On 8th April nearly 8 million Hungarians are called to ballot to renew the 199 members of the Orszaggyules, the only house in Parliament. This legislative election is almost without suspense such is the domination of the outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Alliance of Young Democrats-Civic Union, FIDESZ-MPP) over the country and the opposition divided and therefore impotent. According to the most recent poll by Nezopont, published at the beginning of March, FIDESZ is due to win the elections with 52% of the vote easily, ahead of the Movement for a Better Hungary (JOBBIK), which is due to win 17% of the vote. On the left the Socialist Party (MSZP) is due to win 10% of the vote and the Democratic Coalition (DK) 6%. Doing Politics Differently (LMP), an ecologist party, is due to win 9%.

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk laid out his vision of post-Brexit relations in a declaration he made on 7th March. He declared that the Union did not want to build a "wall" separating it from the UK, but their divorce would necessarily lead to a loosening of ties, notably in terms of trade.

On 7th March the Commission adopted the annual work programme that lays out measures to support reform, financed by the Structural Reform Support Programme 2018. In 2018 the SRSP will provide technical assistance to the 24 Member States to help them accomplish more than 140 projects that come in addition to the 150 projects selected in 2017.

On 6th March Ministers adopted a roadmap for the implementation of the permanent structured cooperation (PESCO), establishing a timetable that lays out details of the way the 25 participating Member States plan to fulfil their commitments. They also adopted the list of 17 joint projects which will be completed in this framework.

During its conference on 8th March the European Central Bank informed that it would be maintaining its interest rate at a stable rate and that it would continue its monetary policies for the euro zone States until September 2018. It has given up however the possibility of increasing the monthly volume of its public and private debt purchases.

On 8th March the Council appointed Belgian Catherine de Bolle as Executive Director of Europol for a four year mandate that is renewable once. She will take office on May 1st.

Romano Escolano was appointed Spanish Economy Minister on 7th March. He has replaced Luis de Guindos, who will be joining the European Central Bank. He was previously the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank.

Greece returned to the path of growth in 2017, since its GDP has risen by 1.4% over the past year, according to a first estimate published on 5th March by the Greek Statistics Authority (Elstat).

On 9th March Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar hosted the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, in Dublin. Discussions mainly focused on economic issues (employment, growth, competitiveness) and on the UK's exit of the Union.

In a press release on 6th March, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia called to focus reform of the euro zone in areas in which the Member States are close to compromise and to postpone any more ambitious plans.

The Law and Justice Party (PiS) took control of the Polish judicial system on 6th March as it elected its own candidates to the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), a constitutional body that ensures the independence of the legal system. The opposition (except KUKIZ 15) boycotted the vote in parliament regarding the choice of the new members of the KRS, held in virtue of a bill that has been criticised many times as being anti-constitutional both in Poland and by many international institutions.

The Council of Europe called on Lisbon to "step up reform" in terms of countering corruption amongst its MPs and magistrates, deeming the present legal framework as "unsatisfactory" in a report published on 6th March. The European Parliament's panel of anti-corruption experts, (GRECO) invited the Portuguese authorities to establish "principles and standards of conduct" for MPs.

Armenian MPs elected Armen Sarkissian President of the Republic on 2nd March, 90 votes in support out of 105. Aged 64 and Ambassador in the UK to date, he was the only candidate running for office.

Iceland distinguishes itself by its excellent results in terms of parity. The island has been ranked first in the report by the World Economic Forum on equality for the past nine years. The country has adopted strong legislation which makes it illegal to pay women lower wages and measures that aim to promote equality in terms of education, healthcare and employment opportunities.

On 7th March the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister, Ine Eriksen Søreide announced that her country was releasing 391 million Norwegian crowns to help the development of the Western Balkans. This fund has almost been doubled in comparison with 2017 (175 million NOK). It is designed to promote stability, democracy and the economic and social development of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

On 2nd to 5th March the Swiss Federal Council reviewed four years of negotiation with the EU over institutional issues pertaining to access to the European market. One of the priorities is an agreement for Swiss participation in the electricity market.

On 12th March the Council extended restrictive measures linked to actions that are compromising or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and its independence for a further six months. These measures comprise assets freezes and travel restrictions. They continue to apply to 150 people and 38 entities.

On 5th March the WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo asked the Member States of the organisation to avoid triggering the escalation of trade barriers across the world. His intervention responds to the announcements made by the WTO's members indicating that unilateral barriers to trade might soon enter into force.

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the GDP adjusted to seasonal variations rose by 0.6% both in the EU and the euro zone in comparison with the previous quarter according to an estimate published by Eurostat. During the third quarter of 2017 the GDP increased by 0.7%.

On International Women's Day on 8th March the Commission published its 2018 report on equality between men and women, as well as a document on women in tech.

Until 30th March the Klarafestival in Brussels is paying tribute to visionary composers like Beethoven and Stockhausen. This year aims to be "an ode to the imagination and to wonder, to the power of the imagination and the creative capacity of humankind."