The parliamentary elections (Assembly and Senate) will take place in Italy on 4th March following the dissolution of parliament by the Italian president on 28th December. Three groups will be running: on the right, represented by Forza Italia, the party of former President of the Council, Silvio Berlusconi, the Northern League (LN), led by Matteo Salvini, and the Brothers of Italy (FdI) of Giorgia Meloni; the left with the Democratic Party of Matteo Renzi, and finally the 5 Stars Movement (M5S) founded by Beppe Grillo, a populist party that rejects any coalition agreement with the other parties and led by Luigi di Maio. According to the most recent poll by Tecne, published at the end of January, the 5 Stars Movement is due to come out ahead with 27.8% of the vote, then Democratic Party, 22.2% of the vote, Forza Italia, 18.3%, the Northern League 12.8% and the Brothers of Italy 5.1%.

The revised European directive put forward by the European Commission on 1st February will help improve drinking water quality and access to this via better information given to European citizens. The right of access to vital quality services, notably water is one of the main pillars of European social rights.

On 31st January the Commission presented a proposal aiming to foster cooperation between the Member States for the assessment of healthcare technologies. The improvement of transparency will strengthen the patients' position, who will have access to information about the clinical added value of new technologies that might be beneficial to them.

On 31st January the European Commission adopted the new Code of Conduct for the members of the European Commission. The new code notably extends the period of waiting to two years. During this period former members of the Commission will be obliged to inform the Commission before accepting a new function and will be subject to restrictions in certain activities.

Galileo, the European satellite navigation system, "has nearly 100 million users", just over a year after the launch of its first services, announced the National Centre for Space Studies on February 1st. It will be 2020 before the system will be at its maximum performance across the world.

The Parliament of Catalonia officially announced on 31st January that it had postponed the investiture of the President of the Generalität of Catalonia. This follows the ban by the Spanish Constitutional Court on 27th January on investing Carles Puigdemont who is fleeing prosecution and not living in Spain.

The House of Lords has been examining the Withdrawal Bill since 30th January. Assimilating the exit of the EU as "an act of self-mutilation that must be stopped," Andrew Adonis, Lord and former Labour Party minister for his part defended the idea of a second referendum. For the time being both Labour and Conservatives are against the idea of another vote.

Eurostat published its first growth estimates on 30th January for the fourth quarter of 2017. Hence the GDP rose by 0.6%, both in the EU and the euro zone, i.e. 2.6% and 2.7% more respectively than in comparison with the fourth quarter of 2016. Over 2017 growth rose to 2.5%, i.e. its highest rate in 10 years.

The euro zone's annual inflation rate is estimated at 1.3% in January 2018, against 1.4% in December 2017 according to a Eurostat estimate published on 31st January.

On 31st January the Commission received a report by the group of experts on sustainable finance. This puts forward strategic recommendation for a sustainable financial system to support ecologically sustainable investments. This report is also a decisive factor in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

On 31st January the European Commission delivered a report that aimed to review mid-term the Erasmus+ programme (2014-2020). All of the programmes assessed have proven effective. Erasmus+ is seen as being more coherent and pertinent than its predecessors.

On 30th January the European Commission published the report on the implementation of the Common Monitoring and Evaluation System designed for the European Maritime Affairs and Fishing Fund.

From 6th February to 13th May at the Petit Palais an exhibition is running at the Petit Palais in Paris; from traditional flower paintings to the aesthetic breaks from modernity, this exhibition highlights the extensive artistic, aesthetic and amiable exchanges between Dutch and French painters from the reign of Napoleon to the beginning of the 20th century.

The Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao is devoting an exhibition to the work of Henri Michaux until 13th May. It reveals the central features of the artist's working methods, highlighting his constant interest in the sciences, musicology and ethnography.

The Mudec, the culture museum of Milan, is hosting an exhibition devoted to Frida Kahlo until 3rd June. Entitled "Frida Kahlo, beyond the myth", it will focus on autobiographical aspect of the Mexican realist painter.

The Mumok of Vienna is running a retrospective exhibition until 27th May on the work by Bruno Gironcoli, the first to promote the painter and illustrator rather than the sculptor.