The Irish are due to go to the polls on 8 February for early parliamentary elections a few days after Brexit. According to the latest opinion poll, the Fianna Fail (right) led by Micheal Martin is expected to come out on top with 25% of the vote ahead of outgoing Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's Fine Gael (centre right) (23%). Sinn Fein (SF), a radical left-wing party, is expected to win 21%, the Green Party 8% and the Labour Party 5%.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met US President Donald Trump on 21 January in the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The discussion focused in particular on the issues of trade, technology and energy. The two leaders agreed to meet again soon and to start discussions with a view to signing a "trade agreement".

The European Parliament's International Trade Committee approved the free trade and investment protection agreements with Vietnam on 21 January. The agreement will eliminate virtually all tariffs between the two parties in 10 years. It will protect emblematic European products and give Europeans access to Vietnamese public procurement markets. Parliament is expected to vote on these agreements at its February plenary session.

The European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs approved a recommendation on 23 January to ratify the agreement on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January. The vote will take place on 29 January by a simple majority of the votes cast.

On 23 and 24 January in Zagreb, the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs discussed the future strategic framework for the Union's "area of freedom, security and justice". They emphasised the importance of training in the field of justice, as well as the effectiveness of the work of judicial bodies to ensure good cooperation in civil and commercial matters. They discussed the smuggling of migrants and the regulation of Frontex, as well as the implementation of the new interoperability framework, the aim of which is to facilitate the exchange of information for more efficient border management.

On 27 January, the ministers for agriculture and fisheries discussed the agricultural dimensions of the Green Deal and the proposal for a regulation on the CAP's transitional rules, which aims to ensure the continuity of support to European farmers in 2021. France, Germany and Spain submitted a common position on the future of the CAP. Germany submitted its position on the European labelling of food of animal origin. Slovenia and Portugal submitted a declaration on labelling indicating the country of origin of honey mixtures.

Eight Member States support the establishment of a maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz. France, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Portugal signed a declaration on 20 January stating that this European naval mission (EMASOH) will complement ongoing maritime security actions and initiatives in the region.

In a report published on 23 January, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on Belgium to strengthen transparency and integrity in the public life of ministers and members of their cabinets, in that no ethical framework has been put in place when it comes to the recruitment and remuneration of ministers and members of their cabinets, or in relation to conflicts of interest, gifts, "pantouflage", etc. Furthermore, the Group notes the lack of resources of the federal police in preventing and combating corruption and calls for the strengthening of supervision of secondary activities (complementary profession) undertaken by members of the federal police, the practice of which is now authorized almost automatically.

In a report published on 20 January, the Council of Europe expert group GREVIO, highlights the efforts of the Netherlands to address domestic violence and other forms of violence against women at the political and legal levels, in particular the dialogue initiated with young people on the principles of consent and gender equality. However, the Group notes that women are not sufficiently recognized as a group particularly confronted with the issue of violence, which can lead to gaps in protection and support.

In a report published on 23 January, the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) welcomed the improvements noted in Poland with regard to the integration of Roma in education over the period 2014-20. However, it deplored the very limited development in the framework for minority rights, despite its repeated requests, and noted the persistence of a climate of intolerance, racism and xenophobia. The Committee recommends the implementation of a more comprehensive programme for the integration of Roma from 2020 onwards, as well as the promotion by the Polish authorities of understanding between the majority and the various minority groups in the country.

Moneyval, the Council of Europe's body responsible for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, published on 24 January monitoring reports assessing the progress of six countries, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, Albania, Serbia and Andorra. Overall, the body highlighted the limited progress made in the fight to combat money laundering and terrorist financing by these States, with the exception of Slovenia, whose compliance ratings remain unchanged.

Rik Daems (BE, ALDE) was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 January. He is the only candidate standing for election and succeeds Liliane Maury Pasquier (CH, SOC) for a one-year renewable term of office. In his inaugural speech, he called on the Assembly to focus on values rather than national interests, and stressed the link between human rights and the environment.

An OECD PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) report, published on 22 January, reveals that adolescents' career aspirations are becoming less and less diverse. Young people tend to focus on traditional professions such as "teacher, lawyer or entrepreneur", ignoring the advent of new professions linked to digital transformation.

According to a report published on 23 January, the share of renewable energy in energy consumption in the Union will reach 18% in 2018, compared with 17.5% in 2017 and 8.5% in 2004, the first year for which such data are available. With the European objective of reaching 20% in 2020, 12 Member States have already achieved a share equal to or higher than their national targets.

The Ghent Museum of Fine Arts is presenting until 30 April the largest exhibition ever devoted to Jan Van Eyck, the fourteenth-century Flemish primitive painter considered to be the father of oil painting, with works from all over the world. On display are eight panels of the exterior shutters of the Mystic Lamb, his masterpiece, currently undergoing restoration in Ghent Cathedral.

The 47th edition of the International Comics Festival is being held from 30 January to 2 February, with more than 6,000 professionals from all over the world. The name of the author elected for the Grand Prize will be unveiled on 29 January at the opening ceremony.

Until 4 May, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (Mucem) in Marseille is hosting the exhibition "Voyage Voyages", an exploration through journeys and their stories. Some one hundred works - paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings, photographs and videos - are on display to the public.

The Holburne Museum in Bath is hosting an exhibition devoted to British artist and ceramist Grayson Perry until May 25. More than 70 of his works exploring themes of gender, identity and social class are on display for the occasion.