On 6 April, defence ministers discussed how their armies have intervened in support of national health systems. They agreed to establish a Task Force to facilitate the exchange of information and best practices on these deployments, complementing NATO's own arrangements. With regard to European missions abroad, the ministers decided to maintain a presence in fragile countries.

Research Ministers discussed a joint response to the coronavirus on April 7. They stressed the importance of information sharing and research funding, and agreed on priority actions for Covid-19-related research and innovation.

On 8 April, the Commission issued its recommendations on the use of data and applications in response to the coronavirus pandemic and stressed the need for a common European approach. It considered that digital tools could play an important role in the gradual lifting of containment measures, while at the same time underlining the importance of the principles of data security and respect for fundamental rights. Mobile applications could be a social distancing tool to alert, prevent and search for contacts, while the use of anonymised mobile location data could be used to model the future evolution of the virus.

On 8 April the Council validated the international aid plan presented by the Commission. This plan of more than €20 billion will help the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Union's neighbourhood to combat the virus. In particular, it will finance their health systems and plans to support their economies. The plan will involve European institutions, their financial institutions and Member States.

On 8 April the Commission recommended the renewal of the ban on non-essential travel within the Schengen area. The European Centre for Disease Prevention considers that the evolution of the number of infections and the high risk of overloading Member States' health systems do not allow a return to normal at this level. The Commission proposes that this ban be maintained at least until 15 May.

On 8 April, the Ministers of Culture discussed the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on the culture and media sector. They stressed the crucial role of the press in the fight against misinformation and welcomed the measures already taken by the Commission.

Finance Ministers meeting in Eurogroup on 9 April agreed on a €540 billion rescue plan to deal with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. A credit line of €240 billion will be available to all Member States through the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) for health expenditure. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide up to €200 billion in liquidity guarantees for businesses. The Commission will guarantee up to €100 billion for national temporary unemployment schemes. Ministers finally agreed on the principle of a common recovery plan in the coming months.

The President of the Italian Council, Giuseppe Conte, decided on 10 April to extend the confinement of the population until 3 May. Nevertheless, bookshops and clothing stores are allowed to reopen from 14 April, and logging can resume.

Containment has been extended in France until 11 May, the French President announced on 13 April. In Germany, where the restrictions will remain in place until 19 April, the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina published its recommendations for a gradual lifting of the measures on 13 April. In Austria, public gardens, shops of less than 400 m2, garden centres and DIY stores reopened on 14 April, and the wearing of masks is mandatory as a condition for going out. In Spain, where the restrictions are in place until 26 April, some activities resumed on 13 April. In Ireland, containment is in place until 5 May. In the United Kingdom, where the population is confined until an unspecified date, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from hospital on 12 April. In Poland, movement restrictions are in place until 19 April and school closures until 26 April.

The French government's plan to support the economy will be stepped up to €100 billion. The announcement is to be made on 15 April. Belgium announced new measures on 11 April, such as a temporary moratorium on business bankruptcies and a freeze on the degressivity of unemployment benefits. On 10 April, the Spanish government activated the second €20 billion tranche of the €100 billion business guarantee line decided by the government on 17 March. On 8 April in Poland, the government launched a "financial shield" of 100 billion zloty (€21.9 billion) for businesses, bringing the total amount of measures to deal with the consequences of the pandemic to 300 billion zloty (€65.75 billion). On 6 April, the German government introduced a state-guaranteed rapid loan scheme for SMEs.

On April 9, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva called the coronavirus crisis "the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression" of 1929. She outlined four priorities for the IMF: maintaining confinement and support measures for health systems, protecting people and businesses with broad fiscal measures, protecting the financial sector and putting in place an economic recovery plan. She noted that the IMF has a lending capacity of $1 trillion and can increase its emergency assistance capacity to $100 billion.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) estimated on 8 April that world trade will fall by 13% to 32% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It also foresees economic recovery scenarios in 2021, the most optimistic of which is a return to the status quo preceding the health crisis.

On 14 April, the Council adopted two proposals amending the EU budget for 2020 so as to free up funds in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Funds are also being made available to help Greece deal with increased migration pressures. Commitments have been increased overall by €3.57 billion to €172.2 billion. Payments were increased by €1.6 billion to a total of €155.2 billion. The money will be used to finance medical supplies, to build field hospitals and to transfer patients for treatment in other Member States.

On 7 April, the Council adopted the mobility package governing the posting of lorry drivers, maximum working hours, minimum rest periods and control and cabotage requirements. The text now has to be approved by the Parliament.

On 7 April, the Council adopted new measures to reduce the risk of shortages of water used to irrigate crops. The use of reclaimed water should thus be facilitated, in order to cope with climate change, particularly heat waves and droughts. The text must now be adopted by Parliament.

On 8 April the Council adopted a position on the amendment of a regulation on the implementation and enforcement of international trade rules by the Union. It allows negotiations with the European Parliament to begin. A qualified majority is required for adoption by the Council, in agreement with the European Parliament.

On 6 April, Europol announced the arrest of a man in Singapore on suspicion of money laundering linked to a coronavirus scam. The man is alleged to have impersonated a company in order to promote the rapid delivery of FFP2 masks and hand disinfectants. It was the French police who contacted Europol after a French pharmaceutical company was defrauded of €6.64 million.

On 9 April, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) called upon Greece to take measures to prevent persistent ill-treatment of prisoners, prison overcrowding and staff shortages. In its report, it further requested that "all police officers in the country clearly understand that any form of ill-treatment of arrested persons constitutes a criminal offence".

On 8 April, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, published a toolkit for all European governments on the respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law during the COVID-19 crisis.

On 8 April, the Council of Europe published its guidelines on the use of algorithms, which have become increasingly popular but which pose a threat to individual freedoms. It recommends that appropriate legislation be put in place in all Member States, and that these rules should guarantee the transparency of the code, human control of algorithm operations and respect for privacy.

The labour market is facing its " most serious crisis since the Second World War " due to the coronavirus pandemic. 1.25 billion people are at high risk of dismissal or salary cuts, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). According to a study published on 7 April, the UN agency estimates that the novel coronavirus pandemic is expected to wipe out 6.7% of the world's working hours in the second quarter of 2020 alone, or 195 million full-time equivalents (for a 48-hour working week).

The Joan Miró Foundation, in Barcelona, is launching the "Miró at Home" programme, offering an opportunity to discover both the artist's works and personality. It also offers games designed for the whole family, and literary readings.

The Wawel Hill in Krakow once was the centre of power in Poland. The Cathedral, where kings, heroes and poets are buried, and where Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, celebrated his first mass in 1946, can be visited virtually, even with the sound of the bell. The castle near the cathedral, which is on UNESCO's World Heritage List, can also be visited in 3D.

The museum devoted to Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, the city where the German composer died, provides virtual access to his permanent exhibition of objects, instruments and scores.

The English Heritage site offers an interactive virtual tour of the 3,000-year-old Stonehenge site. Visitors will also be able to observe the movement and alignment of the planets above the site.