The Member States of the European Union are continuing the process of ending lockdown with the resumption of social and economic activities and the reopening of the Union's internal borders. The Foundation offers you a summary of the measures taken and the timetable planned by each State. An indispensable resource for understanding the way out of the crisis and regaining a European "spirit".

The Foundation is organising an online debate on the next multiannual financial framework on 23 June at 3 pm with Gert-Jan Kooman, Director General of DG BUDGET at the European Commission, José Manuel Fernandes, Member of the European Parliament and Alain Lamassoure, former Minister, former Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Foundation's Scientific Committee. The debate will be moderated by Pascale Joannin, Director General.

The Commission announced on 16 June an agreement between Member States on the compatibility of patient tracing applications of Covid-19. This decision was taken to coincide with the reopening of borders and tourism, and will make every national application functional across the Union. The Commission emphasises that user data will be stored only on their phones, and will provide a gateway service to allow users' phones to communicate with each other.

On 17 June, the Commission presented its strategy on vaccines against Covid-19, which was drawn up at the request of the EU Health Ministers. It aims to guarantee the quality of vaccines and their rapid and equitable availability, and is based on two pillars: support for European laboratories to ensure that these vaccines are produced on the continent, and regulatory flexibility to speed up their development.

The Hungarian Parliament unanimously voted on 16 June to end the state of emergency introduced at the end of March to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, a new law on temporary health measures, including provisions under the state of emergency, was adopted.

From 13 to 21 June, the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, held talks with political, economic and cultural leaders to prepare the country's recovery plan, which will be financed by the EU's common loan, based on three main themes: modernising the country, launching the energy transition and designing a more inclusive Italy. Proposals are expected to be presented in September.

On 18 June MEPs adopted a plan to temporarily ease regulatory constraints on banks to help them support economic recovery. The plan relaxes some of the EU's banking prudential rules, in particular the rules on capital requirements, rules on lending to SMEs, pensioners and employees on permanent contracts. The aim is to enable banks to channel the money raised by the ECB into the economy.

In France, school is mandatory again as of June 22nd, cinemas can reopen and contactless team sports resume. In Germany, the tracking application "Corona-warn" has been available since 16 June. In Spain, the borders reopened with the end of the state of alert on 21 June, and Catalonia has fully moved to phase 3 of the end of lockdown: restrictions on the reception of people are being eased in bars, shops and on beaches. In Poland, the "ProteGO Safe" application has been available since 16 June. In the United Kingdom, where the professional football championship has resumed, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce new measures on 4 July for the leisure, entertainment and hospitality sectors.

The French government has announced an action plan for the relocation of health research projects and health product production sites. In Belgium, the government has repealed some specific measures for the federal civil service. In Germany, the government announced €24.8 billion to guarantee employment, €1 billion to support culture, and the extension until 30 September of the conditions for access to social protection measures. In Austria, an allowance of €450 will be provided to the unemployed, families will receive €360 per child and tax reductions on wages and income, and VAT has been cut by 5% in the catering sector. The Spanish government has released €16 billion to help the autonomous communities and announced a €4.262 billion plan to support tourism.

The Heads of State and Government discussed the European Recovery Plan and the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 on 19 June. At the end of the meeting, the President of the Council, Charles Michel, noted that there were differences of opinion and that a phase of negotiations was beginning with a view to a further meeting in Brussels in mid-July. EU leaders also took stock of negotiations on the future relationship with the United Kingdom and approved a one-year renewal of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

On 17 June the Commission adopted a White Paper on foreign subsidies in the Single Market and opened a consultation on the issue until 23 September 2020. Subsidies from third countries can affect competition in the EU and cause distortions. In order to fill the existing regulatory gap, the Commission proposes to introduce a general control instrument to ensure that foreign subsidies do not give an undue advantage, as well as a monitoring mechanism on procurement.

On 15 June, the Commission committed €205 million to finance 16 projects in the framework of the pilot funds that prefigure the European Defence Fund. This funding will be distributed to companies from across the Union, including 83 SMEs. The projects aim to develop new defence technologies such as drones, space technologies, unmanned land vehicles, high-precision missiles, airborne electronic attack technologies, cyber security platforms and active stealth technologies.

On 19 June MEPs approved increased aid to farmers through the Rural Development Fund, up to €7,000 instead of €5,000 per farmer, and €50,000 per SME in the agri-food sector. The deadline for the payment of the aid was extended from 31 December 2020 to 30 June 2021. In addition, aid will be available up to 2% of the envelope for rural development programmes instead of the original 1%. The project must now be definitively approved by the Council.

On 19 June, MEPs adopted a resolution calling on Member States to restore the integrity of the Schengen area as soon as possible by 520 votes in favour, 86 against and 59 abstentions. While MEPs are pleased to see that some countries are reopening their borders, they note that this is not the case for all, and that in any case it is being done in an uncoordinated manner. They believe that the reopening is essential for the recovery of the European economy. MEPs want to launch a medium-term reflection on the creation of real governance of the Schengen area.

European leaders and their Eastern Partnership counterparts exchanged views on 18 June regarding the response to the coronavirus crisis and the future of the partnership. They expressed their commitment to the Eastern Partnership and the areas of cooperation it includes, including on trade and free movement of people, and prepared for their next summit in March 2021.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom said on 19 June that they were opposed to the United States' use of "snapback", the automatic restoration of sanctions against Iran. They say they oppose the automatic lifting of the arms embargo on Iran in October. The 3 countries are calling for dialogue and for Iran to respect its obligations under the nuclear agreement, despite the US withdrawal from the agreement.

European Council President Charles Michel, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative Josep Borrell held talks on 22 June with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. EU leaders called on China to respect its commitments on market access for European companies, transparency on subsidies and technology transfer. They reiterated their commitment to reach a bilateral agreement on investment, the urgent need for WTO negotiations on industrial subsidies and overcapacity in steel and certain technologies. They also warned China against cyber-attacks and misinformation and expressed the Union's "grave concern" about the challenge being made to Hong Kong's autonomy.

In a report on demography in Europe published on 17 June, the Commission points out that the population of the Union will fall to only 4% of the world population in 2070. This decline is expected to vary from region to region, with Central Europe particularly affected by this trend. The report will serve as a basis for future Commission proposals on ageing and support for the regions most affected by this demographic decline.

On 18 June the Commission published its report on barriers to trade for the year 2019. It estimates that EU action to remove illegal barriers has resulted in €8 billion in gains for European businesses. However, it notes that illegal barriers are on the increase in the information and communication technology, automotive and electronics sectors. It has identified 438 barriers to trade around the world, 43 of which will be introduced in 2019. China and Russia are the countries with the most barriers, with 38 and 31 trade restrictive measures respectively.

On 19 June the Commission published its report on the conduct of the May 2019 European elections. The report highlights the increase in the participation rate (50.6%), particularly among young people, and the numerical dimension of the campaign. The report notes the prevalence of national debates, despite the emergence of a Europe-wide debate on issues such as climate change and human rights. Transparency between the European and national political levels and the fight against misinformation and interference remain major challenges.

The Stephen Friedman Gallery in London will be hosting an exhibition of works by Swedish artist Andreas Eriksson until July 31. His paintings mainly focus on the theme of nature, between abstract and figurative art.

The Museum of Modern Art Lentos in Linz is showing more than 1,500 works of art, including paintings by Klimt, Schiele and Pechstein. Until 9 August, the Austrian artist Jakob Lena Knebl is revisiting the collection in an installation that can also be seen in an immersive setting on the museum site. Until 4 October, another exhibition will be devoted to the artist Josef Bauer.

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) is presenting a retrospective of the Greek artist Takis, a leading figure in the experimental arts of the 1960s, until 13 September. The museum is also offering a series of films from its collections on its website every Thursday until 30 July.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Wroclaw is presenting "Poetry and Performance" until 13 July, an exhibition that focuses on film poetry, writing and language as an instrument for political ideology in Eastern Europe. Another exhibition, running until 2021, explores the links between art, reality and commitment under the title "Private Mythologies".