Following the French President's speech on 7 February on nuclear policy, in which he called on Europeans to take part in an in-depth dialogue and joint exercises on deterrence, with a view to greater European strategic autonomy, Jean-Dominique Giuliani appealed to Europeans: Trump or Macron, you have to choose.

Three parties emerged from a tightly contested general election in Ireland on 8 February. Sinn Fein (SF) (Ourselves), a radical left-wing party led by Mary Lou McDonad, created a surprise and made an impressive breakthrough by winning 24.5% of the vote. The Fianna Fail (FF) (Soldiers of Destiny), led by Micheal Martin, won 22.2% of the votes. Finally, Fine Gael (FG) (Clan of the Gaels), the party of outgoing Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, obtained 20.9% of the votes. The formation of a future government will undoubtedly be a difficult exercise. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have each ruled out joining forces with Sinn Fein, notably due to its links with the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The failures of certain merger projects like Alstom/Siemens call into question the inadequacy, or even obsolescence, of European competition law and its place in relation to other public policy objectives. Should a rebalancing not be carried out between competition policy and industrial policy so that the objectives of the latter can be deployed? On behalf of the Foundation, Bruno Deffains, Olivier d'Ormesson and Thomas Perroud propose several avenues for reform.

On 5 February, the Commission presented a reform of the EU accession process to make it "more credible, dynamic, predictable and political". In particular, it proposes to link the integration of candidate countries into the Union's policies, market and programmes to progress in the reforms required. The negotiating chapters would be grouped into six thematic groups which would be open globally and subject to political guidance from the Member States.

The President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde was at the hearing of Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on 6 February. She explained that the profound structural changes in the world economy made it necessary to review the ECB's 16-year old monetary policy. She also stressed the need for the ECB to communicate better in order to make its action more effective.

Meeting in Zagreb on 3 and 4 February, the ministers responsible for competitiveness discussed the mobility of talent in order to balance opportunities in the Union. They also discussed the future European Research Area, identifying obstacles and measures to be taken to create a real labour market for researchers.

In the fourth report on the implementation of the Association Agreement with Georgia, published on 7 February, the Union notes the Georgian authorities' willingness to continue reforms in the electoral and judicial fields despite growing political divisions. The Union stresses that the coming months will be decisive.

On 5 February, the European Court of Auditors published a report on the sustainable use of plant protection products. Deploring the limited progress made over the last 10 years in reducing the use of pesticides in the EU, it notes that farmers do not have sufficient incentives to reduce their dependence on pesticides and regrets that the principle of integrated pest management is not a precondition for CAP payments.

On the night of February 9, the European-American Solar Orbiter probe took off from Florida towards the centre of the solar system. Its cruise will last a little less than 2 years and its scientific mission between 5 and 9 years. The purpose of the probe is to explore the solar wind and to understand the activity of our star.

New elections are due to be held in Thuringia after the resignation of Thomas Kemmerich (Liberal Democratic Party, FDP) on 8 February, three days after his election as Minister-President with the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, against the outgoing Minister-President (left-wing party, Die Linke), Bodo Ramelow. Chancellor Angela Merkel called this alliance "unforgivable" and dismissed her State Secretary for the Eastern Länder, Christian Hirte, who had welcomed it. On 10 February, CDU Chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her resignation from the party and will therefore not be a candidate for the chancellery in 2021.

On 6 February, the Bulgarian Parliament adopted an amendment to set the exchange rate of the lev, the national currency with the euro area countries, in preparation for entry into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II). This is the first step in the euro accession process which Bulgaria wishes to conclude in 2023.

MBDA, the European missile company, signed two contracts with Cyprus on 6 February for the supply of Mistral surface-to-air missiles and a coastal battery equipped with Exocet anti-ship missiles. For several months Cyprus has faced Turkish manoeuvres as part of drilling operations off its coast which have been condemned by the European Union.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid an official visit to Poland on 3 and 4 February. In a joint declaration, France and Poland undertook to strengthen their cooperation on defence and economic, fiscal and industrial policy at the European level. They stressed the importance of the social dimension of climate transition and the right of Member States to decide on their energy mix. In a speech at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, E. Macron stressed that Poland could not take part in the EU while "distancing itself from its fundamental values".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Chancellor Angela Merkel on 10th February in Berlin. They mainly discussed the upcoming EU multiannual budget, enlargement to the Western Balkans and Europe's economic competitiveness.

On 4 February, Polish President Andrzej Duda promulgated the law introducing sanctions against Polish judges who denounce attacks on the independence of the judiciary. The text had been adopted by Parliament on 23 January despite the Union's warnings.

On 5 February, the Romanian Parliament overthrew the government of Ludovic Orban (National Liberal Party - PNL), who had been in office for three months. A vote of no-confidence, tabled by the Social Democratic Party, was adopted by 261 out of 465 deputies. This political crisis stemmed from a draft amendment that would have reformed the electoral law to restore a two-round voting system in the parliamentary elections. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on 6 February that he was reappointing Ludovic Orban as Prime Minister to form a new government. Early parliamentary elections could be held in May.

On 4 February, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published a report on its ad hoc visit to Catalonia in September 2018. The report focuses on the situation of detainees in special closed regime units, women prisoners and the effectiveness of the guarantees afforded to persons deprived of their liberty in several police stations, the manner in which they are treated and the conditions of detention.

According to an OECD economic survey published on 3 February, tax, labour, pension and education reforms in Belgium have improved the prospects for stronger and more sustainable long-term growth. However, economic growth remains below the levels observed in the euro area and productivity growth has stagnated. Future reforms regarding public support and the reduction of public debt are advisable to reduce future obstacles to employment.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of 9 May 1950, the Robert Schuman European Centre is launching its call for contributions for the Robert Schuman Prizes, awarded to texts which propose a future or new action for the Union for the next 70 years. The first prize is €15 000. The deadline for submitting proposals for texts is 15 March.

The 17th edition of the International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, Art Karlsruhe is taking place from 13 to 16 February. The event brings together more than 200 galleries from 15 different countries. This year's focus is on the collection of Hans-Peter Haas, one of the most important private collections in Europe.