Just days before the European elections the Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani has published a book entitled "How and Why Europe will remain at the heart of the world - A small Treaty on optimism". This book published by Lignes de Repères is available from bookshops and on the Robert Schuman Foundation site in paper format and in digital format for e-readers and tablets.

382 million citizens from 28 EU Member States are being called to ballot between 22nd and 25th May next to elect anew the 751 members of the European Parliament. Just one week before the election the gap between the EPP and the PES is still tight but the EPP is just ahead. According to the latest polls the EPP is due to win between 212 and 221 MEPs. The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) are due to win between 194 and 209 seats. The ALDE is due to remain the third biggest group in the Strasbourg Assembly with 62 or 63 MEPs ahead of the European United Left (GUE/NGL) which is due to win between 45 and 52 seats. The Ecologist (Greens/EFA) are due to have between 38 and 52 seats, the European Conservatives and Reformers (CRE/ECR), 43 or 44 seats and Europe of Freedom and Democracy (ELD/EFD) between 33 and 39 seats. The question of the non-attached MPs in the parliament remains, who as they stand, are due to win 38 seats. The parties that are not represented at present in the Parliament may make their entry according to the polls without knowing how they will sit - they are due to win 62 seats. The right is due to win in 14 States: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia. The left is due to win in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden. In four Member States - Denmark, Greece, Czech Republic and the UK populist or right or leftwing eurosceptic parties are due to win, respectively the Danish People's Party (DF), Syriza, Ano 2011 and the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Turnout may be less than in the last European election in 2009 (43.23%).

According to a new survey of seven European Union nations by the Pew Research Center published on 12th May 2014, after a dramatic decline in the wake of the euro crisis, positive views of the EU are now on the rise in France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. And faith in one of the EU's founding principles - that European economic integration is good for their own country - is up in the UK, Poland and Germany. But, as the electorate heads to the polls beginning May 22nd, people across Europe overwhelmingly think that their voice is not heard in Brussels, the EU's HQ. Majorities in most countries complain that the EU does not understand their needs and is inefficient.

The French national statistics office INSEE published its growth figures for the first quarter of 2014 on 15th May. It indicates that the French economy is "stable" after 0.2% growth in the last quarter of 2013. The main reason for this according to INSEE is the contraction in household spending (-0.5% after +0.2%) and a reduction in final domestic demand (stocks apart), which is said to have pushed GDP down by 0.4%. Another reason for this economic situation is rising imports (+1% after +0.5%) and a slowing in exports (+0,3% after +1.6%): the foreign trade balance is also pushing GDP down (-0.2% after +0.3% in the last quarter of 2013).

Most of the measures planned for in the EU's financial regulation programme have now been adopted said the Commission on 15th May 2014 in a first full review of this programme. The analysis shows how the reforms that have been implemented are going to give rise to a safer more responsible financial framework by strengthening financial stability, deepening the single financial services market and by making it more efficient whilst improving its integrity and the confidence it enjoys. The facts show that the financial regulation programme should lead to advantages greater than the expected costs. There are major positive synergies between many rules (package relative to the requirements for banks own funds and the reform of the derivatives markets). The financial system is already changing and improving. Improvements will continue as the reforms take effect.

On 13th May 2014 the 28 European Affairs Ministers looked into the provisional agenda for the European Council meeting on 26th and 27th June. The latter will focus on freedom, security, justice, the improvement of growth, employment, competitiveness as well as external relations in the light of recent events. They adopted new rules to promote the efficiency of the Union's financial markets, amending and replacing the existing Markets in Financial Instruments Directive ("MiFID"). They adopted new rules for the monitoring of the external sea borders in the context of operational cooperation coordinated by the FRONTEX. A directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals under an intra-corporate transfer was also adopted.

On 15th May 2014 the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the European Union Political and Security Committee (EU PSC) held their 7th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting in Brussels as part of their regular dialogue in the framework of the Africa-EU partnership. The discussions of the meeting focussed on cooperation to tackle the ongoing crises in South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, the Central African Republic, and the Sahel, as well as terrorism, human and drug trafficking, small arms and light weapons, Ukraine. The discussion also dwelt on cooperation as well as means and ways to strengthen African capacities in the area of peace and security.

The European Court of Justice on 13th May 2014 dismissed Google in a digital "right-to-be-forgotten" case, considering that the operator of a search engine on the internet is responsible for the processing of personal data that appear on its pages. Individuals can obtain, under certain conditions, the removal of links to web pages containing personal data by contacting the former directly the Court ruled.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted the representatives of the world's main economic institutions on 13th May in Berlin (IMF, World Bank, ILO, WTO) to review the present situation. "Economic activity has gathered pace but the path to strong, long term growth is still far off," they wrote in a joint press release. Debt levels in "most industrialised countries are still too high". At the same time the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development published a study on the country's economic situation advocating the implementation of economic and social reform - both in the mid and long term so that German economic growth would be "more open and sustainable."

Just as the terrorist group Boko Haram (Sunni group supporting the jihad) is stepping up its action in the north of Nigeria and on the borders of Cameroon, a summit for the security of Nigeria was held in Paris on 17th May 2014. Apart from the French President François Hollande the summit brought together political leaders from Nigeria and neighbouring countries (Benin, Chad, Cameroon, Niger), representatives of the EU, the UK and the USA. The summit aimed to increase regional and international cooperation in the fight to counter this terrorist group whose most recent act of war was the kidnapping of more than 270 school girls from a Catholic school in the north of Nigeria. In this sense measures have been taken for the introduction of patrols that aim to find the hostages and to strengthen the rule of law in the country's north. A mid and long term strategy to counter the development of terrorist networks in the region has been implemented and an international socio-economic network for the protection of women's rights and the development of the regions involved has been introduced.

On 15th May 2014 Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel travelled to Paris where he met his French counterpart Manuel Valls. During their meeting the two heads of state stressed the good relations that typify the Franco-Luxembourg friendship. They discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, France's economic situation and that of Luxembourg. They addressed the main issues pertaining to European and international policy. During their meeting Mr Valls and Mr Bettel decided to organise an intergovernmental meeting before the end of 2014 in order to optimise and strengthen cross-border cooperation between the two countries.

'London 11' Friends of Syria Core Group comprising representatives of 11 governments including the German, British, French, Italian, Turkish, Egyptian, Saudi and American authorities met in London on 15th May 2014. On this occasion the representatives denounced the organisation of the presidential election on 3rd June qualifying it as "an insult to the memory of the innocent victims of the conflict" and a "parody of democracy". The group also condemned Bachar el-Assad for his personal responsibility in the conflict. The group maintained its determination to provide humanitarian aid in the field "with or without the regime's consent."

After the loss of Crimea in March Ukraine took another step towards partition on 11th May with the organisation of a separatist referendum in two Eastern regions, which have been denounced both by Kiev and the West. On 14th May the Ukrainian authorities maintained that they would not give in to the pro-Russian separatists' "blackmail", entrenched in the country's east. These comments came during a first "national unity" round table which was followed very closely by the West in a bid to find a solution to the crisis. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister announced that there would be a series of round tables "in the regions". Just as the election date is drawing closer the Central Electoral Commission has sounded the alarm. On 17th May the institution said it was unable to prepare and organise the election due to "illegal action on the part of unknown parties" who had proclaimed their "sovereignty" on 13th May after the independence referenda deemed illegal by the international community.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared during his visit to Romania that the Alliance will do what is necessary to defend its members by giving priority to the total protection which each NATO member enjoys. Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean and Defence Minister Mircea Dusa. The Secretary General declared that Russia's attack on Ukraine was contrary to all of the principles on which peace and prosperity had been built in Europe. Mr Rasmussen finally recalled that in part, these events have revealed that defence is the source of strong links between Europe and North America.

According to estimates published by Eurostat on 15th May 2014, euro area annual inflation was 0.7% in April 2014, up from 0.5% in March. A year earlier the rate was 1.2%. Monthly inflation was 0.2% in April 2014. European Union annual inflation was 0.8% in April 2014, up from 0.6% in March. A year earlier the rate was 1.4%. Monthly inflation was 0.1% in April 2014.

Nicola Gnesotto, Professor at the CNAM has published an essay entitled "Faut-il enterrer la défense européenne?" with the Documentation Française. The author notes that it is too early to dismiss European defence: although the results are mitigated, undeniable progress has been made and a certain number of factors are working in support of a strategic revival, notably like the reduction of budget allocated to defence in EU Member States. But if a true European defence system is to emerge the EU has to define its political role in the international arena, and become aware of its assets and overcome the differences in ideas that exist between each Member State, and even allow a certain number of them to move forward faster than the others.

Author of the book "The Sleepwalkers" Christopher Clarke is the winner of the European History Book Prize 2014. On the occasion of Europe Day on 9th May last the European History Book Prize was awarded by a jury comprising historians and European personalities. Created in 2010 by the Historians Association this prize recompenses a history book that provides the best contribution to the knowledge of the history of the peoples and civilisation of Europe. The book which won this year follows the events of the summer of 1914 and the way Europe marched to war.