On 5th June the Social Democratic Party came out ahead in the general elections with 25.9% of the vote, beating the outgoing Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen's party (23.4%). All of the parties on the left - the Social Democratic Party, the Social Liberal Party, the People's Socialist Party and the Unity List (ecologists), won 91 of the 179 seats in Parliament - of which 48 go to the social democrats. Mette Frederiksen, head of the Social Democratic Pary and probably the future Prime Minister plans to form a minority social democratic government, with the support of the centre left.

After the election for a greater understanding of the Union and what it does the Foundation offers its readers the "Permanent Atlas of the European Union", a book which provides a complete overview of the Union, the euro zone, each of its Member States and its overseas territories. It is available in paper version from the Foundation's site, in bookshops and in digital version. It is updated permanently.

On 5th June the Commission published its draft EU budget 2020 which will total 168.3 billion €. This will be the last budget of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2014-2020. The appropriations allocated are devoted to several priority areas: competitiveness of the economy and youth, the stengthening of security and the fight to counter climate change.

The EU's Ministers of Justice and Interior met on 6th and 7th June and gave the Commission the mandate to negotiate international agreements involving e-evidence in criminal cases. They adopted the conclusions regarding the storing of data to counter crime and asked the Commission to undertake an indepth study of the balance to find between storage of this data for legal purposes and the protection of freedoms and fundamental rights. Interior Ministers adopted a partial general approach regarding the amendment of the return directive, to accelerate procedures, prevent the risk of absconding and secondary movements, and to increase the rate of return of migrants to their countries. They discussed other aspects of the reform of the migratory and asylum policy and exchanged views with the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees and the Director General of the International Organisation for Migration.

The Council of Governors of the European Central Bank met on 6th June and decided to leave its key interest rates unchanged (main refinancing operations, marginal lending facility and deposit facility). It deemed that the rates will remain at their present level until at least the end of the first semester of 2020. The Council also clarified the conditions for the new series of quarterly targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTRO III), which aim to protect favourable lending conditions in the euro zone. The ECB raised its inflation and growth forecasts slightly this year but reduced them for next year, pointing to increasing risks associated with protectionist trends.

The anniversary of the 75th D-Day landing on 6th June 1944 took place on 5th June in Portsmouth in the south of England and on 6th June in Normandy at the Ver-sur-Mer memorial and then at the American cemetary of Colleville-sur-Mer. Many heads of state and government were present on the occasion, notably French President Emmanuel Macron, American President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Candadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Pedro Sanchez was asked to form a new government on 6th June by King Felipe VI. The Socialist leader is going to have to put together a majority. A new situation in the country which is not used to coalitions.

The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Antti Rinne was appointed Prime Minister on 6th June by President Sauli Niinistö and was sworn in by Parliament 111 votes in support against 74. On 3rd June he concluded a coalition agreement with the Centre Party of outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, the Green League, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party to form a government after the elections that took place on 14th April.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reshuffled his government on 4th June, following the election of several ministers to the European Parliament. Among the seven new members of the cabinet appointed by President Andrzej Duda, are the Finance Minister Marian Banas; Interior Minister Elzbieta Witek; Ms Bozena Borys-Szopa, Family, Labour and Social Protection Minister and finally National Education Minister Dariusz Piontkowski. Jacek Sasin is now Deputy Prime Minister after the departure of Beata Szydlo.

On 6th June Romanian President Klaus Iohannis invited all of the political parties to sign a national pact to consolidate Romania's position in the EU. This initiative follows the positive results in the referendum on the future of the legal system, notably related to corruption to scandals involving members of the party in office. These results will be integrated into legislation. Only the Liberal Party ALDE in the government coalition was against this pact.

More than 100,000 people demonstrated on 4th June in Prague demanding the resignation of the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who is suspected of embezzling European subsidies, and also that of the Justice Minister Marie Benesova. Mr Babis, the second richest person in the country, is said to still be making profits from his business, Agrofert, which has benefited from EU grants since 2017 to a total of 17 million €. According to an audit report revealed by the Czech media, the Commission is about to ask for the reimbursement of this sum. Speaking on the same day to Parliament, Babis denounced a "questionable audit" and "an attack against the Czech Republic", maintaining that "no sums will be given back". A second audit report by the Commission challenged Babis again on 6th June, accusing him of a conflict of interests, more particularly related to the agricultural subsidies paid out to Agrofert.

British Prime Minister Theresa May officially left office as leader of the Conservative Party on 7th June. She will continue to manage current affairs until the party has chosen a new leader. Ten MPs are running for her succession. Conservative MPs will vote on 13th to 20th June to appoint two finalist candidates, who will be decided upon by all of the party's members during a vote that will take place in the week of 22nd July.

On 5th and 6th June, the leaders of 12 States participating in the Three Seas (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), as well as the President of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker met in Ljubljana in Slovenia. All declared together that they support cohesion in the EU, economic development in the region and the strengthening of transatlantic links.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on 7th June. The two leaders decided to strengthen the Franco-Swedish partnership for innovation and green solutions, notably in terms of mobility and sustainable urban transport and innovation in support of social integration. In a joint statement they laid out their positions regarding the future of the European Union and said they intended to organise a conference on a "Europe Open to All" by the end of the year.

On 6th June, German Chancellor Angela Merkle hosted Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj. Their discussions focused on economic cooperation. Mr Haradinaj asked for the acknowledgement of his country by Serbia to guarantee the stability of the Western Balkans.

Moldovan President Igor Dodon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on 9th June and replaced by Prime Minister Pavel Filip, who immediately dissolved Parliament. The decision follows the formation of a government coalition on 8th June between Igor Dodon's Socialist Party, which is close to Russia, and the pro-European alliance, ACUM. Maia Sandu (ACUM) was chosen to be Prime Minister but P. Filip's Democratic Party of Moldova led by oligarque Vladimir Plahotniuc qualified the formation of the coalition as a "coup d'etat". New elections will take place on 6th September.

On 7th June the Federal Council expressed its opposition to the people's initiative "For a moderate immigration" which aims to negotiate with the EU the end of the agreement on free movement of people or to denounce it unilaterally. The Federal Council deems that the initiative could challenge all of the bilateral agreements that have been made with the European Union.

The record seizure in 2017 of more than 140 tonnes of cocaine in Europe goes together with the arrival on a increasingly competitive market of new players, including innovative methods bear witness to an "uberisation" of trafficking, according to a report unveiled on 6th June by the European Drugs Agency (EMCDDA).

On 7th June the Commission published a Eurobarometer on the euro undertaken in April 2019 in all Member States that have not yet adopted the single currency. In all of the seven Member States involved (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden), 56% of those interviewed deem that the euro has positive effects in the countries which have adopted it. However only 49% of them would like their country to adopt the common currency and 72% deem that their country is not ready for the euro.

According to figures published on 4th June by Eurostat, unemployment in the EU lay at 6.4% in April 2019, which was stable in comparison with March 2019 and down in comparison with April 2018 (7%). It is the lowest rate since January 2000. In the euro zone unemployment lay at 7.6%, down in comparison with March 2019 (7.7%) and April 2018 (8.4%). This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro zone since August 2008.

On 5th June, the Commission published its annual report on the Charter of Fundamental Rights and its implementation within the Member States. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Charter and the report shows that the national jurisdictions increasingly refer to it in their decisions and ask for the advice of the European Court of Justice. However the Charter is not yet fully put to its best use and remains relatively unknown, notably at national level. Improvements remain possible: the non-respect of the rule of law and legislation in terms of asylum is still a problem in some parts of the Union.

Until 16th June the Bloomsday Festival in Dublin is celebrating the literature of James Joyce whose narrative "Ulysses" took place on 16th June 1904. Concerts, readings and even visits of the places depicted by the author are being organised in his honour.