On 11th April in Brussels the Robert Schuman Foundation is organising a conference on the financing of terrorism and the answers that might be given to this. Notably with the participation of European Commissioners Julian King and Pierre Moscovici, Nathalie Griesbeck, the Chair of the European Parliament's special counter-terrorism committee, Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service and others ... it is obligatory to enrol!

On 21st March the European Commission put forward a new tax on turnover aiming to guarantee that digital business activities are taxed in the EU in a fair manner that encourages growth. These measures would help Europe play a key role at world level in terms of setting out tax legislation that is adapted to the modern economy in the digital era.

On 21st March the European Commission announced that it would allow the purchase of Monsanto by Bayer in virtue of the regulation on mergers. This is subject to the concession of a wide range of activities, designed to remedy the overlapping of activities by both sides in the sectors of seeds, pesticides and digital agriculture.

The European rules governing the gas market must apply to all gas pipelines entering and exiting the Union, except in strictly limited cases, announced MEPs in the European Parliament's Energy Committee on 21st March. Economic sanctions against third countries must also be taken into consideration.

The European Parliament's transport committee adopted new rules aiming to protect the EU's airlines better and to guarantee fair competition in air transport. The proposal is part of the Commission's work to guarantee that the European air transport sector remains competitive and that connectivity is protected.

On 21st March in Brussels the Tripartite Social Summit for growth and employment took place. In this context Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov (whose country is ensuring the rotating presidency of the Council) stressed the importance of strengthening the Union's social dimension, notably via social cohesion and the reduction of inequality. To do this sound foundations need to be built.

On 21st March Angela Merkel presented to the Bundestag her government's guidelines for her fourth mandate. Deeming Europe to be Germany's future, emphasis was placed on the management of the migratory crisis and the joint challenges to meet, from social cohesion to the protection of the borders.

On 22nd March the Polish Prosecutor General and present Justice Minister, Zbigniew Ziobro deemed the controversial law on the Shoah unconstitutional. This law provides for terms in prison of up to three years for those who might "attribute responsibility or co-responsibility of the nation or the State of Poland for the crimes committed by the German Third Reich."

According to a press release by the OECD on 22nd March Poland must rapidly make progress to introduce the main recommendations made to it by the OECD's working group on bribery to which it had not made any follow-up, if the country is to combat foreign bribery.

The number of prisoners in Europe rose slightly in 2016 and prisons are still overcrowded in countries like France and Belgium for example, notes the Council of Europe in a study published on 20th March.

Until 2nd April Baden Baden is putting on an Easter Festival with a mix of concerts, operas and operas such as Parzifal by Wagner with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin.

Until 21st April Heidelberg is hosting "Spring", a classical music festival first established in 1966. More than 30 concerts and recitals are on the programme as well as some master classes.

Until 2nd April the Easter Festival of Salzburg is taking place with works such as Puccini's Tosca, Mozart's Double Concerto, Schumann, Schubert, Mahler's Third Symphony and the Satyricon by Bruno Maderna.

From 29th March to 23rd July 2018 an exhibition devoted to Eugène Delacroix is taking place at the Louvre Museum. Born of the partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art it will bring together more than 180 works of art, including paintings as well as certain written pieces of the work by the artist.