In the face of the coronavirus crisis and its economic consequences, the Union needs a major act that voluntarily expresses its solidarity, writes Jean-Dominique Giuliani. If the Member States agree to pool the reconstruction effort, European integration will have given irrefutable proof of its usefulness.

Faced with the health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Union is trying to deploy the various means at its disposal. In order to react and be resilient for the future, its ability to act depends to a large extent on the Member States and their resolve to act together. The Foundation offers you a summary of all the measures taken at national and European level, which we update regularly.

The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke on 4 April about the coronavirus crisis. She felt that although the Union had been slow in its initial response, it had been able to adapt, in particular by relaxing the budgetary rules, ensuring medical solidarity between States and making available €100 billion in loans to the Member States through the SURE programme. She called for a Marshall Plan, based on an ambitious multiannual budget to revive the European economy after the crisis.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on 4 April the extension of the containment until 25 April, and in Germany the restrictive measures have been extended until 19 April. In France and Belgium, the authorities suggested that the measures would be extended beyond 15 and 19 April. In the United Kingdom, where unlimited containment remains in place and where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized on 5 April due to persistent symptoms of Covid-19, Queen Elizabeth II called on her subjects to remain "united and determined". In the Netherlands, severe movement restrictions will remain in place until 28 April, while Sweden remains so far the only EU country not to restrict travel and leave schools open. On 6 April, Austria announced the reopening of shops from 14 April, and Denmark announced the reopening of schools by 15 April.

On 31 March the European Union launched Irini, a new military operation to monitor the UN arms embargo on Libya. Its mission is to verify the implementation of the arms embargo in Libya, to combat illegal oil exports and trafficking in human beings, and to train the Libyan Coast Guard.

In a judgment delivered on 2 April, the Court of Justice ruled that when a Member State has to respond to an extradition request from a third State concerning a national of a European Free Trade Association (EFTA) State, party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, it must check that the national is not in danger of being subjected to the death penalty or torture. It had received the case of a naturalized Icelandic national from Russia wanted by the Moscow office of Interpol and arrested in Croatia.

The Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided on 2 April to postpone the assessment of its monetary policy strategy until mid-2021, rather than the end of 2020 as originally planned, in order to focus on the coronavirus crisis. The citizens' consultations organised as part of the "ECB listens to you" programme have been postponed and can now take place online.

The European Medicines Agency issued recommendations on April 2 on the use of investigational therapies to combat Covid-19 as part of the compassionate use programmes. At the request of Estonia, Greece, the Netherlands and Romania, it authorises the use of Remesivir, an antiviral drug effective in cases of SARS and MERS viruses, in an approach that is both fair and transparent, and above all according to common criteria and conditions of use.

On 6 April, the Polish Parliament adopted an amendment to the electoral code providing for postal voting for the presidential election scheduled for 10 and 24 May, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on movement and assembly. There is a clause allowing the vote to be postponed, but no later than 17 May. This decision, which runs counter to a Constitutional Court ruling prohibiting changes to the electoral code less than six months before the election, was strongly criticised by the opposition.

Keir Starmer, a former lawyer and MP since 2015, was elected leader of the British Labour Party on 4 April. He called for constructive cooperation with the government of Boris Johnson in the fight against the coronavirus and to combat anti-Semitism. His 10-point policy plan incorporates some of the proposals of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, such as the nationalisation of the railways and the post office and the repeal of anti-union laws.

The Council of Europe has published its report on the supervision of the execution of judgments and decisions of the ECHR for the year 2019. The report shows an increasing application in the execution of the Court's judgments compared to the decade 2000-2010. However, it points to shortcomings, linked to national actors, lack of resources, or even disagreement with certain judgments.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on 31 March the appointment of a group of experts regarding the future of the Alliance, following the 4 December London Summit. Chaired by former German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière and US diplomat Wess Mitchell, the group will provide recommendations for strengthening NATO's unity, coordination of members and political role.

Unemployment has continued to fall and stood at 6.5% in the European Union and 7.3% in the euro-zone in February, according to a Eurostat news release issued on 1 April. The lowest unemployment rate was registered in the Czech Republic with 2%, while Spain (13.6%) and Greece (16.9%) had the most people unemployed in December.

The San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid is offering a virtual collection of works of architecture, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries.