Faced with the health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union is trying to deploy the various means at its disposal. In response and in order to be resilient for the future, the EU's capacity to act depends largely on the Member States and their resolve to work together. The Foundation provides you with a regularly updated overview of all the measures taken at national and European level.

The Foundation's Chairman Jean-Dominique Giuliani was interviewed by the Italy-France Club regarding developments in Europe and the challenges to be met.

On 28 April, the Commission proposed to temporarily ease lending conditions for banks to support SMEs and households in the face of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. They comprise adjustments to the timing of the application of international accounting standards, more favourable treatment of government guarantees, and a postponement of the entry into force of the buffer requirements when calculating the leverage ratio.

On 28 April, the EU' interior ministers discussed the possibility of gradually reopening borders, improving transit corridors for the transport of priority resources and materials, as well as the guidelines for de-confinement presented by the Commission. They referred to the importance of privacy of tracing applications and took stock of the fight against cybercrime. They discussed the issue of migration and the importance of continuing to work on a Pact for Migration and Asylum.

On 28 April Energy Ministers discussed the measures taken to ensure the sector's response to the Covid-19 crisis. Trade agreements to ensure the continuity of essential operations were put in place. Ministers stressed that the European Green Deal could play a major role in the recovery of the economy.

On 29 April, the Commission announced the mobilisation of €3.3 billion for the Western Balkans to meet the health and humanitarian needs of the countries in the region in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and to enable economic recovery. An economic and investment agreement for the region is also expected later this year.

The European Transport Ministers discussed the consequences of covid-19 on the sector on 29 April. They stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in order to limit the negative impacts on transport, particularly with the de-confinement which should result in an increase in traffic. They addressed the issue of harmonising air passenger rights or strengthening the role of rail freight corridors.

The Chair of the Council of Europe's Data Protection Committee and the Council of Europe's Data Protection Commissioner issued a joint statement on 28 April on the possible side effects of digital tracing applications related to the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic. They call for the establishment of legal and technical safeguards to limit the risks of personal data and privacy breaches. The use of these applications should be on a voluntary basis and for a limited period of time only.

In Germany, some school classes, hairdressers and shops larger than 2,500 m2 reopened on 4 May and the situation will be assessed on 6. Churches were also reopened after the decision of the Constitutional Court. In Austria, shops larger than 400 m2 reopened on 2 May. In Belgium, workplaces and some shops reopened on 4 May and all shops will reopen on the 11th. In France, businesses, shops, schools, small museums and libraries will reopen on 11 May under arrangements to be examined by Parliament. In Spain, outdoor activities resumed on 3 May, and restaurants will reopen only with take-away service. The extension of the state of emergency will be examined on 6 May. Polish shops, hotels, museums, libraries and sports facilities reopened on 4 May, followed by crèches and kindergartens on 6 May. In the UK, anyone who is vulnerable or goes out to work can be tested. In Ireland, containment measures have been extended until 18 May.

In France, short-time working measures for home-based employees have been extended until 1 June. On 27 April, the UK government presented a small business loan scheme and released £76 million for victims of violence, and on 2 May, additional support for local businesses. In Ireland, the government is funding 26 research and innovation programmes related to Covid-19 to the tune of €5 million. On 28 April the Spanish government approved a suspension of social security contributions for companies in 12 sectors. The German Ministry of Economics announced that measures for start-ups amounting to €2 billion were ready. The Austrian government presented targets for tax relief and job protection for workers.

Since 4 May, Italians have been able to walk around freely and make family trips in the same region. They are also allowed to attend funerals, with a maximum of 15 people in attendance. Museums and libraries will reopen from 18 May, and bars and restaurants from 1 June. Schools will remain closed until September.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Council President Giuseppe Conte, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Charles Michel held an online conference on 4 May to launch a global appeal for donations to fund research for a vaccine against Covid-19. Donors from all over the world, but not the US or Russia, pledged €7.4 billion.

The Commission announced on 30 April that the Interim Appeals Body for the Settlement of Trade Disputes, whose establishment it supported with 19 World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries, had entered into force. This body, comprising 10 judges, temporarily replaces the WTO Court of Appeal, which has been dormant since 11 December because of the United States' refusal to appoint a judge to it.

The German Constitutional Court ruled on 5 May that the European Central Bank's public debt repurchase programme exceeds the Union's monetary policy powers. It gives the ECB three months to demonstrate that its action is proportionate to the economic and budgetary consequences. Otherwise, the Bundesbank, the German central bank, would no longer be able to participate in the programme.

In a report published on 30 April, the Council of Europe's anti-torture Committee highlights the serious situation in the UK prison system. It notes that inter-prisoner violence and assaults have reached "unprecedented" levels, and that one third of prisoners have tested positive for drug use. It highlights the problem of overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales, as well as mental disorders and self-harm among prisoners. The Committee strongly advises against the construction of new prisons, with a view to favouring a change in sentencing policy to achieve a stabilization and reduction of the prison population.

Eurostat unveiled its unemployment figures for the month of March 2020. The rate of unemployment in the EU lay at 6.6% and that of the euro zone 7.4%. Youth unemployment is at 15.2% in the EU and 15.8% in the euro zone - that of women, 7% in the Union and 7.8% in the euro zone.

On April 30, Eurostat published its preliminary estimates of GDP for the first quarter of 2020, which is expected to decline by 3.5% in the European Union and 3.8% in the euro zone. This is the largest decline recorded by Eurostat since 1995.

Eurostat estimates euro-zone annual inflation was 0.4% in April compared with 0.7% the previous month, Eurostat estimates on 30 April. The euro area fell by 0.3 percentage points, reflecting the containment measures introduced in the Member States. Slovenia, with -1.3%, recorded the biggest decrease, while the highest inflation was observed in Slovakia with 2.2%.

The 4th report on the Facility for Refugees in was published by the Commission on 30 April. This report takes stock of the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement of March 2016 and covers the period from April 2019 to February 2020. It notes that 41% of the facility's budget has been earmarked for development aid projects and 59% for humanitarian aid. 83 333 refugees arrived in the EU from Turkey in 2019, an increase of 47% compared to 2018. 7 020 migrants were resettled in the EU in 2019 and 1 995 returned to Turkey.

The Museum of Zaragoza is offering online visits to its collections, which range from prehistory to the 20th century, and cover a variety of subjects such as ethnography, ceramic art or the Colonnia Celsa, the ancient Roman city on which the museum is built.

On its YouTube channel, the Museum of Polish History in Warsaw offers documentaries on different periods of the country's history.

The Opéra Comique de Paris is proposing the Opéraoké Challenge, a competition to interpret the most famous arias of the lyrical art, on the model, for example, of Bizet's L'Amour est un oiseau rebelle (Love is a Rebellious Bird), sung by Maria Callas. It is the online revival of a popular activity launched during the work on the theatre in 2016.

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London organises every Wednesday #LetsMakeWednesdays, a call for creativity on the part of both young people and adults in design, object making or storytelling, drawing inspiration from its collections.