The Party of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OL'aNO), a right-wing party led by Igor Matovic, won the Slovak parliamentary elections on 29 February with 25.02% of the vote and 53 seats out of 150 in parliament. The SMER-SD party of outgoing Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini won only 18.29% of the vote and 38 seats. Igor Matovic, whose policies are difficult to predict, will have to find stable allies to govern.

On 6 March, Euractiv Bulgaria and the EPP Group are organising a meeting at the Commission's Representation in Sofia on the European Commission's plans for a common judicial mechanism and the crisis of the rule of law in the Union's East, with the participation of Eric Maurice, head of the Foundation's Brussels office.

On 26 February, the Commission published its country reports analysing the main socio-economic challenges Member States face to achieve four objectives: environmental sustainability, productivity gains, equity and macroeconomic stability. The reports highlight in particular wide disparities in terms of unemployment and debt levels. 3 countries, Greece, Italy and Cyprus, still show excessive imbalances, and 9 others, including France and Germany, show imbalances.

On 25 February, European Affairs Ministers adopted the negotiating mandate for a new partnership with the United Kingdom, to be led by Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier. The first round of talks began on 2 March. The ministers also prepared the European Council on 26 and 27 March. They discussed the Commission's proposals for reforming the enlargement process. They discussed the Union's legislative programme. The Commission also briefed ministers on the methodology and ongoing preparations for the new annual cycles and reports on the rule of law.

14 European foreign ministers signed a joint forum published on 26 February concerning the situation in Syria. They denounced the air strikes on Idlib in the north of the country by the Damascus regime. These operations, supported by Russia, are in violation of international humanitarian law. Ministers called for a truce and encouraged the parties to find a negotiated political solution.

Europol, the European Cybersecurity Agency, the European Central Bank and numerous public and private financial institutions announced on 27 February the launch of the Cyber Information and Intelligence Sharing Initiative (CIISI-EU) aimed at countering cybersecurity threats in the financial sector.

The European Union recorded a 13% increase in asylum applications in 2019, for the first time since the peak in 2015, according to data published on 26 February by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). More than 714,000 applications were lodged, mainly by Syrian, Afghan and Venezuelan applicants. The increase can be attributed to applications from nationals of Latin American countries that are visa exempt. These applications for international protection only lead to positive decisions in 33% of cases.

A new law came into force in Germany on 1 March. Aimed at skilled workers, it simplifies the process of obtaining work visas, especially for qualified non-European applicants. Its aim is to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers in Germany.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the President of the Catalan region Quim Torra met on 26 February to discuss the crisis created by the regional government's demand for independence. The two leaders agreed that the "political nature of the conflict" requires a political solution. They agreed to set up a working group and to hold a meeting every month in Madrid and Barcelona.

According to the United Nations, there are more than 13,000 migrants on the border between Turkey and Greece. They have been brought from Istanbul with the support of the Turkish authorities who want the Union to help them in Turkey, where their troops are facing a Russian-Syrian offensive. The Greek government has suspended asylum procedures and requested the activation of Article 78.3 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which provides for measures in the event of "an emergency situation characterised by a sudden influx of third-country nationals". On 2 March, the Frontex agency decided to launch a "rapid intervention" to help Greece. The leaders of the three EU institutions will visit Greece on 3 March, on the border with Turkey, because "the challenge facing Greece is a European challenge", announced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Following a meeting in Rome on 25 February, the Health Ministers of Italy and six European countries - France, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Switzerland - as well as the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, decided not to close the borders.

In a report published on 29 February, Iustitia, the main association of Polish judges, describes the investigations and disciplinary proceedings initiated by the government against magistrates, as well as cases of pressure or harassment suffered.

Following the invalidation of Ludovic Orban's appointment by the Constitutional Court on 24 February, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis appointed on 26 February Florin Cîtu, Finance Minister of the outgoing National Liberal Party (NLP) government, as Prime Minister.

On 27 February, the British Government published its position on future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Several agreements are presented, following the standard model of the agreement between the Union and Canada: a proposal for a comprehensive free trade agreement covering almost all trade, a separate agreement on fisheries, an agreement on law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, but also agreements in technical fields covering aviation, energy and civil nuclear cooperation. Negotiations start on 2 March.

Janez Jansa, leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), was appointed Prime Minister on 26 February by President Borut Pahor. He signed a coalition pact securing him 48 of the 90 seats in Parliament, with a centre-right party, New Slovenia (N.Si), and two small parties (the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and the Democratic Party of Pensioners DeSUS) which had participated in the previous centre-left coalition. Janez Jansa previously served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2008 and in 2012-13.

In its 2019 annual report published on 27 February, the Council of Europe's independent expert body for combating racism and intolerance (ECRI) expressed concern about the rise in hate speech and the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Europe. While noting heterogeneous trends across the continent, ECRI points to extremely serious discrimination, whether on the Internet or in political discourse, which can result in violent acts - the most recent example being the shooting in Hanau in Germany, where nine people were killed.

Nearly 91,000 cases of Covid-19 (coronavirus) have been reported in 60 countries and more than 3,100 people have died, according to World Health Organization figures as of 2 March. Considering it crucial to "break the chain of transmission", the organization is calling on all countries to inform their populations, expand surveillance, treat all cases and take all necessary measures.

In a report published on 28 February, the International Monetary Fund analyses the impact of the European Central Bank's asset purchase programme on international capital flows. It finds that investors in the euro area have redirected their assets to outside the euro area. It also finds that the programme has had different effects across sectors and countries in the euro area.

Government spending in the Union totalled 46.7% of GDP in 2018, falling steadily since 2012 when it was 49.7% of GDP, according to a Eurostat report published on 27 February. Social protection is the largest item: 41.2% of total public spending and 19.2% of GDP. It is the only item whose share increased between 2007 and 2018. Expenditure on public services fell by 2.1 points over the same period.

According to a study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published on 25 February, a total failure of the United Kingdom and European Union negotiations by the end of the year could cost the British economy $32 billion due to a drop in its exports (14%). The blow would be very hard on the British economy given that the European market represents 46% of its outlets.

Until July 5, the Marmottan Monet Museum is organizing the exhibition "Cezanne and the Masters. Rêve d'Italie", featuring some of the best known works of art by the artist from Aix and by Italian Renaissance painters. It highlights the influence of Latin culture in Cézanne's artistic style, and the latter's influence on the Italian Novecento movement.