Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron met in Paris on March 16th. In Jean-Dominique Giuliani's opinion Europe's revival is on the agenda and by the summer an ambitious road-map will be presented by France and Germany.

On 14th March the European Commission presented measures to solve the problems of non-performing loans in Europe, taking advantage of major progress achieved in terms of reducing risks in the banking sector.

On 14th March MEPs approved, without a vote, the appointment of 45 members of the new "special committee on financial crimes, tax fraud, and tax evasion". Its work will focus on the assessment of "national schemes providing tax privileges", VAT fraud and problems linked to tax compliance in the digital economy.

On 13th March the Economy and Finance Ministers adopted measures in terms of taxation, notably a directive that aims to strengthen transparency for the improved detection of tax evasion risks in the Union.

In a joint declaration Paris, Washington, London and Berlin addressed a warning to Russia on 15th March in the shape of a joint declaration on the side-lines of the diplomatic crisis with the UK in the affair of the poisoning of a double agent.

Angel Merkel was re-elected Chancellor of the Bundestag on 14th March thereby starting her fourth term in office. Winning 364 votes of a possible 692, i.e. 53% of the MPs, this election has brought a period of six months of uncertainty that followed the German elections to an end. The coalition government CDU-CSU/SPD includes 7 women out 16 ministers.

In 26 Member States citizens' consultations were to take place between April and October 2018. National and European delegations will be working in the field to collate opinions but also proposals regarding European policies. Moreover many debates as well as exercises in participative democracy will take place across all Member States which are organising these consultations.

Following the poisoning of the former double-agent Serguey Skripal, the British Prime Minister announced on 14th March that the UK would be suspending its bilateral contacts with Moscow. She announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats in line with the Vienna Convention. Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Washington gave their support to the Prime Minister. The issue will be on the agenda of the next European summit in Brussels. Russia replied with the expulsion of British diplomats.

On 14th March Robert Fico, the Slovakian Prime Minister presented his resignation to the President of the Republic, Andrej Kiska. The Prime Minister thereby aimed to prevent a snap election, requested by the opposition. He will be replaced by Peter Pellegrini, who was asked by the President on 15th March to put a new coalition together.

On 14th March Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned following the invalidation of the referendum in September 2017 by the Constitutional Court - the referendum approved one of his leading projects - the building of a second railway linking Koper (the only major trading port in the country) with Divača.

According to a Eurostat press release published on 14th March in the fourth quarter of 2017 and in comparison with the third quarter 2017, employment rose by 0.2% in the EU and by 0.3% in the euro zone, i.e. +1.5% and +1.6% respectively in comparison with the fourth quarter of 2016.

On 12th March the Commission published its report 2017 on the rapid warning system regarding dangerous products. In 2017 the mechanism was used nearly 2000 times by the national authorities. Today several models of hand spinner, cars and motorcycles were the leading products ranked as dangerous detected and withdrawn from the market.

Until 22nd July the Strozzi Palazzo in Florence is running a unique exhibition devoted to post-war Italian works of art leading up to the 1960's: a journey mixing art, politics and society.