On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, several European personalities, including Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Christine Lagarde, David Sassoli, Wolfgang Schäuble and Michel Barnier responded to the Foundation's invitation and expressed their hopes for the next 70 years for Europe in a video message. Find these accounts on the special page on our website.

Deconfinement began in France on May 11, with the reopening of stores and primary schools. The state of health emergency was extended until 10 July. In Belgium, meetings of more than 4 people have been allowed since 10 May and shops reopened on 11 May. In Spain, the Parliament extended the status of high-alert until 24 May. In Germany, the reopening of schools and shops continues but the infection rate is rising again . The Länder decide whether to open restaurants, museums and theatres. The professional football championship will resume on 16 May. In Austria, restaurants can reopen and religious services will resume on 15 May. In Ireland, confinement will continue until 18 May. In the United Kingdom, confinement has been extended until 1 June with permission for outdoor exercise.

The Commission presented its updated economic forecasts for 2020 and 2021 on 6 May. It estimates that the Union is facing a shock that may lead to a 7.4% fall in GDP in 2020 that is expected to be followed by a 6% recovery in 2021. For the euro area, the recession in 2020 is estimated at 7.7% and the recovery in 2021 at 6.3%. Unemployment is expected to rise from 6.7% to 9% in 2020 and to fall to 8% in 2021, and the average debt of the countries of the Union is expected to rise from 79.4% of GDP to 95% in 2020 before falling back to 92% in 2021. The Commission recalls that these forecasts depend on the evolution of the pandemic, but they highlight the need for a European recovery strategy.

Support for the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries was reiterated at the virtual summit on 6 May. The joint declaration underlines the efforts made by the Western Balkan countries to establish fully functioning democratic systems, the rule of law and a market economy. The EU Member States have committed themselves to supporting this dynamic, recalling the €3.3 billion aid package against coronavirus allocated by the EU, as well as the reconciliation package for the countries of the Western Balkans.

The Irini naval mission, tasked with enforcing the arms embargo in Libya, has been operational since 4 May, with the arrival in the area of the French anti-aircraft frigate Jean Bart and a Luxembourg ship.

On 7 May, the Parliament's Budget Control Committee studied the problems of conflicts of interest in the Czech Republic regarding EU funds. MEPs asked that if the Commission can confirm that there is a conflict of interest concerning Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his company Agrofert, he should immediately put an end to it. They have asked him not to take part in negotiations on the EU budget pending the outcome of the investigation. MEPs also denounced the lack of mechanisms to combat conflicts of interest in the Czech Republic and asked the Czech Republic to introduce systematic controls and to apply zero tolerance on conflicts of interest.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on 8 May - following the 5 May ruling by the German Constitutional Court holding the European Central Bank (ECB) to account - that it had "sole" jurisdiction over the ECB's actions. It recalls the primacy of European law, its role as the court of last resort for European law and the binding nature of its preliminary rulings.

At a conference on 8 May, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, said that the coronavirus crisis both confirms and tests Robert Schuman's ambition to create "de facto solidarity" to move Europe forward. She also assured that the ECB would not let itself be discouraged in its action, three days after a ruling by the German Constitutional Court calling into question the institution's monetary policy. In a statement, the ECB also assured that it would continue to do "whatever is necessary within its mandate" to maintain price stability.

European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly published her annual report for 2019 on 4 May. 458 inquiries were opened in 2019, almost 27% of which concerned transparency, to give the public a better understanding of European decision-making processes, in particular with regard to annual fishing quotas or Eurogroup meetings. The Ombudsman also investigated the European Medicines Agency, whose independence in decisions to grant market access to new medicines needs to be strengthened. She also investigated the institutions' staff who go to work in the private sector and vice versa.

On the evening of 6 May, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling party (PiS), and his coalition partner Jaroslaw Gowin said that in their view the Covid-19 crisis made it impossible to hold the presidential election scheduled for 10 and 24 May. The Central Election Commission indicated on 7 May that it was physically impossible to hold the election, which had been due to be held by mail. A new polling date could be set within two weeks.

On 10 May Pope Francis recalled the importance of the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 70th anniversary of Robert Schuman's declaration. He called for a united, fraternal and diverse Europe.

In a ruling issued on 5 May, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Romania for dismissing anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi in July 2018 following her criticism of legislative reforms, including the decriminalisation of abuse of office in the approval or adoption of a law. The Court found that Romania had violated Article 6.1 on the right to a fair trial and Article 10 on freedom of expression.

In a text published on 9 May to mark the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the President of the European Economic and Social Council, Luca Jahier, and the Presidents of 10 European Economic and Social Councils called for "building a new development model adapted to the major transformations of the 21st century" within the framework of a united Europe. In a video message to the Foundation, L.Jahier also said that "either we are a Union or we are nothing".

The Chantilly estate website offers a video guided tour of the exhibition "Raphaël in Chantilly. The master and his pupils" organized on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Italian painter's death.