9th June, is devoted to the Paris School with, for example, black and white figures created by Pablo Picasso between 1947 and 1948. These are placed alongside massive pictures by Juan Miro and drawings by Marc Chagall dedicated to Paris.

An exhibition entitled "Bonaparte et l'Escaut", retracing the spectacular development of Antwerp during the Napoleonic period, is held at the Aan de Stroom museum until 30th June 2013. The exhibition presents French creations and the Napoleonic influence in the form of pictures, maps, engravings, model ships, everyday or decorative itmes and archives, a total of 250 objects. During the 20 years of French administration, between 1794 and 1814, the city was booming, notably due to the re-establishment of free navigation to the North Sea, which enabled Antwerp to regain its rank in world trade. The French era in Antwerp played a crucial role in the development of the port, which is currently Europe's second biggest port, after Rotterdam.

Curators at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh have selected over 300 objects from the 75 000 stored in the personal archives of David Bowie, stage costumes, manuscripts, photographs, films, music videos, instruments and album illustrations, which have been brought together for the first time for the most ambitious retrospective every presented on the rock star and his work. The museum will present until 11th August 2013 an exhibition dedicated to David Bowie, whose new album "The Next Day" has just been released.