During the general elections which took place on 26th February in Ireland, Fine Gael, led by outgoing Prime Minister Enda Kenny, won 25.52% of the vote and 47 seats. It drew ahead of Fianna Fail which won 24.3% and 43 seats, Sinn Fein 13.8% and 22 seats, the Labour Party 6.9% and 6 seats, the Alliance against Austerity-People Before Profits (AAA-PBP), 3.9% and 5 seats, the Social Democrats 3% and 3 seats and the Green Party 2.72% and 2 seats. The Independent Alliance (IA) won 4.2% and 4 seats, whilst the independent candidates won 13% and 16 seats. Forming a government is going to be difficult. Will Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, which have governed Ireland alternately since 1930, form a coalition?

The third edition of the Atlas of the European Union is a work of reference which presents the Union, its institutions, each of the 28 Member States and a new feature - their overseas territories via their history, culture and their reality.

On 23rd February Portuguese MPs adopted a high risk budget on first reading, which intends to release pressure by reducing deficits, whilst Brussels and the financial markets look on with concern.

102,547 migrants have arrived via Greece and 7,507 via Italy in Europe since January by crossing the Mediterranean announced the International Organisation for Migrants (IOM).

On 22nd February the European Commission and the Principality of Monaco signed a new agreement on tax transparency which heralds further progress in the fight to counter tax evasion.

On 25th February MEPs adopted their economic and social priorities for 2016. These priorities notably focus on investment, structural reform, social equity, the single market and SMEs.

On 24th February during the "Education, Youth, Culture and Sports" Council Ministers adopted a resolution on socio-economic development and European integration.

On 25th February the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in support of a law stating that Member States can refuse to grant social advantages to citizens from another EU Member States for the first three months of their stay.

The Spanish Social Workers' Party (PSOE) announced on 24th February that an agreement had been found with Ciudadanos, but neither political party holds a majority in Parliament.

On 22nd February the Italian government published a strategic document for Europe which contains proposals for the future of the European Union, notably regarding growth, work and stability.

An exit of the UK from the EU would threaten the country's economy and security, maintained British Prime Minister David Cameron on 22nd February when he spoke to MPs in parliament.

French and German Foreign Ministers Jean-Marc Ayrault and Frank-Walter Steinmeier met on 22nd February in Berlin and travelled to Kyiv on 23rd to assess the respect of the Minsk agreements.

On 23rd February the European Court of Human Rights deemed that the 2013 conviction of Russian opponent Alexey Navalny to five years in a prison camp for embezzlement was "arbitrary" and even of a "political nature".

According to a Eurostat publication on 29th February the annual euro zone inflation rate lay at -0.2% in February 2016 whilst it was 0.3% in January.

A study by the economic prospective institute Prognos for the German foundation, Bertelsmann, published on 22nd February deems that the collapse of the Schengen area might cost the EU up to 1,400 billion € over ten years.

Under the management of Philippe Gréciano the publication "L'Europe à l'épreuve de la mondialisation" (Mare & Martin) brings together many European experts who deliver their analyses of the role and place of Europe in the present context of globalisation.

The Museum of Modern Art (LaM) in Villeneuve-d'Ascq is running an exceptional retrospective devoted to the work of Amédeo Modigliani until 5th June.